A COVID-defying publican who opened his Pastoral Hotel in Echuca during the lockdowns has faced court and been fined for his insolence.
During Victoria’s fifth lockdown, in 2021, the Pastoral Hotel reopened for three days before being forced to close again. Owner Trevor Bernard Andrews insisted he had a “constitutional right” to trade.
Disagreeing with his standpoint, police issued Andrews fines totalling around $22k.
People attending the pub while it was open were also punished for flaunting the restrictions, receiving more than $100k in fines for their actions.
Shane Patton, Victoria’s Chief Commissioner of Police, threatened serious action, pronouncing that police had “the power” to put Andrews behind bars.
In July of last year, the pub launched a crowd-funding campaign looking for $25k to pay the fines.
After a number of adjournments, Andrews faced Echuca Magistrates’ Court this week, flanked by a small band of supporters.
Judicial registrar Allison Vaughan was not convinced by the hotelier’s constitutional assertions, but conceded his actions were motivated by hardship caused by the forced closure.
Vaughan fined Andrews only $5k, but also recorded convictions on two counts of failing to comply with the direction of an authorised officer. A further charge of refusing to comply was dismissed.
Authorities issued more than 40k fines to Victorians during the COVID-19 restrictions, mostly for general breaches, with around 1,700 for illegal gatherings.
