Public housing lockdown news update:
While most public housing towers have had the hard lockdown eased since Melbourne re-entered stage 3 covid restrictions last Wednesday, residents at 33 Alfred St North Melbourne still face detention orders enforced by a heavy police presence.
Residents at the last locked down tower continue to face a dehumanising and punitive government response, which looks more like incarceration than healthcare. Most recently the DHHS constructed a prison-style exercise yard on their estate, which was removed after revolt from residents and a public outcry. Residents report that their access to fresh air and exercise is being controlled arbitrarily, getting essential medication is still difficult, and there has been no communication about when testing will be carried out.
The clusters in public housing estates have shone a light on the disgracefully inadequate investment in housing in Victoria, which has the lowest number of social housing units per capita in the country.
This Saturday at 2pm, Victorian Socialists will be launching our Council Election Campaign. Kath Larkin, our candidate for Lord Mayor of Melbourne will be speaking alongside other candidates, activists and community campaigners. We are running to provide a fighting voice for workers and public housing residents in the city. Register now for the Zoom event and help us build an alternative to the mainstream parties who want Melbourne to be run only for the rich.
Public housing residents in other areas continue to worry that cramped conditions, run-down facilities and inadequate cleaning could mean their towers become covid hotspots. A campaign led by residents has been successful in bringing mobile testing units to more towers, which has already revealed 28 cases on the Carlton estate.
Without a government response that puts health first and invests seriously to improve housing conditions, public housing residents will continue to be the most vulnerable to new covid-19 outbreaks.
Legal resources for public housing residents in lockdown:
Please share this drive widely, it contains written translations and audio recordings of free and independent legal resources for public housing residents in lockdown in many languages, constantly being updated.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1i3wW7GW6y17wEYJYU4oq_z7gHjhflXon?fbclid=IwAR31ZijKO0Si2A8ZyJuLAZgNVWfJV0GY4Qp6aI28jVQf4y_ihDvgbbHPtLk
It contains the contact information for Inner Melbourne Community Legal:
Do you need Legal Advice as to your rights & obligations under the COVID 19 restrictions?
Independent free legal phone help for public housing residents in lockdown.
Local community legal centres and Victoria Legal Aid have set up phone lines if you need legal assistance of any kind.
Call: (03) 9328 1885 for legal assistance of any kind (9:00am-5:00pm Monday -Friday). Let us know every language that you speak and we will try to find an interpreter who speaks one of them.
Call or text: 0436 108 871 for urgent matters. This will be monitored regularly. If you need an interpreter, send a text message with your phone number and list every language you speak. They will call you back with an interpreter for one of those languages.
If you have a complaint about the police you can get advice on the (03) 9328 1885 number or go to covidpolicing.org.au