MEMBER for Mildura Ali Cupper is imploring the Victorian Government to ensure its permit system will allow South Australian medical specialists exemptions to consult in Mildura during the border lockdown.
Victoria will enforce a hard border closure for 48 hours from midnight on Thursday, with a permit system to then be implemented from November 21.
Ms Cupper said one of the biggest impacts of South Australia’s border closure with Victoria was the inability of medical specialists to access Mildura to consult patients.
The Victorian Government said it was finalising details of the permit system but confirmed it would include emergency services working or providing essential services; for agricultural work; the receive medical care, obtain medical supplies or compassionate reasons; and to shop for essential supplies.
“After many months of those visiting medical specialists being shut out of Mildura, we need to ensure they will be allowed entry under this current border closure,” Ms Cupper said.
“This decision by the Victorian Government will be hugely disappointing for people in the Mildura electorate who were looking forward to the South Australian border reopening on December 1.
“Whether that will now happen on that date is unknown, but I would hope the Victorian Government would understand how difficult it has been for our community when deciding how long to keep the border closed.
“We have been unable to access our closest capital city for six months which has had adverse impacts in so many areas including the economy, medical, education and social.
“There are so many people who were looking forward to visiting South Australia for a variety of reasons and it’s so disappointing that is all now in doubt.”
Ms Cupper is hopeful the impacts of the closure will be relatively small for border communities in her electorate, including Murrayville.
“My understanding would be that the SA permit system that is still in place allowing free access within the 70km border zone would remain in place, however the hard lockdown in SA will mean only essential services are available,” she said.
Ms Cupper reiterated her earlier call for better systems around border closures as well as communication with border communities.
“Decisions about border closures continue to be made in many cases by people who do not understand the real-life impacts they have on border communities,” she said.
“The ad-hoc border closures which are just dropped on us with no consultation or communication is incredibly frustrating and unworkable.”
