A resident is seen inside the Alfred Street public housing tower under tight lockdown in North Melbourne, Saturday, July 11, 2020. Image: AAP/PA Images A resident is seen inside the Alfred Street public housing tower under tight lockdown in North Melbourne, Saturday, July 11, 2020. Image: AAP/PA Images AN AUSTRALIAN WATCHDOG has found that the decision to lock down public housing units in Melbourne was rushed and violated the human rights of 3,000 residents.
The investigation focused on one tower, 33 Alfred Street, as it was subject to the longest period of restrictions. Some residents were left to rely on neighbours or community advocates to understand what was happening due to the “unacceptable absence of qualified interpreters”. “The involvement of large numbers of uniformed Victoria Police offers in implementing the lockdown was described by residents, advocates and some health workers as both necessary and insensitive to the experiences of many people living at 33 Alfred Street,” the report states.
The investigation concluded that the approach taken was not reasonably necessary and did not appear compatible with the right to humane treatment, with many of the problems stemming from the immediacy of the lockdown.