The Victorian government’s contentious pandemic legislation looks set to pass parliament after a crossbencher agreed to support an amended version of the bill.
Key points:
- The Victorian government says the proposed legislation will create purpose-built laws
- However, the Opposition Leader says they are an overreach and there have been demonstrations against them
- Key features of the legislation include shifting the power to declare a pandemic from the Chief Health Officer to the Premier
Transport Matters MP Rod Barton will vote in favour of the legislation if six amendments are made.
They include a new joint parliamentary committee to review public health orders and an independent panel to review appeals to detention under public health orders.
Mr Barton said the amended bill was a very “different beast” from the original.
“This is a far better bill than what we had,” he said.
“And we have curbed the powers of this government.”
Mr Barton said that, with the State of Emergency set to expire on December 15, a decision had to be made.
“We had two choices to think about: one, will the government reintroduce the State of Emergency? And I don’t think that’s palatable to anybody. Or we go to a situation where we have no pandemic powers at all,” Mr Barton said.
“Just think about the ramifications of what that would be for this state. You can imagine how quickly the borders would be shut to us from other states.”
Mr Barton denied he had entered into any deals with the government in exchange for his support.
“There is no deal,” he said.
The proposed bill faced defeat in the Upper House after former minister Adem Somyurek…