PREMIER Daniel Andrews and his bid to become the sole authority to declare a State of Emergency, and for his health minister to decree health orders based on a person’s age, gender identity, disability, political belief, pregnancy, race, sex, or sexual orientation is being decided this week.
At the time of going to print, legislation had been passed in the lower house only. On Tuesday, the pandemic laws were put to the State Parliament’s upper house and will be debated throughout this week.
Under proposed new laws, Premier Andrews could declare an unlimited State of Emergency without any consideration to the impact of lockdowns, restrictions, and penalties on equal opportunity legislation or human rights laws.
Victorians could face a $21,809 fine for merely failing to wear a face mask, or businesses could receive a $109,044 fine for serving a customer who failed to check-in properly.
Premier Andrews will be given the power to bypass the usual accountability measures of Cabinet and Parliamentary approvals processes in the event this is passed.
Member for Northern Victoria Wendy Lovell, on behalf of the Liberal Party, does not support these laws and is standing up for the freedom of all Victorians by opposing Daniel Andrews’ new State of Emergency legislation.
“There is nothing democratic about this bill, in fact it is a threat to everything I hold dear about living in a democratic society. It gives the Premier and the Health Minister unfettered powers over the lives of all Victorians and I don’t believe any politician – no matter who they are or which party they represent – should ever be given so much power,” said Wendy Lovell.
This overreach would result in increased uncertainty for Victorian families, small businesses, and the local community.
