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'The greatest insult to Victoria': Andrews hits back at Frydenberg over criticisms of state's road map
By Ashleigh McMillan
An ugly public spat between the state and federal governments escalated on Monday with Premier Daniel Andrews calling federal Treasurer Josh Frydenberg's attack on the timetable for easing restrictions the "greatest insult to the people of Victoria".
At breakfast time, Mr Frydenberg claimed it was clear that the Victorian government had a "callous indifference" to small businesses after it announced on Sunday that most shops and indoor dining at restaurants, cafes and pubs would not restart until November 2.
War of words: Daniel Andrews and Josh Frydenberg spar over reopening the Victorian economy.
"In NSW where they dealt with much more cases than we see in Victoria today, the cafes, the restaurants, the pubs, the clubs were all open. People could get about their daily lives," Mr Frydenberg told Channel Seven's Today show.
"Victoria has been hit so hard by this second wave that was due to the failures in quarantine ... The bloody-mindedness is unforgivable."
Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack also weighed in on morning television, saying more needed to be opened up because "Victorians need to get back to work".
"They need to get back to some sort of normality in their lives," he told ABC Breakfast.
"It's very, very sad that with those numbers of deaths, more than 800 in Victoria … but the case and mortality rates in recent days have been to a level which, according to the national Chief Medical Officer, should be sufficient to start opening up."
By mid-morning Mr Andrews – who has made a habit of not responding to comments made by the federal government – was hitting back.
"I am just about sick and tired of letting this slip because it's the greatest insult to the people of Victoria for them to be sitting in front of a camera running these commentaries, while the people in Victoria are staying the course, doing the right thing, making enormous sacrifices," he told reporters during his daily coronavirus briefing.
The Premier was particularly scathing of Mr Frydenberg
"It’s all about the politics with this bloke, isn’t it? He’s not a leader, he’s just a Liberal," he said.
"All he does is play politics every day. I just don’t think it’s fair, I don’t think it’s right and I think Victorians are sick of it."
Victoria recorded four new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, following three days of case numbers being two or fewer. Victoria's statewide 14-day rolling case average is at 7.7, down from eight on Sunday.
In NSW, no new local cases of COVID-19 have been detected since Saturday with the low number of cases driving a further easing of restrictions.
Mr Andrews has said comparisons of the two states based on daily case nembers are unfair due to Victoria's much higher number of active cases. Victoria has 136 active cases of COVID-19, primarily in metro Melbourne, while NSW has just 50.
The Premier said he would consider releasing more of the public health advice that underpinned the state’s easing of restrictions on Sunday, but not to appease federal figures.
"In terms of convincing the Commonwealth government, I would have thought I would not have to convince them that Victorians are Australians as well," he said.
He also defended the decision to push back the reopening of shops and hospitality venues.
"These are not easy decisions, they are decisions that have to be carefully weighed up and that is exactly what we have done," he said.
Monday's numbers come as an added comfort to Melburnians, who can now travel 25 kilometres (up from five kilometres) from their homes and spend an unlimited time outside.
Up to 10 people from two households can gather outdoors and hairdressers, golf courses and tennis courts are allowed to reopen.
Meanwhile, it was revealed 65 Kiwis have now flown to Melbourne, in a consequence of the travel bubble that local health authorities claim they were not aware of.
Since Friday, New Zealanders have been allowed to fly into Sydney and Darwin as part of the long-awaited trans-Tasman travel bubble brokered by the federal government. However, the Victorian government said it was not told these travellers would then be able to travel on to Melbourne.
"I'm not going be quarantining people that came from a low-virus community, and we just have to make the best of this," Mr Andrews said.
During Monday's press conference, Mr Andrews reiterated he had declined the option to have Victoria as part of the travel bubble, but now that accepting travellers was the "only option we have got", the state government’s advice on its website had been updated.
Health Minister Martin Foley said the 25-kilometre travel-from-home limit was set to protect areas such as Mornington Peninsula and the Dandenong Ranges from being over-run.
"The 25 kilometres was put up by the public health team that tried to recognise that Victorians have made a remarkable contribution … on the basis that it will allow families and communities to reconnect in a public space," he told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
"If it was completely removed across the Melbourne metropolitan area, we might well run the risk of overcompensation of gatherings in particular locations."
If case numbers remain low this week, Mr Andrews has said businesses may be allowed to reopen sooner.
Paul Guerra, the chief executive of the Victorian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the reaction to the new road map was "mixed", with certainty around the return date for businesses welcomed.
"We thought the additional two weeks was too long to get retail and hospitality back," he told 3AW on Monday.
"But there’s a glimmer of hope if we can do the right thing over the next week, and then the Premier can stand up on Sunday and get the rest of industry going."
In regional Victoria, residents are allowed to welcome visitors to their homes. Two adults and two dependents from any household are allowed to visit a home once per day.
In Shepparton, where a small COVID-19 outbreak was sparked by a truck driver linked to the Chadstone cluster, extra restrictions on restaurants, pubs and cafes will remain in place for an extra week.
Venues will be limited to 10 people per indoor space, although a maximum of 70 people are allowed in outdoor areas.