Just hours before the closure of the Victoria-New South Wales border overnight, a member of the Albury-Wodonga community asked a compelling question: what happens to welfare recipients who live on the Victorian side, who need to access the Centrelink office on the NSW side?
Yes, the guy hijacked a TV interview to get his point across, and yes, he clutched a VB tinnie while doing so, but that’s beside the point.
Nine News reporter Reid Butler yesterday shared footage of the exchange on Twitter, revealing one resident’s sincere concerns about the decision to wall off Victoria as it battles a resurgent coronavirus outbreak.
The closure is “not really good,” the man said.
“Sir, I don’t really give a fuck. I’m in lockdown. What do you reckon?”
Good point, well made. But the man continued, exposing the concerns of some folks who live in the Albury-Wodonga region, which straddles the border of both states.
“Mate, I live here, and you try to lock me out of bloody Albury and Wodonga?” he said.
“How am I supposed to get to Centrelink? That’s what I’m really worried about.”
“Is there a Centrelink in Wodonga?” asked a voice off-camera.
“No, there’s not,” the man replied. “Nah, that’s very bad, hey?”
That moment when a voxie gets crashed by an absolute legend. 🍻 #wodonga #channel12news pic.twitter.com/s9djqNeNEd
— Reid Butler (@reid_butler9) July 7, 2020
The official Services Australia website lists Albury Service Centre, which sits on the NSW side of the border, as the closest Centrelink location to Wodonga, nestled on the Victorian side.
The nearest Centrelink location listed on the Victorian side? Wangaratta Service Centre, some 70km south-east of Albury-Wodonga.
Service NSW states that anyone who qualifies as a “cross-border resident” can apply for a border crossing permit, and there are exemptions for anyone crossing the border to “meet other legal obligations.”
While those exemptions presumably cover anyone who needs to visit the Centrelink offices in Albury, the border closure hasn’t exactly been a hassle-free operation.
NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller this morning said that some 44,000 people have already applied for permits, causing the Services NSW website to temporarily blink out last night. At time of writing, it’s back online.
Extremely long queues have also been reported on the border’s main highways, as authorities suss who is, and isn’t, allowed into NSW.
The border closure is an extremely stressful time for everyone, but some folks have been hit harder than others.
Worrying about how the harsh border measures may impact welfare entitlements?
To me, that’s entirely worthy of some profanity and an ice-cold beer.
