- No new cases in Victoria
- AstraZenaca can be requested for those that wish under 60
- Border closers with NSW
Sunday 27 June Acting Premier James Merlino said there were no new COVID cases in Victoria, as 30 new cases of the Delta variant in one day were reported in NSW.
The media conference on the grounds of the Collingwood Public Housing Estate provided the Victorian government’s Housing Minister Richard Wynne an opportunity to announce the landmark $5.3 billion Big Housing Build.
“Over 2000 jobs will be created and that is not only in direct relation to the building but in the supply chain as well and in years to come, more than 12,000 houses and apartments will be built.
“It would increase official housing supply by an incredible 10 per cent and create over 10,000 jobs” Mr Wynne said.
Projects that are already under way include, Ascot Vale, Ashburton, Flemington, Hawthorn, Heidelberg West, and North Richmond.
“This is the single biggest investment in social and affordable housing in Victoria’s history and the biggest investment in public and affordable housing in this nation” Mr Wynne said.
The minister emphasised the importance of “affordable housing for immigrants as a way of getting a jump start in a new life.”
“Safe, affordable and secure housing is important for migrants as they try to make a new start.”
Neos Kosmos asked if any of the stock planned will be available for future purchase by the people that live in them, given home ownership is crucial for migrants seeking a better life for themselves and their children.
Minister Wynne said that they will be rental properties only but emphasised the importance of these estates in giving “people an opportunity.”
“If you provide good affordable secure housing, you give migrants a start and an opportunity to build new lives.
“Successive waves of migrant communities have gone through this [Collingwood] estate over the last 50-odd-years and they have built their lives and then moved on.”
Victorians who have just come out of a two-week lockdown, watch anxiously as the Delta variant of COVID19 infections grow in Sydney
The situation has forced the Premier of NSW, Gladys Berejiklian to enact the first large lockdown since the beginning of 2020. Something that she was desperate to avoid given the NSW government’s record in dealing with COVID19 outbreaks so far.
“We send our best wishes to government and citizens of NSW,” Acting Premier Mr Merlino said.
“We are watching very closely, and all regional NSW and ACT became orange zones in the Victorian permit system while Sydney remains a red zone.”
There were over 200 additional police dedicated to patrolling the new South Wales border, “with booze buses and number plate recognition technology also being deployed to assist.”
Victoria’s COVID19 Commander Jeroen Weimar reassured the media that the infectious flight attendant from Virgin airlines, who arrived in Melbourne last week was “early into her infection.”
“We have taken a very cautious approach and pulled the date of the infection all the way back to Thursday 24 June.”
The attendant was dealt with according to the strictest health protocols and all the 128 passengers on that Virgin flight had been contacted, asked to test, and isolate.
Mr Weimar said that an active case in apartments in Oakleigh revealed no evidence of “having been exposed to others.”
“We’ve had a close look at the layout of the building and in an abundance of caution we are doing six- and seven-day testing, and day thirteen testing, and there has been no positive so far, those living there are getting support and they’re able to move freely and we will be following up.”
Mr Merlino emphasised; “Vaccination is the only way out of this pandemic and in the meantime, we’re doing the best we can, vaccinating as many Victorians as we can.”
At a dig at the Commonwealth Government Mr Merlino, repeated New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard comments from last week.
“Like the New South Wales Health Minister said, ‘we are doing it with one arm tied behind our back’ the reality is we’ve only got five per cent of our population fully vaccinated.
“We are amongst the nation’s leaders in terms of utilising the vaccines – the critical issue is one of supply.”
The Acting Premier said that Victoria’s mass vaccination hubs by July were meant to have 20,000 vaccines, and “in the meantime as we’ve seen with the announcement of a lock down a New South Wales that this is a national challenge”
Mr Weimar was asked by Neos Kosmos, if young people should use AstraZeneca if they wish, given the risk of getting thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS) is around one in 88,000.
Mr Weimar replied that the “opportunity for those Victorians under the age of 60 to get AstraZeneca is there.”
“We ask people to make an informed choice and my advice is speak to your GP and ask what’s best for you.”
He reiterated Mr Merlino’s message.
“The only effective way out of this pandemic is vaccination, and the ramifications of not being vaccinated are obvious and happening around Australia.”
