The Victorian State Coroner is investigating the deaths of five residents of St Basil’s Home for the Aged, the site of a heartbreaking coronavirus outbreak in Melbourne.
So far, 159 cases of COVID-19 have been linked to the aged care home at Fawkner, in Melbourne’s north.
Judge John Cain has commenced the investigation by directing Victoria Police to compile a brief of evidence.
“As the matter falls within the jurisdiction of the Coroners Court of Victoria, it would be inappropriate to comment any further,” a police spokeswoman said.
Under the Coroners Act of 2008, Judge Cain must find, if possible, the causes of deaths and the circumstances in which they occurred.
To date, 162 people have died from coronavirus in Victoria.
The St Basil’s home in Melbourne is one of about 100 aged care facilities in Victoria affected by coronavirus outbreaks, which between them have been linked to a total of 108 deaths.
All of the staff from the home were placed into quarantine on July 22 after they were determined to be close contacts of confirmed cases.
The ABC has attempted to contact St Basil’s for comment.
A pair of explosions, the second much bigger than the first, struck the city of Beirut early Tuesday evening, killing 135 people, wounding more than 4,000 and causing widespread damage.
One Australian and a Greek national are among those who died, Greek and Australian diplomatic sources have confirmed.
Australia’s Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, said the explosion also damaged the Australian embassy but all personnel were “safe and accounted for.”
On Wednesday, despite a huge search operation, dozens were still missing in the city, the capital of Lebanon.
Lebanon’s Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, declared three days of mourning from today.
Satellite image shows an overview of the port after the explosion in Beirut that has killed over 113 people and wounded thousands. Picture: AFP Photo / Satellite image / Maxar Technologies.
As authorities piece together what happened, here is the latest on the condolences and aid which is pouring in from Australia and Greece.
His Eminence Archbishop Makarios: “The Greeks of Australia sympathise with the people of Lebanon“
In a message released today, His Eminence Archbishop Makarios sent his condolences to the people of Lebanon after the “untold tragedy” that took place in Beirut. He expressed his sympathy to the Patriarchate of Antioch, as well as to the Lebanese community of Australia.
His full message reads:
“I was saddened to learn of the untold tragedy that took place in the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The images we saw through the media, as well as the news of the loss of dozens of human lives, have deeply shocked the hearts of all of us, of my minority, of the Bishops, of the Clergy and of the entire crew of our Holy Archdiocese.
In these shocking moments that the people of Lebanon are experiencing, I would like to emphasise that the Greeks of Australia sympathise with them and returns fervent prayers to God for the speedy healing of the wounds caused by the tragedy and for the prevention of any further danger to the country.
Our thoughts and prayers are found, in particular, on the relatives and friends of the lost, on those who are being treated and on their families. We pray for the rest of the souls of the victims and for the speedy and complete recovery of the wounded. I would also like to express the sympathy and support of our local Church to the Patriarchate of Antioch, personally to His Blessed Patriarch John and to all our brothers who are being tested.
Finally, I feel the need to express our sincere condolences to our fellow citizens, members of the Lebanese Parish of Australia, who with heartache and great anguish are watching what is happening in their homeland. I have to assure them that in these difficult times the Greek Parish participates wholeheartedly in their heavy mourning.”
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis: “I send my heartfelt condolences”
Θέλω να εκφράσω τα θερμά μου συλλυπητήρια στον δοκιμαζόμενο λαό του Λιβάνου και ειδικά της Βηρυτού. Ήδη απογειώνεται άμεσα το πρώτο C130 με άντρες και γυναίκες της ΕΜΑΚ για να συνδράμουν σε επιχειρήσεις έρευνας και διάσωσης. pic.twitter.com/ZGLEG0AAyy
Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou: “Words cannot express our sorrow and pain”
Devastated by the tragic images of destruction in Beirut. Words cannot describe our pain and sorrow. My deepest condolences to President @General_Aoun and the families of the victims. In these difficult moments, the Greek people stands in solidarity with the Lebanese people.
Australia pledges $2 million in aid to Beirut recovery effort:
The Morrison government has pledged $2 million to the humanitarian and recovery effort in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, said in a statement late on Wednesday that $1 million from the aid budget would be directed to each of the World Food Program and the Red Cross movement, “to help to ensure food, medical care and essential items are provided to those affected by this tragedy.”
