Rowan Dean calls out Vic Covid curfews as ‘unscientific' amid bombshell document revelations
It comes after a bombshell document shows Victoria's public health commander was not consulted before Daniel Andrews' "crisis-cabinet" announced a curfew on Melbournians almost five years ago.
Mr Dean, reflecting on his own scepticism during the pandemic, recalled how he questioned the efficacy of the curfews imposed by the then-Andrews government.
'I did not believe the curfews imposed by the draconian Dan Andrews government had any genuine scientific or medical basis at all, despite the repeated assurances during lockdowns from the premier,' Mr Dean said.
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2 hours ago
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On Sunday, pro-Palestine protesters marched through the city to the National Gallery of Victoria. Security closed the entry while police monitored the rally outside. There has been fierce debate about what constitutes hate speech by attendees, who have repeatedly been heard chanting 'Death to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]' and 'Death to the IOF [Israeli Occupying Force]'. Former Victorian governor Linda Dessau said last week the slogans were hate speech and that those who use them should be prosecuted. In his first interview with The Age since arriving from New Zealand, Bush also insisted he had the 'utmost confidence' in the protracted police investigation into the firebombing of a Ripponlea synagogue last December, an attack which drew international condemnation. 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Just 55 per cent of Victorians were likely to have confidence in Victoria Police, according to an annual survey released in May, which was 20 per cent lower than the previous financial year. Bush insists that figure needs to be above 80 per cent. 'We are taking that survey on the chin, we are not hiding from it, we know what we need to do,' he said. 'We have to be operationally excellent, we have to be out there preventing crime, we've got to respond properly, and our investigations have to be first-class,' he said. Bush says there needed to be a 'hard edge and a soft edge' in the response to youth crime, which has soared to the highest rates since records began, and sparked widespread community anger. 'At the hard end, there has to be a consequence, and they must know there is a consequence. They do things that risk their own lives and risk the lives and safety of others, so at the tough end there has to be a consequence, and sometimes that consequence will be the loss of their liberty,' he said. He declined to discuss whether bail laws in Victoria were too lenient, but confirmed he had spoken with the state government over the past week regarding further reforms. The soft edge, according to Bush, will involve widespread community and government engagement, with a focus on crime prevention. He concedes the approach will take some time. 'We come to work to make a difference, so if you're not stopping stuff before it starts, you're really just turning up after the act. There is a massive obligation on us to prevent crime and harm, and we'll be changing the way we work to make sure we do a lot more of that,' he said. 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Loading His blueprint for retaining existing officers includes the removal of duplication of paperwork and forging a partnership with New Zealand police to bolster the force's technological capabilities. Bush has the demeanour of someone from a military background: a man who might relish cold showers, hard beds and rigorous gym sessions before dawn. He has a stern warning for Victoria's crooks. 'Bikie gangs and other organised crime groups really need to feel the heat from law enforcement. The community should not tolerate the behaviour that they bring to the state ... they need to be clearly in our sights.' He confirmed he was also reviewing the efficacy of Victoria's asset-confiscation laws. Such laws were beefed up in New Zealand when he was commissioner. Bush would not discuss Iraq-based underworld figure Kazem 'Kaz' Hamad, widely considered to be responsible for more than 100 arson attacks on tobacco outlets and several murders, other than to say that Victoria Police was working closely with global law enforcement agencies. 'Bikie gangs and other organised crime groups really need to feel the heat from law enforcement.' Mike Bush, police chief commissioner Operation Hawk – the police taskforce established after The Age 's Building Bad series exposed allegations that gangland-linked figures were receiving large payments from companies on publicly funded projects looking to gain favour with figures within the CFMEU – was also adequately resourced and making headway, according to Bush. He has been a regular visitor to Melbourne over the years and has settled in quickly. He has found an apartment in the city's inner-east, discovered new restaurants and cafes, and thrown his support behind the Richmond Football Club.
