Easter 2020 brings $1,000 fines to those found in the NSW Nothern Rivers region breaching COVID-19 travel & social distancing restrictions

NSW Police Public Site - NEWS, excerpts, 11-12 April 2020:

In the early hours of Friday (10 April 2020), officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District attended a home on Bligh Street, South Grafton, following reports of a loud party. On arrival, the attendees scattered and after reminding the occupants of the requirements under the Public Health Act, police issued a noise abatement direction. About 8.30am, police spoke to three men - two of which are the occupants of the Bligh Street home – who were drinking together on the corner of Bligh and Cambridge Streets. The men, aged 18, 25 and 27, were reminded they were breaching the Ministerial Directions, and after the older man began swearing and 25-year-old man refused to go home, they were issued with a $500 fine for offensive language and a $1100 fine for continuing intoxication in a public place respectively. All three men were issued with $1000 PINs and sent home.

About 3pm (Friday 10 April 2020), officers from Richmond Police District were patrolling Lennox Head, when they observed a vehicle parked at Lake Ainsworth. After speaking with the occupants – a man and woman, both aged 29 – it was established they were sightseeing in the area after travelling some 120km from their home at Parkwood, Queensland. The pair was issued with $1000 infringements and directed to go home.

Police from Coffs/Clarence Police District stopped a vehicle on the Macleay Valley Way at Bellimbopinni about 11pm on Friday (10 April 2020). Officers spoke to the driver, a 55-year-old man, and established he didn’t have a reasonable excuse to have left the house. The man told officers he was going to visit family and wasn’t deterred by the ministerial directions. He was issued a PIN for not comply with noticed direction in relation to section 7/8/9 – COVID 19.

Officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District attended the remote village of Sandon yesterday (Saturday 11 April 2020), following reports holidaymakers had made their way to the area for Easter. Police spoke with a 53-year-old man and his 51-year-old wife, who said they had been in the area for more than two weeks. Following inquiries, officers established they had only arrived two days prior. The couple was issued with $1000 PINs and directed to return to the Lennox Head property. Another couple and their two children were also spoken to at another home and given warnings before being directed to return to their Petersham home.

Just before midday (Saturday 11 April 2020), officers from Tweed/Byron Police District responded to the concern for welfare of a woman slumped over a steering wheel of a vehicle parked on Johnson Street, Byron Bay. Police assisted the 45-year-old woman from the car, during which, they located ice and drug paraphernalia. During a subsequent search of her handbag, officers located cards under the names of various people, $1850 cash, drug ledgers and a knife. Inquiries revealed the Tabulum woman had also recently travelled to Queensland. She was taken to Byron Bay Police Station and charged with possess prohibited drug, goods in personal custody suspected being stolen, and possess or use a prohibited weapon without permit. She was issued with a $1000 PIN before being granted conditional bail to appear at Byron Bay Local Court on Monday 15 June 2020.

Officers from Tweed/Byron Police District attended a holiday apartment on Lawson Street, Byron Bay, about 2.30pm (Saturday 11 April 2020), after reports of parties being held at the location. Police spoke with a 33-year-old man, who told them he booked the room to self-isolate but had invited people over to visit. The other two people – a 34-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman – had travelled from Clunes for the gathering. All three were issued $1000 PINs, while inquiries are continuing into the accommodation provider

Officers from Tweed/Byron Police District stopped a vehicle on Burringbar St, Mullumbimby, about 4pm, and spoke to the four occupants – a 16-year-old boy, two 17-year-old girls, and the 18-year-old male driver. The P-plate driver returned a positive roadside breath test and received a fine for special-range drink driving. During a search of the vehicle, police located cannabis and issued cannabis cautions to the man and one of the 17-year-old girls. The group were not able to provide a reasonable excuse for being out, and checks revealed three of the four had previously been given warnings for the same. They were issued $1000 PINs, while the 17-year-old girl was given a warning under the Public Health Act.

