Melbourne’s infamous Covid-19 curfew, enforced by Premier Daniel Andrews during the 2020 lockdowns, was not based on medical advice, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.
The curfew, which restricted the movements of 5 million Melburnians from 8 pm to 5 am, was framed by the Andrews government as a necessary measure for public health. However, newly released FOI documents expose that it was not recommended by health experts but rather a decision made by the state’s crisis cabinet.
The documents, which have emerged after a four-and-a-half-year legal battle, include a critical email from Public Health Commander Dr. Finn Romanes. In the communication, Romanes writes: “The curfew… is not occurring on public health advice but is a decision taken by Cabinet.”
This revelation contradicts the narrative promoted by Premier Andrews, who at the time repeatedly claimed that the curfew was based on medical recommendations. When asked about the curfew’s origin in 2020, Andrews admitted that the decision was ultimately his but would not disclose who exactly conceived the idea.
The curfew, which lasted for two months, was a key part of Victoria’s draconian lockdown measures in 2020 and 2021. Melbourne was the only city in Australia to impose such restrictions. The government justified these measures as essential for protecting public health during the state’s worst Covid-19 outbreaks.
While health experts later expressed support for the curfew, they did not propose it. Emails between Sutton and Dr. Romanes reveal that the public health officials were merely following orders. Romanes, in his email, confirms that the public health direction on the curfew was “not occurring on public health advice but is a decision taken by Cabinet.” He goes on to clarify: “I have been advised by (Department of Justice and Community Safety secretary) Kate Houghton and others that the action of a curfew is a clear action within the State of Disaster and there is a clear desire within government to mirror that within the State of Emergency.”
Victorian opposition figures, including David Davis, who spearheaded the FOI request, have expressed outrage over the revelations. “This document confirms what many of us suspected—that the curfew was a political decision, not a public health one,” Davis said. “The public was misled, and it is time for Premier Andrews and his successor, Jacinta Allan, to answer for the damage caused.”
Jacinta Allan, who was part of the crisis cabinet that approved the curfew, remains the only member of the cabinet still serving in Parliament. Opposition leaders have called on her to explain her role in the decision.
Victoria’s current Health Minister, Mary-Anne Thomas, whose department fought the release of these documents, has since acknowledged that the decision to withhold the information was “wrong” but defended the intent of her department to protect confidential discussions.
Melbourne, Australia, endured six lockdowns between March 2020 and October 2021, totalling 262 days of strict stay-at-home orders, making it the city with the longest cumulative lockdown period globally, surpassing Buenos Aires (244 days).
