Dimattina blasts ‘pack of muppets’ pollies over restrictions

Former footy star and outspoken publican Paul Dimattina has hit out at the latest Covid restrictions, saying the hospitality industry is already “deadset in crisis”.

Paul Dimattina has blasted the government after it reintroduced density caps for hospitality venues. Picture: Alex Coppel.

Former footy player Paul Dimattina has hit out at the Andrews Government for “pointing the finger” at a reeling hospitality industry.

The owner of Lamaro’s in South Melbourne has long been criticial of authorities for their handling of the pandemic and he says the latest restrictions are a further kick in the guts.

“It’s always hospitality, nightclubs, bars,’’ he said.

“We have all done the right thing and got vaxxed and we have to deal with mismanagement.

“If you do what you’ve always done, you get what you’ve always got and (the government is) a pack of muppets doing what they’ve always done.

“We’re an industry that is deadset in crisis and they are always pointing the finger at us.”

Dimattina said there were staff shortages, booking cancellations and no incentives for people to work.

“People aren’t going out anyway, there’s a lot of restricted hours because we don’t have staff and we’re all bracing ourselves for the winter,’’ he said.

Paul Dimattina in hospital with Covid last year.

“We need a bit of positive messaging and not this lingering fear. People can sit at home and get money to stay home. It’s a culture of laziness bred by a socialist government.”

On Thursday, Victorian hospitality venues were asked to keep a density limit of one person per 2sq m under revised restrictions to limit Covid transmission.

Dimattina said he is expecting further restrictions to come in line with New South Wales.

He has recently recovered after falling gravely ill and enduring the scariest two weeks of his life in the Alfred Hospital.

He was admitted to intensive care after having a bad reaction to the booster jab and then contracting Covid.

Dimattina, who played 131 games for the Bulldogs, is also battling myasthenia gravis and has been receiving chemotherapy.

He was sounded out by the Liberal Party in July about potentially standing as a candidate at the 2022 state election. But he has since helped form a new centrist political outfit, the Victorians Party, which is hoping to take on both Labor and the Liberal Party this year.