Questions raised over Premier’s tough ban on outdoor activities
Premier Daniel Andrews has made no apologies for the state government’s tough ban on outdoor activities such as fishing and golf. But some disgruntled Victorians say the restrictions have gone too far. This is why.
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The Federal Health Minister has urged people to get out and exercise to keep their mental health in check and has heaped praise on a Victorian council for reopening its beaches.
Confusion over Victoria’s tough ban on outdoor activities, including fishing, hunting, boating, camping and golf, has sparked a storm of controversy over the hard line stance.
Many councils have closed beaches in the past week, while others are restricting people to walking on them.
The restrictions have outraged some Victorians who have questioned the need for such severe measures compared with other states where many outdoor recreational activities are allowed.
A spokesman for Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said it was critical people were able to keep exercising but it was up to state governments to implement their own rules.
“Our national goal is to ensure that we keep to groups of two or family groups, and maintain distance,” he said.
“It is up to the states how they implement those principles but it is critical that we allow people to have the exercise they need.
“I welcome the decision of the Mornington Peninsula Shire for example to allow people to jog or walk along the beaches, so long as they abide by the social distancing rules that are critical to helping stop the spread of coronavirus, and have helped us deliver early signs of the curve flattening.”
National parks and sites including the Twelve Apostles Visitor Centre and lookouts and the 1000 steps in the Dandenong Ranges are also closed.
Premier Daniel Andrews defended Victoria’s bans, saying the extreme measures would save lives.
He made no apologies for the government’s position, which permits only “basic exercise”, and said each state or territory acted on specific advice. I believe we’ve got our policy setting right, they’re based on advice,” he said.
“On fishing for instance, golf, no recreational fishing trip, no trip to the golf course is worth someone’s life.
“And I know it’s frustrating, and I know I’m asking a lot of you, not to go and do the things that you love doing.”
Mr Andrews said Victoria faced unique challenges that made the tough bans appropriate. Anglers, water skiers and yacht enthusiasts on the border at Albury-Wodonga were confused about what they were allowed to do.
The Lake Hume Angling Club has members from Albury in NSW and Wodonga in Victoria who can fish from the banks of one state and cast their lines into the other.
Club secretary Michael Dwyer said the group’s boat ramp was in Victoria but anglers could be fishing on either side of the border within a couple of hundred metres.
“I feel certain that people aren’t aware of it,’’ he said.
Wodonga Golf Club professional Gavin Vearing said: “It’s frustrating when over the border there are different rules.
“I just hope the other states are serious in the way they go about it because we don’t want people travelling from one side of the border just to play.’’
Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said more clarity was needed around the rules.