Daniel Andrews’ ‘extreme’ laws give him sweeping new powers to declare unlimited pandemics and hand out $90,000 fines for Covid rule breaches. By Charlie Moore.
The laws, which have passed Victoria’s lower house and will be debated in the upper house next week, would give the premier the power to declare a pandemic for an unlimited period of time even if there are no cases of a virus.
The move would let the health minister make ‘any order’ he deems reasonably necessary’ which could include lockdowns, vaccine mandates, enforced mask-wearing and much more, with fines of up to $454,350 for rule-breakers. …
Victorian Bar president Christopher Blanden QC previously called the proposed laws ‘extreme’ and said the Stasi, the secret police in communist East Germany from 1950 to 1990, would be happy with the powers.
On Wednesday the Bar — made up of hundreds of top barristers — published a submission to the Department of Health which listed several problems with the laws and demanded changes.
It came as Mr Andrews was forced to cancel a press conference outside Bendigo TAFE on Wednesday on police advice because angry protesters unhappy with the laws were gathered outside.
In its submission, the Bar said it wants a definition of a ‘pandemic disease’ to be spelled out and the health minister’s power to be limited to specific actions. The lawyers want the minister to have to consider the ‘harm and inconvenience’ his orders may cause before he makes them. The Bar said the law gives ‘breathtakingly broad’ powers to public officials who would be able to ‘take any action or give any direction’ — except detain someone — to enforce pandemic orders and wants these powers to have a time limit.
The laws would also allow the health minister to order someone be detained. The lawyers want the reasons for possible detention spelled out and an independent review process to oversee this …
Businesses can be fined up to $109,044 for breaking rules which may include failing to make sure customers check-in or show proof of vaccine status. …
In addition, there is a new aggravated offence for breaches that ’cause a serious risk to the health of another individual’. These can be punished with a $90,870 fine and two years in jail. An example given in the bill is someone going to work when they are infectious and should be isolating. …
Selective enforcement built in:
The bill states that a pandemic order such as a lockdown or a vaccine mandate ‘may apply to, differentiate between or vary in its application to persons or classes of person’. … The bill says the Government can discriminate based on attributes defined in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 which include race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status and political views. …
Well that’s alright then::
In a small win for disadvantaged people, the bill will allow disadvantaged people to apply for a ‘concessional’ fine.
It’s hard to imagine a worse law, or a worse leader to be in charge. What is it with Melbourne???
