VIC Premier
More Victorians will be able to return home safely from Sydney this week with updated health advice allowing some border restrictions to be downgraded.
Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton announced today that, due to the reduced exposure risk and low community transmission in some areas of Greater Sydney, a number of red zone Local Government Areas (LGAs) will transition to orange – allowing Victorians in those areas to return home if they want to.
As of 6:00pm (Victorian AEDT) Monday 18 January, the Blue Mountains, Wollongong and all Greater Sydney LGAs except for
Blacktown City, Burwood, Canada Bay City, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Fairfield City, Inner West, Liverpool City, Parramatta City and Strathfield Municipality will be declared an orange zone due to the improved epidemiological conditions there.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews says "the virus doesn't treat you specially, so neither do we", amid claims from some players that they were not made fully aware of quarantine rules ahead of the start of the Australian Open in Melbourne on February 8. Follow live.
More Victorians who were stuck in Sydney will be allowed to return home after 25 local government areas are downgraded to orange zones. Here's what's new, as well as some common questions answered.
An exodus of people leave Moama as Victoria changes border restrictions. Photo: Cath Grey
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IF THE Victorian Government does not turn the NSW half of the border bubble green, under its COVID-19 traffic light policy, accommodation and hospitality businesses in Moama could start going to the wall within weeks, if not days.
At a meeting in the Moama Bowling Club on the morning of Wednesday, January 13, convened by Victorian Nationals leader and Member for Murray Plains Peter Walsh, a large crowd of business owners showed more than 60 businesses had been smashed by the sudden decision to close the Victorian border on New Year’s Eve, sparking a panicked exodus of more than 60,000 Victorians holidaying north of the Murray.
Murray River Council is dealing with a national shortage of building surveyors.
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A NATIONAL shortage of building surveyors is causing headaches at Murray River Council, with two senior jobs on the market for months with no interest.
At November’s council meeting, director of planning and environment David Wilkinson said it was a serious problem.
“It is the area of my directorate that has caused me the most concern since I started here at Murray River Council,” Mr Wilkinson said.
“Resourcing that section has always been a challenge but it’s an even greater challenge now.”
Murray River Council has two building surveyors and a contractor three days a week, and with no luck yet from its recruitment efforts, Mr Wilkinson said it had tried turning to the private sector.