Today’s announcement from the Andrews Labor Government that it intends to increase car towing in local shopping strips, is a poor attempt to divert attention from its disastrous COVID bungle.
Instead of providing support to manage traffic congestion relating to immense queues for coronavirus testing, as Victoria recorded its fourth-highest day of new COVID infections, Andrews is instead planning to tow vehicles as they make the dash to their local shops for supplies.
It’s clear that Daniel Andrews has no plan to deal with this COVID crisis, so he has started asking his team to divert attention elsewhere – today it’s traffic management, what will it be tomorrow?
And what about businesses who are already struggling during the coronavirus pandemic? The Andrews Labor Government didn’t consult with them before making these changes. Daniel Andrews shouldn’t be focusing on fining motorists, he should be focusing on supporting small businesses and the Victorians who want to support them.
Further, the Andrews Labor Government has announced from next month it will recommence road occupation charges to charge developers for blocking precious lanes on arterial roads during building works. This decision has come at completely the wrong time. The government should be doing everything within its power to assist local businesses and industries to keep unnecessary costs down and keep people in work.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Roads (Metropolitan), Brad Battin:
“At a time when small businesses are suffering, the Andrews Labor Government is looking to further sting them by towing away their customers. It’s a poor attempt to divert attention from its disastrous COVID bungle.
“Daniel Andrews and Labor have consistently dropped the ball when it comes to dealing with issues on Victorian roads. This is yet another example of applying a band-aid fix that will create far more problems than it solves.
“Daniel Andrews needs to come out today and detail what support he will be giving to local businesses that will lose trade because of his poor decision making and his lack of care for Victorian businesses.”