Photo: AFP.
Photo: AP Photo / Hussein Malla.
Greece sends fully-equipped Greek Fire Brigade search and rescue team to Beirut:
A fully-equipped Greek Fire Brigade search and rescue team departed for Lebanon on Wednesday morning in a C-130 military cargo aircraft, at the orders of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
The team will take part in the rescue operations to find survivors.
The mission was dispatched rapidly, with Greece responding immediately to the Lebanese government’s plea for assistance via the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
The Greek team is made up of twelve rescue workers and a dog, along with two vehicles and special equipment for use in search and rescue operations.
The Greek General Secretariat for Civil Protection is in constant contact with Lebanese authorities and the European Civil Protection Mechanism to dispatch further assistance and support if needed.
Elderly people, including some still infected with COVID-19, will be returned to the site of Australia’s deadliest outbreak as early as this weekend, under a repatriation plan being developed by St Basil’s Homes for the Aged and the federal government.
Under arrangements to be overseen by the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, the Fawkner facility, which evacuated less than a week ago, will reopen under its previous management from Friday with up to 80 hospitalised residents to be gradually invited home.
The chairman of St Basil’s Fawkner, Konstantin Kontis, told The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald that under the repatriation plan, hospitalised residents not in a critical condition will be invited to return in groups of five, with COVID-positive residents to be quarantined from those without the virus. He said the buildings had been deep cleaned and the centre would be run by his regular staff.
Helen Alexiou (left), Maria Vasilakis (centre) and Haralambos Bakirtzidis (right) are among those St Basil’s Fawkner residents who lost their lives to coronavirus.
“We have got a repatriation plan and that is being processed,” he said. “We are under pressure to start taking people back from the weekend if we can.”
Victoria on Wednesday recorded its worst day of the pandemic, with 725 new cases and 15 fatalities in the previous 24 hours. This included Australia’s youngest coronavirus victim, a 33-year-old man. Of the state’s 162 coronavirus deaths, 125 were the result of outbreaks in aged care facilities.
The St Basil’s Fawkner facility, owned and managed by the Greek Orthodox Church, has been linked to 159 COVID-19 cases and at least 20 deaths. There are currently 1435 active cases linked to aged care, and more than 300 aged care residents have been transferred to public and private hospitals.
A spokesman for Federal Minister for Aged Care Richard Colbeck said the repatriation plan for St Basil’s was conditional on the centre meeting certain standards.
The last remaining residents at St Basil’s Fawkner were relocated last week. Pihoto: Andrew Henshaw.
“The approved provider needs to demonstrate that the service has had a deep clean prior to any residents returning, the adequacy of the returning workforce and that any returning staff have received appropriate training in infection control practices including PPE use,” he said.
St Basil’s Fawkner was placed in the hands of a replacement staff on July 22 after Victorian Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton directed the facility’s entire management and staff into quarantine to contain a COVID-19 outbreak. The centre was closed last Friday after all remaining residents were transferred to hospital.
A total of 538 Victorians with the virus were in hospital on Wednesday, including 42 in intensive care. The decision to return some residents to St Basil’s will relieve the pressure placed on Melbourne’s hospitals when they accepted the transfer of aged care residents from coronavirus outbreak sites.
Victoria’s Deputy Chief Health Officer Allen Cheng, when questioned on Wednesday about the capacity of hospitals to absorb more aged care residents, said: “Everything has a limit.”
“It is not the preferred option. When there is an outbreak in aged care there is an assessment that is made about what is possible, what is the configuration of the aged care, what does infection control look like, what is the staffing like and what is the clinical need of the residents,” Professor Cheng added.
While 12 of the 15 deaths recorded on Wednesday were linked to aged care, Premier Daniel Andrews said the situation had stabilised at aged care facilities.
“A number of those settings that were in crisis, they have stabilised. In fact, I think all of them could now be described as stable,” he said.
St Basil’s Fawkner has been linked to 159 COVID-19 cases and at least 20 deaths.
The Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission, meanwhile, took action against the owners of another aged care facility at the centre of a COVID-19 outbreak.
