Tuesday, 17 March 2020

COVID-19

Mr RIORDAN (Polwarth) (19:13): (2055) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Premier. With a state of emergency now declared in Victoria, will the Premier move to implement some rationing in supermarkets? In country electorates like mine, with over 15 main towns, most of which only have one supermarket and the largest centre being Colac, and with three main supermarkets, every single one of those supermarkets today is without fresh food, without meat and without basic supplies. My electorate I think is the second most socio-economically disadvantaged electorate in the state. There are people on low incomes and people who only buy their food on a day-to-day basis, not weekly, and they certainly are not in a position to stockpile and hoard quantities for up to two weeks. There are families, there are children, there are elderly people and there are disadvantaged people in my electorate tonight who will not be eating, who will not have access to food tomorrow for school and who will not be able to sit comfortably in the coming weeks as the concern and the fear that is running rampant in Victoria at the moment is left untouched.

While we welcome the approach of some of our larger supermarket chains in trying to address this issue, they themselves cannot do this alone. It is now at the point where basic needs, necessities and dry goods are no longer readily available to many in my community. Further, it is reported today from the likes of the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul and other charity groups that due to the bushfires in January their stocks of non-perishable goods and urgent supplies that they would ordinarily help out people in need with are no longer available. They too are suffering in this shortage caused by the panic and fear that is currently in the state of Victoria. I also point out that in talking to St Vinnies this afternoon, the only help that they are able to offer families in Colac tonight will be vouchers for fish and chips—it is the only source of food they have to provide people because of the rush.

As one of our colleagues mentioned earlier, there are reports of rampant groups coming from Melbourne, Geelong and beyond in large numbers, clearing supermarkets out in country towns. This is not something that we look for, and certainly, while we are trying to control COVID-19 and bring about measures that create social distancing, we cannot allow to continue in the state of Victoria a situation that will not only leave families hungry but leave families with unacceptable levels of anxiety and concern about their immediate future, regardless of other health concerns that they may have.