Coronavirus: Ombudsman investigates Melbourne tower lockdown

Around 500 residents of a public housing tower in Melbourne’s inner north will remain in hard lockdown until Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says.

Residents are seen in a window of the locked down public housing tower at 33 Alfred Street, North Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

Around 500 residents of a public housing tower in Melbourne’s inner north will remain in hard lockdown until Sunday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says.

It comes as the Victorian Ombudsman launched an investigation into the treatment of the residents, who have been trapped inside themselves since last Saturday.

As well, Ombudsman Deborah Glass will examine the broader issue of protecting the human rights of people in detention.

Ms Glass said the investigation would examine the treatment of the public housing residents following reports of inadequate access to medical supplies, fresh air, exercise and other everyday needs.

“I recognise this is an unprecedented global health emergency and governments must act swiftly to protect human lives,” she said.

“People on the front line are doing an extraordinary job to respond to this crisis and help keep us safe. “However, there are lessons to be learnt in how governments can do that in a way that protects people’s human rights, including access to fresh air, exercise and medical supplies,” she said.

Originally more than 3,000 people were captured in the hard lockdown imposed by the Victorian government in one of the most extreme measures introduced to combat the coronavirus in the world.

While eight of the nine towers were transitioned to stage-three restrictions after five days, the 470 residents who live at 33 Alfred Street in North Melbourne were ordered to remain in hard lockdown.

They have been unable to leave their homes for any reason other than exercising under the supervision of Victoria Police since July 4.

Police outside 33 Alfred Street, North Melbourne. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he wasn’t focused on the work of the Ombudsman as he was preoccupied with looking after the residents.

He said on Friday the residents of 33 Alfred Street would be transitioned to stage-three restrictions from Sunday unless they had tested positive to the coronavirus or were showing symptoms of the disease, which will be enforced.

“The balance we’ve tried to strike here is to treat people no different regardless of their landlord, postcode, whether they’re in a tower or a suburban house but at the same time recognise there are unique needs in those settings,” he said.

The public housing estates are home to some of Victoria’s most vulnerable citizens and on Friday, the number of residents of the Flemington and North Melbourne with coronavirus rose to 280.

Victorian shadow minister for housing Tim Smith welcomed the probe, saying the residents had been treated appalling during the hard lockdown.

“To date Andrews and his ministers have refused to be transparent with Victorians and the media about his failures of hotel quarantine which led to Victoria’s second wave of coronavirus,” he said.

“These residents were treated appallingly with reports that the basics like food and medicines were not delivered for days.”

The hard lockdown of the towers­ has been marred by delays in delivering food, as well as donated essential goods such as nappies and baby formula to the residents, who are unable to grocery shop or order food online.

Acting Leader of the Victorian Greens Ellen Sandell said she hoped the inquiry would uncover how the hard tower lockdown had been so poorly managed.

“We need to ask why 3,000 people were left without essential food and medicine for days, and were given no information about when these supplies would arrive,” she said.

Police walking dogs outside 33 Alfred Street. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Daniel Pockett