Anti-Dan Andrews bus given unroadworthy defect notice at Melbourne lockdown protest
The owner of a bus with “Sack Andrews” emblazoned on its side says police spent two hours scouring his vehicle to force it off the road deliberately.
The owner of a bus with “Sack Andrews” emblazoned on the side says police spent two hours scouring over his vehicle to find a “slight” fault to take it off the road.
The coach, which has become a prominent addition to Melbourne’s streets over the past few weeks, was parked at the city’s anti-lockdown protest on Friday for only a few minutes before it attracted the attention of police.
Eventually, after two hours of “crawling” meticulously over the vehicle, owner Laurie Pincini – whose business has taken almost a $4 million hit due to coronavirus – told NCA NewsWire police issued him with a $341 fine and a defect notice that rendered the bus unroadworthy.
Mr Pincini said the officers from Victoria Police’s Heavy Vehicle Unit found a “slight” cut on a tyre, a “very small” fray in one seatbelt and an oil leak under the bus, which he said was dry on the road even though the bus hadn’t been there for long.
The bus was then sent back to the depot just after 10am before the protest got under way at the Shrine of Remembrance at 2pm.
Mr Pincini said Transport Safety Victoria had also been hassling him about the vehicle after it was spotted on Melbourne’s roads.
The bus, which has recently been chartered by advocacy group Reignite Democracy Australia, has won both supporters and haters for it’s bold messaging about metropolitan Melbourne’s continuing lockdown.
When asked if he believed police sought out his bus at Friday’s protest, he said, “Yeah correct, they did.”
But he said the officers who actually issued the infringement were very professional and empathetic.
Victoria Police said it could not comment on individual infringements but all vehicles needed to meet roadworthiness requirements and registration standards.
Mr Pincini’s Diggers Rest business Rockleigh Tours lies just 2.5km from the border separating metropolitan and regional Victoria.
Since March, he said his business has gone from an annual turnover of $4.2 million to just $300,000, and he has been forced to fork out up to $200,000 a month to keep the doors open.
He has also been forced to try and sell 12 of his 22 coaches to keep the business afloat.
One of his main sources of business – running tours for incoming cruise ship passengers – has dried up completely and he has been relying on fluctuating income from operating V/Line train replacement services when required.
He said he supported Premier Daniel Andrews up until the second wave lockdown and the COVID-19 Omnibus Bill in September was the final straw.
That’s when he launched the bus, which now carries the slogans “Let Us Work”, “#SackAndrews” and “Hey Dan, hit the belt & road”, as well as a picture of the Premier with his fingers in his ears.
“The support has been fantastic, people driving down the road tooting and yelling out to me. It’s got its own cult following in Victoria,” Mr Pincini said.
“I’ve also had some fairly strong words said to me, but I’m thick skinned. I can handle it.”
Mr Pincini said his industry needed statewide travel allowed to help them get back on their feet, and then a commitment from state and federal governments to keep the borders open even if there was a small outbreak.
He said the Dan bus was booked in for a roadworthy assessment on Monday and would hopefully be back on the streets by Thursday.
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