The hard lockdown of nine public housing towers in Melbourne was "shocking and deeply discriminatory", says a former United Nations expert who has scrutinised the Victorian government's response.
Leilani Farha was the United Nations' special rapporteur on adequate housing between June 2014 and April 2020, where she advocated for the right to adequate housing as a standard for living.
Ms Farha recently authored a 15-page letter of concern to Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and key ministers, outlining what she believes were a series of human rights violations committed during the lockdown.
"It compromised their dignity, made them feel sub-human and it violated their right to live in peace and dignity." Ms Farha told SBS News.
She said many of the residents are now suffering "deep trauma" after being thrown into the "undignified" situation.
"For example in one instance, the outdoor area that they were allowed to circulate in, was caged in. They felt like they were caged animals being let out," said Ms Farha, who is the the global director of The Shift, an organisation focused on the right to housing.
"They felt like their lives were less valuable, being treated as less valuable than other people in Melbourne who weren't forced into this hard lockdown situation."
Speaking by phone from Ottawa, Canada, Ms Farha said the hard lockdown, which applied only to residents in the nine tower blocks, violated a key human right - the right to housing without discrimination.
A sign at one of the public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington, Melbourne. Source: AAP
"The assault on human dignity was so clear," Ms Farha said.
Ms Farha said the lockdown had a hugely negative impact on people's mental health and she was told of several suicide attempts during that period.
Calls for help to mental health organisations in the days after the nine public housing towers were locked down.
Ms Farha also criticised the government decision to send in police.
“This is a public health issue that warrants a response, grounded in human rights, not a police-led response.”
She also found striking parallels to how many of the survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy in London felt following the deadly 2017 blaze.
"Very different situations but the people said the same thing: this feeling of not counting, not feeling listened to, of not being treated with respect and dignity. The feeling of invisibility - they used that term a lot," Ms Farha said
"Both sets of tenants said they didn't feel like human beings and that's very disturbing to me."
"This is an already vulnerable population in a vulnerable time and they were really mistreated. They needed to be treated with ultimate sensitivity and that's the exact opposite of what happened."
Ms Farha's letter to the government has put forward a number of recommendations, including that residents are given access to justice in addressing the violations and support to overcome the trauma of the experience.
Minister for Housing Richard Wynne defended the government's response, saying it had saved lives as authorities worked to halt the spread of the infection.
Police are seen enforcing a lockdown at public housing towers on Racecourse Road in Flemington, Melbourne. Source: AAP
He said the decision had not been taken lightly, and was in accordance with the best advice from health experts.
"Throughout the coronavirus pandemic we’ve always followed the advice of the health experts and this decision was no different," he told SBS News in a statement.
"It was incredibly hard to have to take the course of action we did, but the alternative of seeing the virus spread further and endanger the lives of so many, was simply not acceptable.
"We’ve been stepping up our protection efforts ever since the coronavirus pandemic begun – combined with increased measures introduced as part of the decision we’ve successfully reduced the number of active cases down to a handful across the North Melbourne and Flemington estates, from a peak of over 200."
Mr Wynne said the government continued to consult with residents from the towers.
Victorian health officials work to conduct testing during a lockdown of a Melbourne public housing tower. Source: AAP
"We continue to meet with the North Melbourne and Flemington Towers Community Working Group twice each week - hearing from residents about their experiences to inform our ongoing response.
"Residents have also had the opportunity to provide feedback as part of the Victorian Ombudsmen investigation into the measures that were put in place to protect the lives of people living in the towers.
"There will always be lessons we can learn from operations like this – however the measures we introduced saved lives. "
Ms Farha said basic human rights were never expendable.
"Not during a conflict, nor a natural disaster or a pandemic.
"I understand the hard lockdown was intended to save lives, but it is not clear how stale, culturally inappropriate food is related to that objective," she added.
