PM urges Victoria to lift Melbourne lockdown ‘as quickly as possible’

Scott Morrison has urged the Victorian government to lift lockdown quickly, saying the country shouldn’t be having too many restrictions.

Scott Morrison has turned the screws on the Victorian government over Melbourne’s ongoing lockdown, urging it to lift restrictions as soon as safely possible.

Melbourne was plunged into an initial seven-day lockdown in May to crush a growing Covid-19 outbreak in the state, which was extended until Thursday evening.

Acting-Victorian Premier James Merlino on Tuesday said the state was “on track” to ease restrictions by the end of the week, but warned settings for Melbourne and regional Victoria would be different for “a period of time”.

But after Victoria recorded just two locally acquired cases on Tuesday, Mr Morrison said the federal government wanted to see restrictions eased quickly.

“I make no secret of the fact that I want to see restrictions lifted in Melbourne as quickly as possible and as safely as possible,” he said on Tuesday.

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Scott Morrison has called for Melbourne’s lockdown to end ‘as quickly as possible’ provided it was safe. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Bianca De Marchi

“The case numbers today are very welcome, and I’m sure that that is encouraging to people in Melbourne.”

The prime minister said the nation’s low case numbers, compared to those seen across Europe and the US, meant Australians were “living safely every day”.

But after Australia’s Triple A credit rating was upgraded off the back of the nation’s economic recovery, Mr Morrison urged states to “get the balance of risk right” when imposing lockdowns.

“It must be proportionate, it must be targeted, it must be temporary, and it must be relieved as soon as possible,” he said.

“Further restrictions around the country should either not occur at all or for a very, very narrow set of circumstances. That is how Australia can continue to be successful.”

Mr Morrison said the federal government had “stepped up” by unveiling emergency support payments for people living in hot spots, but stopped short of directly criticising his Victorian counterparts.

“That is a judgment for the Victorian Government to make. There is nothing to be profited from the Commonwealth government and state governments relitigating those decisions,” he said.

Acting-Victorian Premier James Merlino. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Paul Jeffers

“They have to make them; they’re their calls and they’re responsible for them. It’s for state governments to explain and articulate that to their state populations.”

One of the new cases reported in Melbourne was linked to the west Melbourne outbreak, another was a household contact of a worker linked to the Arcare Maidstone outbreak.

Mr Merlino on Tuesday said there were “very good reasons” for treating metropolitan Melbourne and the regions differently.

“We absolutely want to run this into ground and ensure that there’s no risk of this spreading out into regional Victoria,” he said.

The Victorian government and the Commonwealth struck a deal to manufacture a purpose-built quarantine facility in either Avalon or Mickleham,

The move came months after National Covid-19 Co-ordination Commission Advisory Board commissioner Jane Halton called for additional purpose-built facilities to complement the NT’s Howard Springs site.

Mr Merlino reiterated his desire to construct the facility as quickly as possible.

“The fact that Howard Springs is the only system in the country that has seen no breaches really speaks for itself,” he said.

“Having that purpose-built facility will ensure that high-risk individuals, whether they come from high-risk countries around the world or not, are put into a purpose-built facility while lower-risk individuals are supported.”