It ordered the Rosehill Aged Care Facility in Highett – due to an “immediate and severe risk to the health, safety or wellbeing of aged care recipients” – to appoint an independent adviser to oversee its operations.
Under a formal notice issued late on Wednesday, the Highett nursing home run by Menarock Aged Care Services will be stripped of its Commonwealth subsidy if it fails to comply with the order.
There are 23 confirmed cases linked to Rosehill, including 19 elderly residents.
Two police officers were behind bars last night amid allegations they filmed themselves sexually assaulting a teenage schoolgirl.
NSW Police Transport Command Senior Constables James Delinicolis, 29, and Angelo Dellosa, 30, abruptly swapped their police uniforms for prison greens after they were charged with an array of offences before being refused bail at Sutherland Local Court late on Wednesday.
Police sources indicate the allegations relate to claims Delinicolis and Dellosa met up with the 17-year-old and filmed sex acts with her.
Only a handful of the state’s most senior police knew about the investigation and it is believed the ongoing inquiry will also involve the Education Department.
An anonymous complaint about the officers was made in June and then investigated by the Professional Standards Unit, which decided there was enough evidence of a crime to set up a strike force.
Dellosa was charged with inciting an aggravated sexual assault, an attempted aggravated sexual assault in company and producing child abuse material.
Delinicolis was charged with an attempted aggravated sexual assault in company, producing child abuse material and misconduct in a public office.
The girl is currently a student at a high school in Sydney’s southwest.
Both men, who are attached to the Bankstown Public Transport Command, were refused bail and will remain in jail on remand until September 15 when they will appear at Central Local Court.
The pair was arrested in dramatic dawn raids just after 5am on Wednesday.
The raids were carried out at three Western Sydney locations.
Officers attached to the Professional Standards Committee seized several items relevant to their inquiries.
In an unusual situation, members of the media were unable to attend the pair’s court appearance, information about which was deliberately withheld until after the hearing was finished.
The announcement about their arrests and subsequent charges was not released until 4.15pm, after the court had closed for the day.
Police defended the decision not to release details of the arrests earlier citing “operational reasons.”
“There are still investigations ongoing,’’ a source said.
Both officers have been suspended without pay and the Professional Standards investigation is continuing under Strike Force Bensbach.
Reflective, hopeful and symbolic. Three words
74-year-old Anastasia Bekos uses to describe her paintings as we sit down for
our exclusive chat. One look at the vibrant blues and pinks splashed across her
paintings, as well as the recurring themes of Greek village life and migration,
and it’s clear why.
Anastasia was born and raised in Astrakoi, Crete, with her three sisters and two brothers. In August 1966, she left Greece on the Patris and arrived at Station Pier, Port Melbourne in October that year. The journey was long and difficult, but Anastasia says she felt safe as she shared a cabin with a mother and her two children.
Later in the 1970’s and after having her “two wonderful sons,” Anastasia’s interest in painting was piqued when she was given some art books on painting flowers and landscapes. From there, the self-taught artist, went on to complete three well-known art series titled, ‘Rural Greece,’ ‘Migrant Boats,’ and ‘Early Life in Australia.’
Painting from the ‘Rural Greece’ collection. By Anastasia Bekos.
‘Early Life in Australia’ collection. By Anastasia Bekos.
“I wanted to leave a legacy, for my sons, about the difficulties
and rewards of the migrant experience,” Anastasia tells The Greek Herald
exclusively.
“The
first series… I painted landscapes of the simple village life in Crete, working
the olive and grape farms as a backdrop. From there came the migrant boat
series to tell of the heartbreak of leaving Crete but the excitement of a
better life in Australia.
“The
third series centred around the early years in Melbourne… working in factories,
raising children, foreign customs and languages surrounding us, realigning my
Greek identity and trying to fit into this new country.”
Anastasia’s ‘Rural Greece’ collection.
Anastasia was inspired by her everyday life in Australia.
These artworks were so spectacular that the Maritime Museum in Sydney even purchased Anastasia’s painting of the Patris to include in their exhibition on migration. Something Anastasia says she was “so thrilled” about as she wasn’t always “taken seriously as an artist.”
“I
felt I wasn’t taken seriously as an artist by my relatives and the Greek
community in general. Art wasn’t considered a real job that would provide for
the family, it was seen as a hobby,” Anastasia explains.
