Category: victoria

Australian City Hits 200 Days of Lockdown Since Beginning of Pandemic

The state of Victoria hit a new milestone on Aug. 19, with its residents spending 200 days under lockdown since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. The lockdown has taken a mental and commercial toll on the state. “The frustration and the fatigue is showing,” Tony Bartone, the former president of the Australian Medical…


Victoria Records 25 New COVID-19 Cases

The Australian state of Victoria has recorded 25 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases, more than half in the community at some stage while infectious. Health authorities say 21 of them are linked to known outbreaks and 12 have been in isolation throughout their infectious period. The state administered 23,076 vaccine doses in the 24 hours to…


‘Balancing Act Failed’: Ombudsman Report into Victoria’s Public Housing Lockdown

A report by the Victorian Ombudsman has found hard restrictions that were imposed on Melbourne’s public housing residents in June 2020 breached residents’ “rights to humane treatment when deprived of liberty.” The report (pdf) published on Aug. 4 also detailed additional cases where Victorian authorities breached the Victorian Human Rights Charter when implementing the Public…


Victoria to Roll Out Drive-Through Vaccination

Australia’s first drive-through COVID-19 vaccination hub will open at a former Bunnings warehouse in Melbourne, while Victorians under 40 will be offered AstraZeneca jabs at state-run clinics. The locked-down southern state added 11 locally-acquired infections to its caseload on Sunday, all of them linked to previously reported cases although they were not in quarantine while infectious….


Victorian Micro-Businesses and Start-Ups Are ‘Falling Through the Cracks’: Council of Small Business

Victorian start-ups and micro-businesses not registered for GST are being excluded from the Victorian government’s support payments amid overwhelming pleas for assistance. According to the Council of Small Business Organisations of Australia, rules around the Business Assistance Package were “inequitable and unfair,” especially with businesses not registered for GST but “suffering proportionately” with other GST-registered…


Victorian Construction Workers Urged to Get Vaccinated by Christmas

The Victorian construction industry hopes tens of thousands of workers will get vaccinated by Christmas or earlier to prevent site shutdowns amid state government lockdowns. This comes as the NSW construction industry enters the second week of forced shutdown, while Victorian construction sites are currently permitted to operate during lockdown with capacity limits. “We hope that…


Protestors Against COVID Restrictions Labelled ‘Anarchists’ by NSW Police Chief

New South Wales (NSW) Police Commissioner Mick Fuller has labelled protestors who attended the massive July 24 Sydney rally against COVID restrictions “anarchists.” Fuller revealed that police had received over 10,000 tip-offs regarding individuals involved in the protests and that 57 people had been charged, while 250 were fined. Officials and police in NSW and…


Victoria May Quash New COVID-19 Outbreak After Fifth Lockdown Takes Hold

Victoria has gone from only six per cent of new coronavirus cases isolating while infectious to 92 per cent in just three days. Health Minister Martin Foley revealed the figures on Thursday’s COVID update, praising Victorians for following the rules of the state’s fifth lockdown. There were 26 new locally acquired cases of coronavirus on…


Victoria Records 22 Local COVID-19 Cases

Victoria has recorded 22 new local coronavirus cases on the sixth day of its extended statewide lockdown. The new infections are linked to the current outbreak, which originated in New South Wales (NSW) and now totals 107 cases. A new case was also recorded in hotel quarantine, bringing the total number of active cases in…


Vic Records 12 New Local COVID-19 Cases

Victoria has recorded 12 new locally acquired cases of coronavirus, as the premier warns the state’s five-day lockdown could be extended.  The health department confirmed it recorded 13 new local infections in the 24 hours to July 19 morning, one of which is a case in Mildura, previously announced by authorities.  All the new cases are…