About 7.30pm (Saturday 11 April 2020), officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District conducting proactive checks stopped at a house on Bent Street, South Grafton. A 30-year-old man was spoken to, who stated he was at the house visiting friends. He became verbally abusive when police notified him that he was in breach of Ministerial Directions and was subsequently issued a $1000 PIN.

Officers from Tweed/Byron Police District were called to Terranora Road, Banora Point, just after 10.30pm (Thursday 9 April 2020), following reports of the concern for the welfare of a man wandering around on the road. On arrival, police located the man rambling incoherently in the front yard of a home. Checks revealed the man was in breach of his bail conditions and was allegedly in possession of a leather glove and a staff card in someone else’s name. After being unable to provide a reasonable explanation for being away from his home and having been warned previously, he was issued with a $1000 PIN, before being taken to Tweed Heads Police Station and charged with goods in personal custody suspected being stolen. He has been refused bail and will next appear at Tweed Heads Local Court on Tuesday (14 April 2020).

Officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District stopped an 18-year-old man who was walking with two others and holding a case of beer on Cambridge Street, South Grafton, yesterday (Friday 10 April 2020). Police will allege the man had been given a previous warning about the Public Health Act and failed to provide a reasonable excuse for being away from home. He was issued a $1000 PIN.

About 1pm (Thursday 2 April 2020), officers from Coffs/Clarence Police District were called to a home on Halls Road, Coffs Harbour, following reports of multiple people at the location who do no reside there. Whilst police were there a man, who was issued a ministerial direction the day before, arrived at the location with no reasonable excuse to be there. He was subsequently issued a $1000 PIN and given a move on direction.

Clarence Valley Council closes beach carparks until April 27 2020

Clarence Valley Council: 

The following beach car parks will be closed from Thursday 9 April until Monday 27 April: 

Turners Beach, 
Yamba and Breakwall (excl. for Farmers Markets) 
Main Beach, 
Yamba Pippi Beach, 
Yamba Blue Pools, 
Angourie Spookys Beach, 
Angourie Main Beach, Iluka (excl. the breakwall carpark) 
South Terrace, 
Wooli (near the Volunteer Rescue Service) 
Minnie Water Foreshore Reserve north of the surf club 
Brooms Head Foreshore reserve near the hall.

The Daily Examiner, 9 April 2020, p.5:

In an effort to stop tourists and local from congregating at Clarence beaches, Clarence Valley Council from today will close nine beach carparks until April 27. 

“NSW Government Health orders are crystal clear around social distancing and gatherings. Our beaches are only open to local residents for exercise and fishing and that’s only OK subject to people complying with social distancing requirements,” council general manager Ashley Lindsay said. 

“Once people finish their exercise they should return home immediately. We don’t want a repeat of what happened on Gold Coast beaches. 

“No holiday-makers should be coming here at this time. 

“Digital signage close to Yamba advising that beach carparks are closed will also be activated to deter visitors from using our beaches. 

“We all need to follow these rules to save the lives of the people we love. Everyone knows someone whose health is compromised. Healthy younger people can get very sick too.” Northern NSW Local Health District chief executive Wayne Jones is urging people who would have ordinarily been travelling to Northern NSW over the break to reconsider their plans, and steer clear. 

“For every person who doesn’t come to our region, it makes it easier for us to manage our own physical distancing needs here in Northern NSW,” Mr Jones said. 

“If travellers stay away, it means there is less chance of new cases being brought into our region.

Queensland tightens the lock on its border with New South Wales

Queensland Government, media releases, excerpts, 10 April 2020:

Arrivals to Queensland – from 12.01am Saturday 11 April 2020

4. A person who arrives in Queensland from another State or Territory of Australia from 12.01 am on Saturday 11 April 2020 will not be allowed to enter Queensland, unless they are an exempt resident or exempt person.
5. An exempt resident or exempt person who arrives in Queensland must self-quarantine if they have been outside Australia in the last 14 days.
6. An exempt resident who arrives in Queensland must self-quarantine if:
1. in the last 14 days, they have been in particular areas of Australia decided by the Chief Health Officer and published on the Queensland Health website (a COVID-19 hotspot), unless the person was in the COVID-19 hotspot for an essential purpose or enters Queensland for an essential purpose; or
2. they are a person mentioned in paragraph 7 item 1(b) (a person moving to Queensland to make Queensland their principal place of residence).......

