Politics

Victoria’s Public Housing Tenants Have Reportedly Been Given Expired Food While In Lockdown

"Strange that the government could marshal 100s of armed cops at a moments notice but is scrambling today to provide basics such as food, wifi and care workers"

by Rachael Conaghan  6 July 2020
public housing victoria

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As police patrol the hallways of Victoria’s locked-down public housing towers, the people stuck inside have complained of being stuck with no access to food staples, medicine, or basic information on what the hell is going on.

Nine public housing towers in Melbourne went into lockdown without warning on Saturday, with 3,000 people suddenly told they could not leave their apartments for at least five days. They’ve been told it could potentially stretch to 14.

Reports have since emerged of residents waiting hours to have food delivered, friends and family being turned away with care packages over contamination fears, and residents depending on volunteers for supplies.

Today Premier Daniel Andrews said charities and companies were providing essentials for residents, facilitated by the government.

But reports have emerged that some of the groceries the government has supplied are expired.

One resident, Nur Ali, told Channel 7 the grocery box his family received contained at least five expired items — one packet of noodles had expired more than a year ago . It was also missing essentials like bread and milk.

According to residents on the estate when the lockdown was first implemented the towers were swarming with police, but no interpreters, social workers or medical staff.

The tower blocks are home to a large refugee population and for many English is not their first language, so the arrival of police was reportedly met with fear and confusion by many who had no warning of the lockdown.

The public housing towers in Flemington and North Melbourne are the only places in the whole country that have faced a hard lockdown preventing them from leaving for any reason.

That’s despite the fact that on Sunday the state’s Chief Health Officer, Professor Brett Sutton, admitted that some of the towers did not have any confirmed cases and had been locked down as a “precaution” in case transmission may have occurred between the buildings.

Meanwhile, in the 12 surrounding “hot zone” postcodes that have been returned to Stage 3 restrictions, locals are allowed out for four reasons — shopping for essential items, caregiving, exercise, and work and study.

The public housing lockdown was put in place after 23 cases were identified. Today that number rose to 53, with more expected as the government moves to test every single resident in the tower blocks.