As part of Victoria’s coronavirus lockdown measures, anyone caught walking outside must be masked and carry their papers to prove that they’re an authorised worker or risk being slapped with a hefty lockdown fine. 

(In fact, these types of infractions have been common among many of our Fight The Fines cases.)

The permits have been a useful tactic for the Victoria Police in their efforts to quell dissent and dissuade people from leaving their homes, be it for a walk in the park, to visit a friend, or to participate in a lockdown protest. 

It's insane! Who could have predicted a free and democratic country like Australia would devolve into a “show me your papers” society so quickly? 

But this past Saturday in Melbourne, thousands of people risked such fines and the threat of arrest to march in the streets and assert their rights as free people. 

Sure enough, before the protesters outnumbered the police, many of them were stopped and fined if they were found to be more than 5km from their home. This included one man who received a $1,900 fine for being out on a walk by himself! 

What’s worse is that the officer who issued the ticket had his mask off, breaking one of the many rules he was there to enforce.

It’s “do I as I say not as I do” when it comes to the enforcement of pandemic policies in the great state of Victoria. 

How can the police expect people to follow the rules when they themselves choose not to? 

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