Frank Chung reports for News.com
In August 2021, with Sydneysiders under strict lockdown amid rising coronavirus cases, a newspaper headline blared, “Police Minister says public tip-offs needed to stop Covid-19 outbreak.”
“The extent of your freedom depends on the case numbers,” then-Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned millions of locked-down residents.
Redfern Legal Centre senior police accountability solicitor Samantha Lee said the report was “further proof that the response to the Covid pandemic is still being keenly felt by those who are experiencing high levels of social disadvantage”.
“I still have clients calling up about Covid-19 fines which are now at enforcement order stage,” she said.
“Some clients are crying due to the stress caused by the order and others feel they have no other choice but to contest at court and risk a criminal record and court costs.”
Read the full article (20 November, 2022).
