Local Member for Benambra Bill Tilley said he was disappointed and strongly disagrees with Victorian Government’s new Roadmap to COVID Normal as announced last Sunday by Premier Daniel Andrews.
Mr Tilley said that before any restrictions will be eased in country Victoria to the ‘Last Step’, the government requires no new cases for 14 days across the entire state.
“Restaurants dine-in, community sport, beauty services, church services and many other longed-for activities only re-open under the ‘Last Step’.
“Getting to the ‘Third Step’ is reliant on all of country Victoria. Corryong is treated the same as Geelong and Barnawartha lumped with Bendigo.
“The Premier’s plan does not take into account the vast distances between communities, or the difference between metropolitan Melbourne and regional communities.”
Mr Tilley said there are over 30 local government areas in regional Victoria which already meet the government’s measure of not recording any new COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days.
“Many like ours have been COVID-free for this entire period, the only glitch are failures in reporting that said we had a case, but the person no longer lives here.
“I have called for an approach that enables COVID-free country areas to move to the ‘Last Step’ by region.
“If we have to wait for Melbourne to get to 14 days without a new case, we’ll never have restrictions lifted.
“Our cafes, restaurants, pubs and clubs have worn the brunt of these unnecessary restrictions for far too long. It has cost jobs in every town and particularly the tourist towns that are the envy of the rest of Victoria and the nation.
“Many businesses may never re-open. And for what? No cases, no threat.
“The only threat comes from Melbourne where the Premier won’t really enforce a ring around the city.”
Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell is calling on the Andrews Government to provide a more tailored response to economic recovery in regional communities.
Ms Lovell said the trigger to move to the ‘Last Step’ restrictions is not fair on regional communities who can only move to the last step if there is no new COVID cases for 14 days across the whole of Victoria (including Metropolitan Melbourne).
“As at September 6, thirty-one country local government areas have not had a new case for at least two weeks, and three local government areas have never had a COVID case,” Ms Lovell said
“Of the twenty-three LGAs in the Northern Victoria Region electorate, eighteen have not recorded a new a case for over two weeks, two have never recorded a COVID case and only six of the twenty-three LGAs currently have active COVID cases.
“Yet the Andrews Labor Government is forcing all country areas to remain in Stage 3 restrictions despite most of Northern Victoria meeting the ‘Last Step’ test.”
Under the current Stage 3 restrictions, country people still can only have ten people at a funeral or five people at a wedding. Only single people can have a social visitor who has to be a “nominated person.”
Travel within Victoria is not allowed. Personal services, such as indoor personal training and beauty services, are not allowed. Sport is not allowed. Schools are shut. Restaurants are take-away only.
Under the Government’s plan for the ‘Last Step’, the economy and communities begin to function again.
Schools are open and so are adult education and universities. Indoor and outdoor dining is allowed subject to density rules. People can visit each other at home.
Sport is back. Gyms and personal training inside is allowed. Funerals and weddings can have more attendees. Churches, mosques and temples reopen for services. Travel and accommodation are permitted.
