Some absolutely disgusting comments on social media about this, got so bad with some media outlets that they had to wipe the comments and close them entirely.
Wishing Mark’s child a speedy recovery, would be a very unpleasant and scary time for them and the McGowan family.
Disappointing but not surprising to see some of the comments on social media. People can be truly vile sometimes, there is absolutely no excuse to be targeting a child.
Social media is such a gutter these days. Some people have no idea between having opinions about policies and attacking the said person involved, and then you have the extremist nutjobs calling it well-deserved because they hate anyone that disagrees with their politics. Pathetic.
The reason why is because there is no accountability to what you say on social media. Until laws tighten up this will keep happening.
I agree some of those comments appears on my timeline feed. Reported quite a few of them. I hope Mr McGowan ans his family are okay. I hope his child makes a speedy recovery too.
I think the regulation of using your real name on Twitter should be also considered, I’m sick of seeing people hiding behind screen names to get away with this shit.
I wish they’d just ban all social media. It’s just toxic. People lived hundreds of years without it. We don’t need it.
I don’t care about the lack of a name but I think there should be a requirement to provide ID to sign up. If there is a complaint that is serious enough it can then be provided to police. It also means if you are banned you can’t come back
I have also seen horrible comments on the Sky News Australia YouTube channel. Some of them are absolutely disgusting. I hope Mark’s son gets well soon.
Anyone who has ever looked at Facebook comment sections would see real names are rarely a deterrent for people with vile opinions.
Real name policies would be very harmful to many who can’t speak freely without the anonymity the internet can provide, many people are only in a position to be themselves, to seek help or speak out when able to do so without their name attached.
Glad to hear one of his sons are out of hospital, though I noticed an error in this article:
Health Minister Roger Cook said the premier was continuing to work from isolation.
“I was in a committee meeting with the premier which he chaired remotely. You can tell he’s got the disease but he’s very strong,” he said.
That is incorrect. Roger Cook lost his Health Minister title in December. He is currently the Deputy Premier.
While it is only minimal, doesn’t hurt to double-check information before publication. 
A High Court judge has ruled the way New Zealand’s borders were managed during part of the Covid-19 pandemic did, in some cases, impede the right of returning Kiwis in a way that was not justified in a free and democratic society.
Same venue openly flouted / outright refused to follow proof of vax requirements or mandates. Intriguing that there’s been no evidence, at least publicly of any action taken accordingly particularly when several other venues were punished…
What a bunch of anti-vax pork chops 