Like living in prison
HIGHRISE LOCKDOWN
RESIDENTS locked inside cramped public housing towers have rubbished government claims they are being looked after and even compared the high-rises to prisons.
Trapped in their homes, distressed residents of Racecourse Road’s public housing apartments hit out at being kept in the “Flemington Penitentiary” as they completed their first day of the harsh lockdown.
Some covered their windows with posters comparing the towers to a prison, with one that read: “Treat us as humans, not caged animals. End this lockdown.”
Dozens of police surrounded the buildings as children pressed their faces up against windows and shouted out from the highrise flats.
John, who has lived in 159 Melrose Street, North Melbourne, for a decade, said on Sunday that residents had been left in the dark.
He said there were no police or healthcare workers patrolling the hallways and, just before 6pm he had still not received any food.
“No one has come to see us. We’ve been told nothing,” he said. “(Premier) Daniel Andrews says we’re all going to get looked after — what a load of hooey.”
Some residents of 120 Racecourse Road in Flemington were also without food for a day after the announcement on Saturday that nine public housing towers were going into immediate lockdown.
Police turned away family members and friends, including one visibly upset man, who brought food and care packages for the tenants.
“It’s not fair. They’re not animals,” he said.
Mr Andrews said it was a “massive logistic task” to organise food and supplies. “It does take some time but we are all working as hard as we possibly can to protect those residents, to support those residents, and to protect public health more broadly,” he said.
Foodbank and Sikh Volunteers Australia delivered food packages for authorities to distribute.
Victoria’s Police Association said demands for 500 police a shift to enforce the lockdowns were sprung on officers, who had received little training.