IT will soon be an offence for a Melbourne resident not to provide ID when visiting regional eateries, Victoria's Regional Development Minister says.
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Jaclyn Symes said on Friday the government led by Premier Daniel Andrews was looking to put a greater onus on travellers from Melbourne and penalise them for failing to adhere to dining rules.
"It's already a requirement on country businesses to take records of people that are sitting down at their establishments or indeed taking a booking and it's an offence not to do so," she said.
"That will be extended to requiring people to produce ID and demonstrate that they're not from a lockdown area.
"We don't want to put too much impost on businesses, I would put the responsibility on individuals.
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"If you are in country Victoria from Melbourne for a permitted purpose that's fine, but the rules follow you which means don't sit down in a cafe."
Ms Symes declined to say when the new requirements would be introduced but referred to "potential penalties" being flagged in "coming days".
Huon Hill general manger Veronica Parker said place-of-origin ID had been sought at her Wodonga pub since March and "heaps of people from Melbourne" had been turned away.
"I don't care who it is, it could be Mr Andrews himself and we wouldn't let him in," she said.
Ms Symes noted contact tracing from the cafe had found 177 people and she was keen to ensure NSW was aware of Department of Health and Human Services efforts as it considers the reopening its Victorian border.
"The cross border commissioner and I had a conversation yesterday about making sure DHHS are not only advising our government but are advising NSW on all of our contact tracing measures," she said.
Ms Symes said she was conscious of businesses in regional areas suffering despite not having cases, but stated restrictions would be eased in a "slow and steady way".
"I know it's very obvious up here, the restrictions, when NSW don't have the same restrictions, but if we have a look at...Kilmore...one person came to Kilmore and we now have four cases in Kilmore," she said in the North East on Friday.
