Australia

Melbourne towers lockdown 'breached human rights'

December 17, 2020 12:53 pm

Police patrols enforced the stay-at-home order for the towers. [Source: BBC]

A strict lockdown of nine tower blocks in Melbourne due to an outbreak of coronavirus breached human rights laws, an ombudsman has found.

About 3,000 people were confined – under police guard – to their public housing units from 3 July for up to two weeks, after a state government order.

The residents were given no notice, meaning many people were left without food or medicine, the ombudsman found.

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The Victorian government denies that the detention broke human rights laws.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass found the controversial snap imposition of the lockdown was a decision made by the state government, and not based on health advice.

At the time, about two dozen infections had been found in the towers, prompting a desire for a swift containment.