THE Victorian Government has been urged to strengthen public transport checkpoints into regional Victoria from metropolitan Melbourne as Premier Daniel Andrews is on course to further ease COVID-19 restrictions in regional areas.
Member for Northern Victoria Tania Maxwell has previously raised concerns in State Parliament that travellers on V/Line trains and buses were eluding checks when travelling to regional Victoria.
Now she wants these loopholes to be tightened ahead of the anticipated easing of restrictions in regional areas due to come into effect this week.
Ms Maxwell said she was concerned at the lack of checks on passengers to ensure they are travelling for valid reasons only during Melbourne’s Stage 4 lockdown.
This includes reports that checks are not made when passengers embark at Southern Cross Station, that coaches are being waved through checkpoints, and that no directives are given to regional police about checking passengers as they disembark at regional stations.
She said regional Victorians should expect that stringent checks were done to ensure that people were not travelling without a valid reason during Melbourne’s Stage 4 lockdown.
“It is essential that we protect our low case number status and ensuring strict checkpoints and validity of travel into our region on public transport is essential so that businesses and communities within my electorate can open safely,” she said.
“Melbourne is in Stage 4 lockdown, with very few reasons people can leave their homes, and we must ensure travel from there into regional Victoria on our public transport network is strictly monitored as restrictions begin to ease in regional areas.”
Meanwhile, Member for Mildura Ali Cupper has pushed to allowing indoor dining with patron and density levels to be included when the Mildura electorate moves into the Third Step of the Victoria Government’s roadmap to reopening.
Ms Cupper said outdoor dining allowances under Step Three, which the Premier has said was likely to be implemented this week, would only be viable in her electorate in the short-term.
“There’s no doubt our climate is unique to the state and, as such, consideration needs to be given to allow our hospitality industry the ability to have indoor dining as soon as possible,” she said.
“I will continue to lobby Premier Andrews to consider more relaxed dining restrictions in our electorate to reflect our unique situation.”
On Monday, Mr Andrews announced funding for hospitality venues in metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria to broaden outdoor dining facilities moving into summer.
“There’s no doubt having more outdoor dining during summer months will be a terrific initiative for places like metropolitan Melbourne and other areas of regional Victoria,” Ms Cupper said.
“The roadmap as is currently stands only allows indoor dining to start at the end of November, at which time the days will be far too hot for people to safely sit outside to dine,” she said.
