‘We live in no hope’: Melbourne restaurateur Chris Lucas delivers brutal message to Premier

In an extraordinary message, one of Australia’s most successful restaurateurs has warned of a new crisis in Victoria and ripped into Dan Andrews.

One of Melbourne’s most successful restaurateurs has issued a powerful message on national television this morning, saying Daniel Andrews has lost all compassion and that it’s now “too late” to save the city’s hospitality industry.

Chris Lucas, who owns some of Australia’s best-known fine diners, warned of a mental health crisis as hundreds of thousands of young people, employed by the hospitality industry, are unable to work.

He told the Today show that even if Victoria heads back to stage 2 restrictions by Christmas, it won’t be enough to save Melbourne’s bars, restaurants and pubs.

“It’s already too late,” he said. “There are 20,000 small cafes and restaurants in this state. And as an aggregate we employ about 300,000 mostly young Victorians.

“It’s already too late for a lot of them. There’s talk that at least 20 per cent to 30 per cent, maybe even higher will not reopen their doors. This is a catastrophic moment.”

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Chris Lucas called the extended lockdown in Victoria a ‘catastrophic moment’. Picture: Today

He accused Daniel Andrews of treating Victorians “like fools”, adding that the Premier appeared to lack sensitivity and compassion.

He said Mr Andrews’ plan to extend Victoria’s state of emergency for 12 months this week was the final straw.

“The market and the electorate was simply unprepared for what happened a few days ago. I think the bombshell that the Premier dropped was ill thought-through and look he’s treating us like fools, quite frankly,” he said

“We have sacrificed everything in the last six months as a community, as a state, as a city. My employees have been stood down, our businesses have been shut down, our lives have been turned upside down. We’re confined to our homes, we can’t leave our homes after 8pm. “We are in effectively a state of martial law. Driving to work this morning, I drove past at least three or four if police cars. It’s unprecedented.”

He said the Premier’s approach “smacks of insensitivity”.

“I don’t think the Premier has any sensitivity or compassion and if he does he is certainly not exhibiting it,” Mr Lucas said.

“To simply come out and demand that he wants these powers given to him in an unprecedented form, it just snacks of insensitivity. Quite frankly we’re sick of it.”

He said it’s not just economic damage that worries him.

“The silent sleeper here is the psychological damage that is being done to the community, to our workers and to my fellow Victorians,” he said. “We are depressed, we are scared, we’re fearful and we live in no hope.

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The Victoria government is looking to extend state of emergency. Picture: William West/AFP

“I’m asking the Premier to give us hope. We need to know where the end game is here? We deserve it. We have sacrificed everything.

“It’s easy for the politicians to sit there on their full pay packets and not – of course they’re not in fear of their own jobs, we are. We have sacrificed and we deserve some answers.”

This morning, it’s been revealed that Mr Andrews has backed down on his controversial plan to extend Victoria’s state of emergency for 12 months, agreeing to a much shorter period.

He has asked crossbench MPs to grant the Government power to extend the state of Emergency for 12 months after the September 13 end date.

He explained the move would allow the Government to keep in place necessary COVID-19 measures.

But it appears Mr Andrews has come to a compromise, agreeing to a lesser extension of six months, according to The Age.

Sources told the publication that Health Minister Jenny Mikakos put forward the compromise of a six-month extension, with the Government having to produce the necessary health advice every four weeks when it wanted to renew the state of emergency powers.

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Mr Andrews has compromised on his controversial plan to extend Victoria’s state of emergency for 12 months. Picture: David Crosling/NCA NewsWire

It is understood she also offered to extend the term of the parliamentary committee that is examining the Victorian Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Four crossbench MPs have to vote for the six-month legislation for it to pass.

It follows reports last night from the Herald Sun that crossbench MPs in the Upper House will only agree to an extension in three-month tranches.

Mr Andrews has copped major backlash since announcing the plan for the 12-month extension this week, with former Victorian Premier Jeff Kennett slamming the move as “megalomaniac” and a “grab for dictatorial power”.

Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien also bashed the announcement, branding it a “kick in the guts to Victorians” and claiming Mr Andrews wanted a “blank cheque to do whatever he likes”.

– with Ally Foster