Covid-19 Members Statement Gippsland Businesses

Ms BATH (Eastern Victoria) (12:51): Victoria is hurting under Daniel Andrews, and not from a shocking, wildly virulent, Victoria-only UK strain. It is from an inept government that cannot organise its way out of a paper bag. Magnificent Melbourne is a ghost town, and it breaks my heart to see. Regional Victoria is absolutely suffering due to this man’s misconduct and ineptitude. Gippsland businesses are shut down for the third time. Sole traders in Orbost, pubs in Metung, florists in Traralgon, hospitality, tourism and retail are at a standstill—and all without one active coronavirus case. Schools are closed, and families and teachers have to juggle start-stop education. That has a significant impact on their mental health and wellbeing. Regional families—why are we in lockdown again? It is because Daniel Andrews is not prepared to do the hard work to create a gold standard contact-tracing team to protect Victorians. New South Wales can do it. They have done it, and they have done it without shutting down an entire state. New South Wales has processed 1225 returned travellers. We cannot get through with under a quarter of that. And what do we do? We are going to be $155 billion in debt, and we are transferring people wearing bin liners.