From 12.01am on Saturday 11 April 2020 the following Local Government Areas in New South Wales are COVID-19 hotspots:

Blacktown 
Canterbury-Bankstown 
Central Coast 
Cumberland 
Inner West 
Ku-ring-gai 
Northern Beaches 
Randwick 
Ryde 
Sutherland Shire 
Sydney 
Waverley 
Woollahra 

Penalties: A person to whom the direction applies commits an offence if the person fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with the direction.

Unfortunately for the NSW Northern Rivers region the failure of NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to close the New South Wales side of the border means that Queensland residents will in all likelihood continue to cross into our region as non-essential travellers, even though they are aware recreational travel is not on the list of exemptions in the NSW Public Health Order.

Tweet of the Week

Such a coincidence that within a 24hr period so many Aus & UK journos were suddenly struck with an urge to write pieces promoting the sacrifice of the elderly & disabled to protect the economy

— StoneFishHugger (@mnxmoosi) April 9, 2020

"At least the Ruby Princess had a f*ckin captain".....

A musical comment on Scott Morrison's 'leadership' from within COVID-19 partial lock-in.......

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NSW Liberal Party Minister Don Harwin fined $1,000 for deliberately breaching current COVID-19 public health order

Special Minister of State, and Minister for the Public Service and Employee Relations, Aboriginal Affairs, and the Arts, Liberal MLC Don Harwin - a member of the NSW Parliament for the past 21 years - was caught deliberately floughting the current COVID-19 public health order.


Liberal power broker Harwin (pictured), whose principal place of residence is in well-heeled Elizabeth Bay, was found by The Daily Telegraph on 8 April 2020 at his $1.3 million beachfront investment property.

He has apparently been travelling back and forth to his holiday home from Sydney for the last three weeks, has allegedly been entertaining at least one guest at Pearl Bay in that period and, been seen wandering in and out of stores in a shopping centre on one of those trips back to Sydney.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian is refusing to sack Harwin from her ministry.

NSW Police Public Site - News, 9 April 2020:

A man has been issued a $1000 Penalty Infringement Notice (PIN) by police conducting inquiries into the circumstances surrounding his recent travels to a holiday home on the Central Coast.

Police were alerted yesterday (Wednesday 8 April 2020), that a 55-year-old Elizabeth Bay man had relocated to a holiday home at Pearl Beach, in contravention of current Ministerial Direction under the Public Health Act.

After reports he had breached the order, the man returned to Sydney today (Thursday 9 April 2020).

As part of inquiries, investigators from Central Metropolitan Region attended the Elizabeth Bay home unit and spoke with the man.

Following further inquiries, the man was issued a $1000 PIN via email just before 9pm, for failing to comply with noticed direction (Section 5 – COVID-19).

NSW Police Commissioner Fuller said the directions are in place to protect the lives of people in NSW.

“Police have been given these powers to ensure the community spread of COVID-19– which we know is devastating communities across the globe – is minimised,” the Commissioner said.

“You only need to look at the statistics to see that people are dying where appropriate measures have either not been established or are ignored.

“No one individual or corporation is above these laws – anyone suspected of breaching the orders will be investigated and if a breach is detected, they will be dealt with in accordance with the Act.

“On behalf of the community, I strongly urge those with information about breaches to contact police.”

Anyone who has information regarding individuals or businesses in contravention of a COVID-19-related ministerial direction is urged to contact Crime Stoppers: https://nsw.crimestoppers.com.au. Information is treated in strict confidence. The public is reminded not to report crime via NSW Police social media pages.