Member for South west Coast Roma Britnell says the Andrews Labor Government must release the data that is driving decisions around restrictions in regional Victoria.
Ms Britnell said she has been contacted by business owners who want to understand why they are still being restricted.
She said the government’s vague references to health advice were wearing thin with the community.
“People just want to know why, they don’t understand why there are so many grey areas,” she said.
“Footy and netball training can resume – but only junior games can be played.
“You can have 50 people at a church service or a funeral – but only ten at a wedding
“Gyms are closed despite there being no evidence of transmission from this setting since re-opening and beauty services are restricted to those where a mask can be worn, despite therapists being highly trained in infection prevention and control.
“People just want to know why these settings are like this and the vague line “health advice” just isn’t cutting it anymore.”
Ms Britnell said the Government’s claims that this strain of the virus is acting differently and is being passed by “fleeting contact” has been discredited by several infections’ disease experts.
“Infectious diseases physician and professor ANU Medical School, Peter Collignon, who is also a member of the Infection Control Expert Group that advises the Federal Government was on radio this week saying he hasn’t seen any evidence this strain of the virus is behaving differently to other strains that we’ve had before,” she said.
“He went onto say the language being used with, what he believed to be a relative lack of evidence, was inducing a level of fear that is not warranted.
“If the Government knows something different, they need to show us the evidence and the data – they owe it to the businesses who are facing financial ruin because of these restrictions to show them why these decisions are being made – not just saying it’s because of health advice.”
