The Victorian government continues to justify placing thousands of public housing tower residents into a sudden Covid-19 lockdown but has agreed to pay each adult resident $2,200.

A class action was brought against the state in 2021 after about 1,800 adults and 751 children were locked inside nine public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington from 4 July to 18 July in 2020.

Residents in the towers, who were not given any notice or warning before being locked inside their homes for two weeks, claimed they were falsely imprisoned by the government and were threatened with physical harm if they tried to leave.

A large police presence was used to enforce a total lockdown of nine public housing towers in North Melbourne and Flemington in July 2020.
Melbourne public housing tower residents offered $5m payout over Covid lockdown

Earlier this year, the state government offered to settle with the group for $5m.