Anti-maskers vandalise Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt’s Melbourne office

Crusaders against Melbourne’s new mandatory mask rules have made their displeasure known in a very public way.

Anti-mask protesters have graffitied Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt’s electorate office in Melbourne’s southeast.

The vandals targeted the Eramosa Rd West office in Somerville overnight as new restrictions came into force requiring people in metropolitan Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire to wear a mask when outside their home.

The protesters stuck masks to the office windows with the words “don’t” and “won’t” on them, while a poster also said “I have a condition that prevents me from wearing a mask, it’s called intelligence”.

The graffiti was cleaned off early on Thursday morning.

Anyone who fails to wear a mask while out of the house in Melbourne faces a $200 fine from police.

Mr Hunt said on his Facebook page that wearing a mask was another way that people could play their “part in stopping the virus and saving lives”.

A spokesman for Mr Hunt said the graffiti was spotted by staff when they arrived for work on Thursday morning.

“The matter has been referred to the local police and the Australian Federal Police,” he said.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt's electorate office in Melbourne's southeast has been graffitied overnight by anti-maskers. Picture: Channel 7

“Minister Hunt reminds everyone that COVID-19 is extremely serious and people must abide by their local state or territory government restrictions, including in regards to masks.

“The Minister has been heartened to see the extraordinarily positive response of Victorians to the wearing of masks today – their collective action will help to save and protect lives.”

Mr Hunt said on Thursday it was a “deeply serious situation” unfolding in Victoria.

He said the mandatory requirement of masks was confronting and difficult but Melburnians were responding “magnificently”.

“I’ve seen on my way to and from my office a universal adoption of masks,” he told reporters on Thursday afternoon.

“The way in which people are responding and supporting each other, they are keeping their physical distance (and) you can tell that there are looking after each other.”

A poster left by the vandals. Picture: Channel 7

Mr Hunt said Victoria was well placed with it’s intensive care and ventilator capability.

“My message to Victorians is we’ve done this as a country, no we have to do it a second time in Victoria. It can be difficult, it can be frightening but it is achievable and I know that we will do it because we’ve done it before,” Mr Hunt said.

“Today, in Melbourne, is a difficult day, but it is also a day where we are seeing the strength and resilience of our community.”

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt. Picture: AAP/James Ross

Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said masks to coronavirus were like speed limits to the road toll.

“I don’t know that there would be many who would argue that we shouldn’t have speed limits on the roads because of the importance of protecting everyone in that setting. It really is the same for masks,” Prof Sutton said.

“It’s a small constraint on our liberties but it’s a really important one because there is no greater loss of liberty than the loss of your life.”

People with a medical or professional reason, or if it’s not practical, for example when running, will be exempt from wearing a mask.

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