Goya Dmytryshchak
Calls have been made for the residential area of Brooklyn to be moved out of lockdown and for its 3012 postcode to be changed.
It comes as police this week established border checkpoints, including one in Millers Road at Brooklyn, screening motorists entering and leaving 10 postcodes in lockdown.
Brooklyn is split across three muncipalities of Brimbank, Hobsons Bay and Maribyrnong and shares the same postcode as Kingsville, Maidstone, Tottenham and West Footscray.
Its residential area falls within Hobsons Bay and some residents and a Hobsons Bay councillor have called for the postcode to revert to 3025, which covers Altona North, separated by the West Gate Freeway.
Cedar Meats, the Brooklyn abattoir at the centre of a cluster of more than 100 COVID-19 cases, is located in the municipality of Brimbank and there have been no new cases linked to the outbreak since May.
Cafe on Millers owner Nadine Assafiri said she was “very, very surprised” when Brooklyn was placed in lockdown.
“The only case they had here was the Cedar Meats one … but that was a long time ago and they’ve dealt with it and they’ve reopened so that issue’s all gone,” she said.
Brooklyn resident Sasha Vazhnenko said she was “shocked”.
“Areas with active cases are not locked but Brooklyn with zero cases is locked,” she said.
“It makes no sense.”
Fellow resident Chris Dunlevy said the blanket postcode lockdown was unfair.
“I don’t think blanket postcode bans are the way – our residential area has zero cases,” he said.
“We all want to do our part but this seems like an unfair and unproductive way. There are suburbs closer to the outbreaks that don’t share the postcode who are still open. You have to ask why we are the only tiny pocket of Hobsons Bay locked in.
“I just got back from a job in Seddon where everyone is roaming free.
“Brooklyn should be on the 3025 postcode – we are Hobsons Bay not Brimbank.”
Brooklyn Residents Action Group president Bert Boere labelled the lockdown “bloody ridiculous”.
He said Brooklynites were previously under postcode 3025, serviced by the Borrack Square Post Office in Altona North.
“We are in quarantine for sharing a postcode with Maribyrnong, where there are hotspots, when we are in Hobsons Bay and quite physically separated by Geelong Road from Maribyrnong and Brimbank,” Mr Boere said.
Hobsons Bay councillor Tony Briffa called on the authorities to remove Brooklyn from lockdown.
“I call on the state government and chief medical officer to be reasonable with the lockdowns and apply them fairly and objectively based on health risks and not political or Australia Post boundaries,” Cr Briffa said.
“If suburbs are going to be locked down due to COVID-19 cases then Brooklyn should not be currently in lockdown.
“We have long advocated for Brooklyn’s postcode to be changed to 3025 because that is closer to their natural community of interest and is in the same municipality.
“The only reason Brooklyn still has the old 3012 postcode is because Australia Post has refused many requests over the last 20 years to change the postcode, which reflects the old pre-council amalgamation days when Brooklyn was a part of the old City of Sunshine.
“Those days are long gone.”
Hobsons Bay mayor Colleen Gates and deputy mayor Sandra Wilson subsequently issued a joint statement opposing the lockdown.
“We have immediately inquired with the state government on whether Brooklyn can be removed from the postcode grouping given the physical divide between the Brooklyn residential area in Hobsons Bay and the other 3012 lockdown areas.”
