Victorians stranded in NSW and QLD deserve clarity, not delays

2021-01-11

The Victorian Greens have said the thousands of Victorians stranded interstate as a result of border restrictions need to be informed of the state government’s plan to bring them back home as soon as possible.

While the Greens support the public health-led response to the pandemic, they say Brisbane has revealed how things can flip overnight and that there’s a danger in waiting for things to be perfect before allowing Victorians to return home.

Victorian Greens spokesperson for health, Dr Tim Read, said that by delaying the announcement of a plan to bring those stranded back home, the government was running the risk of them being stranded for longer if the situation worsened in NSW or QLD in the meantime.

Dr Read added the government should now bring Victorians home with an appropriate regime of testing and a period of self-isolation.

Quotes attributable to Victorian Greens spokesperson for health, Dr Tim Read:

"We support the government’s public health-led response to this pandemic but the thousands of Victorians currently stranded interstate need certainty.

"The government needs to get on with it. The longer we wait the greater the risk that things could go pear-shaped and leave those people stranded even longer."