Greens MP Ellen Sandell slams ‘detention directions’ information booklet for public housing residents

A five-page booklet with “detention directions” is the only information residents stranded in nine public housing towers have received, according to a Victorian MP.

Vulnerable residents living inside Melbourne’s nine quarantined public housing towers have been handed an information booklet citing the lockdown operation as “detention”.

Victorian Greens MP Ellen Sandell slammed the move on Twitter this morning.

“For the first 18+ hours of lockdown, public housing residents received virtually no information. Then they were handed this 5 page document in English,” she wrote.

“Think about how a ‘Detention direction’ looks for people who have fled war zones and dictators. This has been led by force, not care.”

The information booklet is a direction from the deputy chief health officer in accordance with “emergency powers” arising from a declared state of emergency.

“These directions require everyone who ordinarily resides in a detention location to limit their interactions with others by restricting the circumstances in which they may leave the premises where they ordinarily reside,” the note reads.

“You will be detained at the premises where you ordinarily reside in the detention location for a period of 14 days (initial detention period).”

About 3000 tenants are in ‘hard’ lockdown in nine public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne. Picture: Asanka Ratnayake/Getty Images

About 3000 residents living in the nine public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne were placed into lockdown on Saturday afternoon.

At least 27 coronavirus cases could be linked to the public housing cluster.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Saturday that people living in the towers would not be allowed to leave their homes for at least five days.

“This is a very significant step we have never taken before,” he said.

“Given the very high density of that nature of housing, the number of shared facilities — everything from laundries to obviously access and egress points, lifts — the public health advice is to close those nine towers.”

The note handed out to locked-down residents in Melbourne’s nine public housing towers.

There are 1345 housing units in the nine towers.

“We know and understand it is a big cohort, a big group of people many of whom are amongst the most vulnerable,” Mr Andrews said.

“The risk to public health at a personal and family level, the health and wellbeing of those residents who live very close to each other, the fact that there are positive cases in some of those towers and logical patterns of movement, friendship and family groups mean that the best and most appropriate step is hard lockdown.”

Victorian Minister for Housing Richard Wynne announces the lockdown in nine public housing towers on Saturday. Picture: David Crosling/NCA NewsWire

At least 500 officers will work at the towers per shift.

Victorian Public Tenants Association executive officer Mark Feenane said the more than 3000 tenants were unprepared, and many had been left without groceries and other supplies.

“It was just done in a pretty ham-fisted manner,” he told the Today show on Monday morning.

“There was really inadequate notice to people who aren’t really well-resourced … no time to buy whatever essential items they needed.”

The State Government has announced a suite of assistance packages including a two-week rent reprieve and hardship payments of $1500 to help cover living costs for employed people or $750 for people out of work.

The Government will also provide medical, drug and alcohol and family violence support and other essential services.

NCA NewsWire has contacted the State Government for comment over the “detention directions” information booklet.