Group calls for new ‘childhood’ public holiday

A PARENT lobby group wants to create another public holiday in October to celebrate Victorian children.

The Shadow Pandemic group, which started in August after protesting against the state government’s Covid restrictions, wants the day to recognise the suffering of the “most lockeddown children in the world”.

The group, which appeared before the pandemic declaration committee in parliament on Friday to give testimony from parents, teachers and doctors on the mental health effects of lockdown measures, has released a nine-point plan to achieve full recovery.

It wants the government to appoint a Victorian children’s recovery minister, who would be responsible for leading a separate portfolio to Education and Mental Health Minister James Merlino.

It also seeks legislation to ensure schools are closed last and reopened first in a pandemic. The government says that policy already exists.

Its mooted public holiday – dubbed Victorian Childhood Day – would fall on October 21, marking the last day of lockdown in 2021.

Vouchers would be given for families to spend at zoos, restaurants, museums and other attractions.

But Mr Merlino rejected the idea of another day out of the classroom.

“From a group that spent every day of 2021 calling the government irresponsible for keeping students at home to slow the spread of coronavirus, a call to pull them out of school for another day is frankly ridiculous,” he said.