“It
was only after having several exhibitions and selling paintings to the
Australian community, that I felt I was taken seriously as an artist.”
And to have the Museum recognise her Patris painting in particular was extra special for Anastasia, as it remains her favourite artwork to this day.
Anastasia’s ‘Patris’ painting was on display in the Maritime Museum.
The painting remains her favourite to this day.
“My
Patris boat painting really is my
favourite as it symbolises a significant point in my life. Saying goodbye to my
family and homeland and embracing new opportunities that didn’t exist back home,”
she says.
“I can’t control the interpretation of what others see in my
paintings, but I can control what I create. I hope people understand the
stories that I try to convey and perhaps they can see their own family history there
too.”
There’s no doubt that Anastasia’s paintings really do resonate with the thousands of other Greek migrants who left family behind to move to Australia all those years ago.
Victoria has recorded 725 new coronavirus cases and 15 new deaths — the highest daily totals in the state since the pandemic began.
One of the people who died was a man in his 30s, Premier Daniel Andrews said. The other people who died were three men and one woman in their 70s, three men and three women in their 80s, and three men and one woman in their 90s.
Mr Andrews said 12 of those 15 deaths were linked to aged care.
There are 538 Victorians with coronavirus in hospital — an increase of 82 people from yesterday’s update. Forty-two of them are in intensive care.
Elective surgery in regional Victoria will be put on hold until further notice, except for category 1 and urgent category 2 patients, the Premier announced today.
“This is a regrettable decision but it is a very important one in order to preserve sufficient capacity in our entire health system,” he said.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews arrives to a press conference in Melbourne, Monday, August 3, 2020. Victoria has recorded 429 new cases of coronavirus since yesterday and 13 deaths. (AAP Image/James Ross)
Those regional patients who do qualify for elective surgery may also qualify for COVID-19 testing beforehand, Health Minister Jenny Mikakos said.
The Premier said a further permit system would be introduced for families to access childcare. However he acknowledged there would be “many, many” families who normally use childcare who would not be able to access it.
“If you are a permitted worker, regardless of from home or in person doing that permitted work, if you attest through that simple permit process you have no-one else to look after your children in your household, you will be able to access childcare.”
Federal Government supports Victorian childcare centres
The Federal Government will give money to Victorian childcare centres, asking that they allow parents tokeep their children at home without losing their places or facing fees, Federal Education Minister Dan Tehan says.
Additional funding will be provided to centres in the state, to encourage them not to charge fees for absent children for an additional 30 days.
The Federal Government offered free childcare in the early months of the coronavirus pandemic.(ABC News: Loretta Florance)
It will effectively allow parents to keep their children out of care for six extra working weeks without being stung by additional costs, if their centre agrees to waive the fee.
“Ultimately the decision to waive the gap fee is up to the provider themselves, but what this package does is incentivise providers to waive the gap fee,” Mr Tehan said.
“We want those parents to keep their children enrolled because we know once we come out of this pandemic, they will need the care for their children so that they can go back to work.”
Co-owners of the coronavirus-stricken nursing home Epping Gardens should be prepared for a tough industry environment, Heritage Care chief executive Greg Reeve says to Sydney Morning Herald.
Greek Australian investors Tony Antonopoulos and Peter Arvanitis, who each own half of Heritage Care, have made good money in the past from the aged care sector. Yet now, the profits are expected to come to a dwindling halt.
A report from aged care accountant StewartBrown showed that 60 per cent of Australian aged care homes recorded an operating loss in the nine months to March this year because of falling occupancy and rising costs.
Heritage Care directors and shareholders Areti and Peter Arvanitis, and Stacey and Tony Antonopoulos at the launch of the new Rolls-Royce luxury showroom in Richmond, Melbourne in 2017.
Mr Reeve said the company’s 10 nursing homes in NSW and Victoria, including Epping Gardens, were struggling in a tough industry environment, as were most others in the sector.
“Both directors have injected significant capital into Heritage Care in recent years to refurbish the homes and significantly improve standards,” he told SMH.
The Sydney Morning Herald also shared new details on the “lavish” lifestyle of Mr Antonopoulos and his wife, Stacey, who together own a $10.5 million Canterbury mansion, and prestige cars including a Lamborghini, a Maserati and a limited-edition Rolls-Royce.
