Victorian Ombudsman will launch an investigation into tower lockdown
Victoria’s Ombudsman has been inundated with complaints over the unprecedented lockdown of one of Melbourne’s public housing towers, leading to an investigation being launched.
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The unprecedented lockdown of a Melbourne housing tower for two weeks in the bid to stem the spread of coronavirus will be probed by the state’s integrity watchdog.
Victoria’s Ombudsman Deborah Glass will investigate the move made by the state government on July 4 after her office was inundated with complaints from residents about their access to medical supplies and food, along with their treatment at the hands of authorities including Victoria Police.
At the centre of the matter will be the tower at 33 Alfred St that was locked down without warning on July 4 for five days along with eight other towers.
On July 9 premier Daniel Andrews extended the lockdown to two weeks with cases numbers soaring within the building.
Currently there are now more than 250 cases across the nine towers that were put into lockdown, including the north Melbourne tower at the centre of Ms Glass’ investigation.
“I recognise this is an unprecedented global health emergency and governments must act swiftly to protect human lives,” Ms Glass said.
“People on the front line are doing an extraordinary job to respond to this crisis and help keep us safe.
“However, there are lessons to be learnt in how governments can do that in a way that protects people’s human rights, including access to fresh air, exercise and medical supplies.”
Ms Glass said her office had been contacted by 50 residents and would be seeking input from residents, Department of Health and Human Services, the Emergency Management Team, Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, Community Legal Centres, community groups, and the Victorian Multicultural Commission.
“My aim is that together we can learn from what has occurred over the last fortnight, and help put in place improvements for the North Melbourne residents,” she said.
“If similar emergency situations occur in other public housing estates, we can use the leanings gained through this investigation to get better outcomes for anyone else who may be affected.”
It comes after legal expert Jeremy King, principal at Robinson Gill Lawyers told the Herald a Sun there were serious concerns and called for the watchdog to investigate.
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