Millionaire who dismissed COVID-19 as 'man flu' wants lockdown to be lifted so locals in his EXTREMELY affluent neighbourhood can socialise again
- James Neville-Smith wants his area to be exempt from the Melbourne lockdown
- Mr Neville-Smith shared a petition to have the Mornington Peninsula excluded
- Melbourne, including the peninsula, is currently in a stage-three lockdown
- The forestry boss and resort owner was previously infected with COVID-19
- He previously said the deadly disease was 'nothing more than a man flu' for him
A Melbourne millionaire who was infected with COVID-19 but dismissed it as 'nothing more than a man flu' has called for the lockdown to be ended in his local area.
Forestry boss and resort owner James Neville-Smith and his wife Katey shared a petition last Sunday that called to 'exclude the Mornington Peninsula from COVID lockdown'.
The whole of Melbourne is currently in stage-three lockdown, including the Mornington Peninsula Shire, which is a one hour drive away from the CBD.
Mr Neville-Smith lives in the seaside town of Flinders at the end of the Mornington Peninsula, and believes his area should be exempt from the stay-at-home directives.
Forestry boss and resort owner James Neville Smith and his wife Katey. Mr and Mrs Neville-Smith live in Flinders on the Mornington Pensinula in southeastern Melbourne
Mr Neville-Smith shared a petition last Sunday to exclude Mornington Peninsula from the Melbourne COVID-19 lockdown. He said he is 'very worried about local business'
'My reasoning is the case numbers (on the Mornington Peninsula) are very low and I'm very worried about local business,' Mr Neville-Smith told The Herald Sun.
'I appreciate that there are others who want the whole place locked down but I am very concerned about the economic impact of all these lockdowns. I think it's rough on small business which has just got itself going again.'
Mr Neville-Smith is the executive chairman of Neville Smith Forest Products, one of the biggest forestry operations in Tasmania and Castaways Resort and Spa on Mission Beach in Queensland.
He previously revealed he had been infected with COVID-19 to the publication.
'I had it and I'm 100 per cent recovered and fit as a fiddle. I appreciate it's not pleasant but it was a flu for me, nothing more than a man flu,' he said.
Mr Neville-Smith (right) gives former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (centre) a tour of Neville Smith Forest Products in Launceston, Tasmania in 2017
The Change.org petition Mr Smith shared argued that since the Mornington Peninsula has a low number of cases, it should be exempt from lockdown to protect it from the rest of Melbourne.
'Including us actually allows easy access to the rest of metropolitan Melbourne into the Mornington Peninsula and potentially promoting the spread of the virus,' the petition read.
The petition also argued that employment, businesses, education, panic buying, and mental health have already been impacted negatively by the previous lockdown.
It also called for policing to be diverted from handing out $1,652 fines for breaching lockdown laws to 'stopping real crime'.
The Mornington Peninsula was revealed to be the homicide capital of Melbourne on Friday, according to the Mornington Peninsula Leader.
Lastly, the petition pointed out that the Mitchell Shire, north of Melbourne, is also in lockdown, proving that lockdowns can be enforced on a shire-by-shire basis.
Mr and Mrs Neville-Smith take a selfie. The couple live in the seaside town of Flinders at the end of the Mornington Peninsula, and believes his area should be exempt from the stay-at-home directives
All residents of Melbourne and the Mitchell Shire currently have stay-at-home orders as part of the stage-three lockdown.
This means people are only allowed to leave the house for work or study, exercise, shopping for essentials and to give or receive care.
Victoria reported 217 new cases on Saturday, which is a welcome drop from Friday's record 428 cases.
Two Victorians, both in their 80s, died on Saturday and the state is still battling 2,752 active cases.
Rye Pier on the Mornington Peninsula. The Change.org petition Mr Smith shared argued that since the Mornington Peninsula has a low number of cases, it should be exempt from lockdown to protect it from the rest of Melbourne
