This Monday night Q+A turns to the ongoing Covid crisis in Victoria, where a state of disaster has been declared.
Melbourne is in stage four lockdown, with an evening curfew and an additional 250,000 employees forced to stay home. Non-essential workplaces, retail and schools are closed, except for “permitted” workers, and Melburnians are restricted to a five-kilometre radius of their home, with few exceptions. It’s designed as a “shock and awe” campaign to drive down community spread of the virus.
And with stage 3 restrictions now in effect across the rest of Victoria, what is the impact on one of our country’s key states? Will businesses survive and what powers does the new state of disaster give police and state government? How will the new border closures between Victoria and other states impact the rest of the country? And how do we deal with people’s mental and emotional wellbeing in the face of such uncertainty?
Joining Hamish on the panel live:
Tim Wilson, Victorian Liberal MP
Kimberly Kitching, Victorian Labor Senator
Dinesh Palipana, Emergency doctor and disability advocate
Michelle O’Neil, ACTU President
Paul Waterson, CEO, Australian Venue Co.
Also joining the program:
Killian Ashe, Psychiatrist, Royal Melbourne hospital
Read more about our panelists here
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*live streaming locally at:
SA 8.05pm; NT 8.05pm; WA 6.35pm