“In the past there was money to be made from aged care, but at the moment few people want to invest,” Mr Reeve said. “One may well ask why we’re in the game. It’s because we believe the situation will turn around, and Heritage wants to be a boutique, high-quality provider.”
Epping Gardens aged care home is at the centre of a coronavirus outbreak that has hit 135 people, according to figures released on Tuesday. Mr Reeve conceded that a group of staff members had held a “baby shower” at the aged care home and had been stood down as a result, but he insisted that Epping Gardens had been “absolutely, categorically prepared” for the pandemic, with enough training and equipment.
He said he had been calling from early in the pandemic for ill residents to be moved out to hospital based on clinical need, but that “this was opposed by the Department and the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission as not being the best process”.
“The issue was that we could not get access to staff when we needed them, due to the rate of infections, so staff were on sick leave or simply unavailable due to the fear of working in such an environment. That’s just the harsh reality.”
South Coast sisters Shanese and Patricia Koullias admitted being part of a $17 million dark web drug syndicate at Nowra Local Court on Tuesday, The Daily Telegraph reports.
Cody Ronald Ward, known as dark web vendor ‘NSWGreat’, as well as the Greek Australian sisters, admitted to their roles in a sophisticated network that sold large amounts of MDMA, LSD, amphetamine and other drugs on the dark web.
Ward, mastermind of the syndicate, pleaded guilty to three counts of importing a commercial quantity of a border controlled drug and three counts of supplying a prohibited drug greater than a commercial quantity.
The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to importing 1651.99g of MDMA, 1916.5g of amphetamine and 88.308 tabs of LSD between 2018 and 2019. A number of packages were intercepted by Australian Border Force and NSW Police.
Cody Ronald Ward has admitted to his role in the drug syndicate. Photo: Daily Telegraph
Shanese Koullias, 24, pleaded guilty to three counts of supplying a prohibited drug greater than a large commercial quantity.
Patricia Koullias, 22, pleaded guilty to three counts of supplying a prohibited drug greater than an indictable amount and participating in a criminal group contributing to criminal activity.
From December 2015 to January 2019 Ward had conducted 10,500 successful transactions, documents said. Documents also referred to an interview he had where he was reported as the “most successful and longest-running dark web illicit drug vendor operating in Australia”.
Shanese Koullias is one of three people at the centre of a multi-million dollar dark web drug syndicate. Photo: Daily Telegraph
Shanese Koullias would store and package orders at a Callala Bay home and deliver orders through Australia Post, the court heard.
In an electronic interview Patricia Koullias, who was arrested at a Quakers Hill residence, stated she was paid about $100 per hour to package LSD tabs and $100 to drop off parcels. She stated she started around Christmas 2018 and would work in the syndicate one to two days a week.
The trios cases were adjourned to be mentioned at the District Court in Nowra on August 10.
Controversial building industry figure George Alex, who was arrested last month over a $17 million tax fraud syndicate, has denied any wrongdoing, arguing he needs bail to get treatment for mental health issues, a court heard.
Last month George Alex was arrested in Queensland and extradited to Sydney on conspiracy to defraud the Commonwealth and dealing with proceeds of crime charges.
The 49-year-old applied for bail at Central Local Court on Tuesday, but Magistrate Margaret Quinn is not expected to make a decision until Friday.
Prosecutor Raelene Sharp said Alex may interfere with witnesses if released and posed an unacceptable flight risk, adding he had the “associations” and “significant financial means” to flee the country.
“If convicted, Mr Alex faces a significant term of imprisonment,” she said.
Mr Alex was alleged to be the leader of the syndicate that used labour hire and payroll companies to defraud the ATO. Millions of dollars were then allegedly transferred to Australian accounts controlled by other accused syndicate members.
Last week the sick Surfers Paradise man was held in isolation while on remand at Silverwater prison as a coronavirus precaution, and he appeared via video link on Tuesday wearing a green top fashioned as a makeshift face mask.
Alex‘s lawyer argued the construction boss had “exceptionally strong” community ties that would stop him from leaving Australia – something he has not done since about 1987.
