Victorians caught amid the chaos of Daniel Andrews’ ‘inhumane’ border closures deserve an apology.
Thousands were forced into a last minute rush across the Murray River when the Andrews Labor Government shut the border on New Year’s Eve in December 2020, giving Victorians just hours’ notice.
Traffic was backed up for more than 50 kilometres at some border check-points as Victorians not wanting to risk being stranded interstate attempted to come home.
Just eight per cent of those who were forced to apply for exemptions were granted one.
Victorian Ombudsman, Deborah Glass, described the actions as”unjust” and “inhumane” and added that the measures introduced were”some of the most questionable decisions I have seen in my over seven years as Ombudsman.”
The Andrews Labor Government refuses to apologise and has backed down on its pledge to consider all of the Ombudsman’s recommendations, which included:
- Publicly acknowledging that the narrow exercise of discretion resulted in unjust outcomes and consider measures to alleviate this, such as ex gratia payments on application.
- Consider clarifying the right to freedom of movement, develop policies to assist decision-makers in the future, and invite people who believed on reasonable grounds they were an ‘excepted person’ to have infringements reviewed and withdrawn.
Leader of the Liberal Party, Matthew Guy, said the thousands of Victorians forced to endure the ordeal deserved an apology.
“Daniel Andrews must apologise to the thousands of Victorians he locked out of their own state,” Mr Guy said.
“To arrogantly reject the Ombudsman’s recommendations to apologise and pay compensation says all that needs to be said about the government’s attitude to regional Victorians.
“Unlike the government, I won’t shut Victorians out of their own home.”
Shadow Minister for Regional Cities and Border Communities, Bill Tilley, said border communities suffered while the restrictions were in place.
“The scenes that those on the border witnessed on New Year’s Eve in 2020 can never happen again,” Mr Tilley said.
“Rather than doing everything it could to help Victorians find safe ways to get home, the government chose to shut them out.
“Victorians deserve better than a government that had no right to lock people out of their own homes.”
