The Victorian Government has rejected an ombudsman’s recommendation to compensate residents who were “inhumanely” locked out of the state during last year’s COVID-19 lockdown.
The government decided it would not offer compensation in May, but the decision has only just come to light as it was published in an obscure part of a government website.
Thousands of Victorians were locked out of the state on 23 July 2021 when the state government closed the NSW border for the first time in 100 years due to the large outbreak of COVID-19 in NSW.
Victoria Police stop motorists from entering the state at the NSW-Victoria border in Albury in January. (Jason Robins) The Victorian Ombudsman investigated how the government handled the border closure and presented to parliament recommended actions for the government, including a suggestion that the government consider financially compensating those affected.
The inquiry by Victorian ombudsman Deborah Glass found the border closure process resulted in “some of the most questionable decisions (she had) seen in (her) seven years as ombudsman” , which caused a “torrent of anger and pain”.
“The closure of Victoria’s borders in July 2021 affected thousands of Victorians in ways that few, if any, could have foreseen,” their report read.
He explained that on July 20, 2021, Victorian residents in the red zones had 12 hours to cross the border, which was “an impossibility for many, particularly the elderly or those with young children in remote parts of NSW.” , before the lockout started. on July 23.
At the time, only people with valid exemptions could return to Victoria.
Passengers at Sydney Airport just hours before the closure of the border between NSW and Victoria began. (Getty)
The ombudsman said the complaints she received about people who were not granted an exemption were “heartbreaking”, including people who had traveled to visit sick relatives and people who were homeless because their homes were in Victory
Only eight per cent of the 33,252 exemption applications submitted between 9 July and 14 September 2021 were granted by the government, with many applications failing because people did not have the required documentation by the government
“Instead of taking fair account of individual circumstances and the risks associated with them, the exemption scheme was a heavy-handed instrument that led to unfair outcomes, potentially for thousands of people,” concluded the Defender of the People
Glass said it was difficult to understand why some requests were not granted.
“Apart from the countless cases that should have been cause for compassion, it is difficult to understand how a fully vaccinated person, with a negative test for COVID-19, would be willing to quarantine on arrival and capable of driving to its destination in one go. fuel tank, could pose a risk to public health to justify denial of an exemption.”
The government of Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews enforced the border closure rules. (the age)
“The effect of a complex and narrow bureaucracy meant that some outcomes were downright unfair, even inhumane.”
The Victorian government published its response to the recommendation to offer payment to those who experienced the “unfair outcomes” in a report published on its website on or before May 27.
“While the Victorian Government is not considering making free payments to Victorians who were unable to travel home during this period, it does recognize the distress and disruption that border restrictions generally created,” he says the government statement.
“It also recognizes the frustration and challenges people experienced when trying to get an exemption in these difficult circumstances when the public health risks posed to Victorians by COVID-19 were constantly evolving.”
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It is understood that the publication of the government’s response was not shared with the media or on social media.