Three earthquakes have struck in north-east Victoria, with tremors felt across the state, New South Wales, Canberra and as far as Adelaide and Launceston. Follow live.
One earthquake was a magnitude-5.8 and there are reports of damage to buildings in Melbourne.
Daniel Andrews has responded to the ongoing construction worker protests
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says, “there is no excuse for the terrible behaviour we have seen in our city over the last two days.
Acts of violence and disruption won’t result in one less case of Covid – in fact it only helps the virus to spread.
Thank you to the brave men and women of Victoria Police for their work today – and every day – to keep our community safe.
We know vaccinations are our only ticket out of this pandemic. There is no other way.
For those who think violence is the answer, I ask that you think of your fellow Victorians – doing the right thing over many months, following the advice of our health experts.
We have come too far to turn back now.
Please spare a thought for our healthcare workers who are working such long hours looking after patients, many who are struggling to breathe.
The more of us who get vaccinated, the fewer of us who will end up in hospital.
It’s as simple as that.”
Melbourne Construction Shutdown for 2-Weeks:
Due to continued concern about case numbers, transmission risk and reduced compliance, construction will shut down in metropolitan Melbourne and other Local Government Areas currently in lockdown for two weeks from 11.59pm, Monday 20 September.
Recently, we have seen multiple outbreaks linked to construction. Construction workers are a mobile workforce who may work across multiple sites and travel longer distances to work than other permitted workers. Concerns have also been raised, and remain, about the sector’s compliance with public health measures and directions.
Also concerning is the transmission risk and geographic spread of construction cases, which led to a number of important public health measures including preventing workers crossing the regional/metropolitan border – but more action is required to stop the spread.
The immediate shut down action is being taken to reduce movement, minimise transmission and allow for the entire industry to appropriately adapt to the Chief Health Officer Directions, including increasing vaccination rates.
All construction projects in metropolitan Melbourne, City of Ballarat, City of Greater Geelong, Surf Coast Shire and Mitchell Shire will be closed, with a strictly limited exemption for workers to attend the sites to respond to an emergency or perform urgent and essential work to protect health and safety. An amnesty will be put in place so that a limited number of workers can attend construction sites in order to shut them down safely.
All government construction projects in metropolitan Melbourne and relevant LGAs will be closed, with no new work to be completed – other than work required to make the site safe and secure.
All sites will be required to demonstrate compliance with Chief Health Officer Directions prior to reopening – including the requirement for workers to show evidence to their employer of having had one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine before they return to site on 5 October. From 11.59pm 23 September, all construction workers require at least their first dose of the vaccine. This means that before workers return to site, they must comply with this new requirement.
The Victorian Government will work with stakeholders over coming days to determine the best way for the industry to show full compliance with the Directions.
