Govt blasted for lack of apology to tower residents

In a strongly worded statement issued on Friday, Ombudsman Deborah Glass said the failure to apologise almost a year after the lockdowns was disappointing.In a report handed down in December Ms Glass said the sudden lockdown of the North Melbourne and Flemington towers violated the human rights of residents.A key recommendation from her investigation called for the Victorian Government to apologise to the tower residents.Their immediate detention left many without food, essential medical and other supplies, no access to fresh air and surrounded by police, she said.“It’s disappointing the State Government has not accepted a key recommendation to say sorry for that,” she said.“It continues to be the only lockdown, before or since, announced with no notice whatsoever – and giving rise to the obvious impression it was made on the grounds of security rather than public health,” Ms Glass said.“I continue to make it clear that I did not recommend an apology for the lockdown itself – the Government need not apologise for taking necessary action to keep us all safe. It was for the immediacy of the lockdown, that we found was not based on direct public health advice.”In her report Ms Glass found the  timing  of the drastic lockdown measures was not  based on direct  health advice.“The rushed lockdown was not compatible with the residents’ human rights, including their right to humane treatment when deprived of liberty,” her report said.“In my opinion, based on the evidence gathered by the investigation, the action appeared to be contrary to the law.”Ms Glass said the hastily-organised lockdown that came into effect on July 4 created “chaos”, with some residents left without food and medicine.After the report was made public housing Minister Richard Wynne said “we make no apologies for saving lives”.“We’ve made it very clear that on the first day was extremely challenging, we had to stand this thing up from, you know, with limited notice we had to stand it up and put the lockdown in place,” he said at the time.Mr Wynne has been contacted for comment.