My question is to the Regional Development Minister. Notwithstanding the overwhelming majority of COVID-19 cases have been contracted around Melbourne, the Government has continued to apply a single, statewide response to the virus.  Including for last week’s directive that people avoid attending work, to help relieve public transport pressure – when that’s largely irrelevant to the way most Northern Victorians travel to work.

I therefore ask: has serious consideration been given to a more flexible, region-by-region, model of restrictions to help electorates like mine – and, if so, why was the idea rejected? That is, what regard was paid by the Government to allowing regional communities to experience less restrictions and/or re-emerge from them earlier than our metropolitan counterparts – given our comparatively, distinctly low case numbers and our moreacutely-felt impacts of the over two month long closure of most activities and services?