Defence barrister Craig Smith SC said Alex suffers from physical and mental health conditions and at one point wasn’t getting his medication behind bars.
“He still hasn’t seen a psychiatrist,” Mr Smith said.
George Alex was arrested on the Gold Coast. Photo: SMH NEWS.
The court also heard Alex was in a “very serious” accident in 1994, and still suffers ongoing pain for which he needs treatment.
Documents released from Queensland Supreme Court last week showed that 12 people were accused of being involved in the alleged syndicate. By the end of the proceedings on July 17, The George Alex 12 were ordered by the court to surrender control of millions of dollars worth of assets.
This included 14 properties, starting with Mr Alex’s waterfront apartment on the Gold Coast and a Sydney mansion in Earlwood worth $2.5 million, owned by a company linked to the construction identity.
Jenny Mikakos’ has received calls for her resignation after the Victorian Health Minister ignored the Chief Health Officer’s advice not to attend parliament and then refused to answer questions about the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Herald Sun reports that Ms Mikakos and about 10 other MPs disregarded medical advice from the state’s Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, who recommended they did not attend parliament.
A “smug” Ms Mikakos then ignored questions about the government’s coronavirus response, including the bungled hotel quarantine program that sparked the state’s disastrous second wave.
Ms Mikakos dismissed six key questions, prompting questions about why she bothered to defy the advice not to attend, only to refuse to answer queries.
We shouldn’t be at parliament today. We should all be staying safe. The @VictorianCHO advice was to delay this sitting. It’s a dangerous trend for leaders to ignore medical advice. We should set the example. The longer we’re here, the greater the risk to all who work at #springstpic.twitter.com/eocRLzM7mW
— Jenny Mikakos MP #StayHomeSaveLives (@JennyMikakos) August 4, 2020
“It was just extraordinary and it looked smug and arrogant,” said Opposition upper house leader David Davis.
“People are entitled to answers and all she had to do was stand there and answer truthfully.”
In the chamber, Ms Mikakos slammed the Opposition, saying: “The position that the government has been forced into in relation to today’s sitting has been one that has set a very dangerous position — not just in terms of putting staff at risk but also sending a clear message to the community that the Chief Health Officer’s advice can be ignored.”
But Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid hit out at all the MPs who disregarded Prof Sutton, saying there was “nothing special about politicians”.
Jenny Mikakos sparked outrage by refusing to answer questions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw
“They’re not immune from COVID. They haven’t been vaccinated and they, and their staff, can certainly transmit this virus around the country,” Dr Khorshid said.
“It is very disappointing that the Victorian upper house is sitting against the Chief Health Officer’s advice.”
After Ms Mikakos’s refusal to answer questions, Opposition MPs Georgie Crozier and Bernie Finn, who labelled her a “shameful disgrace”, called for her to resign.
Government members have recently expressed their frustration over the decision to release minimal data about Victoria’s COVID-19 cases, instead hiding behind the ongoing judicial inquiry.
A handful of ministers have also expressed annoyance with Daniel Andrews’ move to create a “Super Cabinet” of eight, including himself, Ms Mikakos, Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville and Industry Minister Martin Pakula.
THE QUESTIONS JENNY MIKAKOS REFUSED TO ANSWER
1 On what date in March or April were you advised that there were serious issues with the hotel security program?
2 Why is the government not listening to the advice of former federal Department of Health head professor Stephen Duckett, Melbourne University professor Tony Blakely or Professor Bill Bowtell, adjunct professor at University of New South Wales, and other authors of the Medical Journal of Australia article, which advocates the pursuit of coronavirus elimination rather than the yo-yo pattern we are now in?
3 The health department has refused opposition requests to access the background documents, working papers and the scientific papers that have informed the health orders issued since March. What do you have to hide or what do you have to cover up that would be made evident in these documents?
4 The Doherty Institute has undertaken a genomic report into Victoria’s COVID-19 positive cases. Will you release the report today?
5 What is the current utilisation and spare capacity of ICU beds and ventilators, and how does that utilisation rate justify the recently announced stricter lockdown measures?
6 The public health team that critically includes contact tracing had less funding in 2019–20 than in 2016–17. Is it not a fact, minister, that you have cut public health, including contact tracing, to the bone, leaving Victorians exposed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit?
