RESIDENTS in north-west Victoria are being let down by the Victorian Government’s “one in, all in” approach to harsh COVID-19 restrictions, according to Member for Mildura Ali Cupper.
Premier Daniel Andrews said on Tuesday Victorians were “very well placed” for further changes to the tough stage 4 restrictions tonight and indicated the government would continue to take a statewide approach to the restrictions.
Mr Andrews implemented the shutdown of all non-essential retail, schools and community facilities and banned social gatherings, weddings and sport for five days from midnight last Friday following an outbreak of a UK strain of the virus across Melbourne.
Ms Cupper said the government’s statewide approach was “simply unreasonable” for a region that has had no COVID-19 cases for almost a year and she feared that if that methodology continued people would start to “buck the system”.
“In order to bring people along in a democracy to the best of your ability, nuanced proportionality are key and one in, all in is not a nuanced proportionate response,” Ms Cupper said.
“Not only do I think it will have problematic practical consequences, but people feel that as unjust and a government overreach and the symbolism is highly problematic,” she said.
“Even when the state was experiencing 500, 600, 700 new cases a day, we were ever only at stage 3 restrictions.
“I know each case needs to be looked at on its merits and I know that the strain that we’re looking at now is more virulent, but even considering all of that, it’s a bitter pill for people to swallow that we need to be on restrictions in regional Victoria.”
Ms Cupper said she well understood concerns about the UK strain reaching regional Victoria, but north-west Victoria was “geographically unique” in the state.
“If the UK virus seeded itself in Mildura and suddenly ran rampant here, no one is going to be too happy with the Premier,” she said.
“So, there is an element of this which is damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t and I don’t really want to be unnecessarily laying into the government.
“But at the same time, when Dan says ‘one in, all in’ he is simply letting us down.
“He is expecting of us something that is just simply unreasonable and it gets to a point where there needs to be some objective logic to this.”
Ms Cupper said a “ring of steel” around Melbourne, which had been previously implemented, would have eased concerns about the virus spreading to regional Victoria and allowed those areas where there are currently no COVID-19 cases more freedom.
“I understand that there may be logistical challenges in terms of setting up a ring of steel, but there are logistical challenges left, right and centre in a COVID world,” she said.
“The whole bloody thing is a logistical challenge — it doesn’t abrogate the government’s responsibility to the regions to tailor the response to minimise the disruption where it can be minimised while maintaining public safety.
“I understand the government has a tough gig at the moment, but the government has got to do that.
“That’s their responsibility to our community.
“This is not just about us as individual citizens, it’s also about our livelihoods.
“And it’s just not good enough.”
