MP Andy Meddick to back new pandemic laws, slams opposition spreading ‘fear and misinformation’

A Geelong region MP pivotal to passing proposed pandemic legislation is pleading with Victorians not to believe the state opposition’s blatant “misinformation”.

A Geelong region MP who is key to the passing of the state government’s proposed pandemic legislation has slammed the opposition for spreading “fear and misinformation” about the bill.

Powerful upper house crossbencher Andy Meddick, of the Animal Justice Party, on Monday signalled he was preparing to support the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021.

The Bill, which passed through the lower house last week and is expected to pass through the upper house later this month, largely takes pandemic declaration and public health order powers from the chief health officer and hands it to the premier and health minister.

Mr Meddick – one of a handful of key upper house MPs wielding the balance of power for government decisions – said he supported the Bill as long as people were not “going to be unnecessarily impacted by it”, signalling oversight would need to be a key aspect of the laws.

MP Andy Meddick has criticised the state opposition for its “incredible attack on democracy”. Picture: Mike Dugdale

“I wanted to see an independent oversight committee, which we’ve now got,” Mr Meddick said.

“That committee is to be made up of independent health experts, legal experts and human rights experts, and they will examine every single measure as it comes into play.

“To provide even more oversight, the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee also has the power to review and make a recommendation to both houses of parliament to vote on the suspension or revocation of any given order, restriction or measure.

“So you’ve got independent oversight from outside the department, and you have the power for the parliament to vote on any individual measure and get rid of it if it’s deemed to be too restrictive or an overreach.”

Mr Meddick also criticised the state opposition’s push to trash the new laws as “an incredible attack on democracy” for its transfer of major powers from the CHO to the Premier and Health Minister.

“Now that that’s actually going to happen, it appears, they’re backflipping and saying ‘no, it should be the chief health officer’,” Mr Meddick said. “So there’s this hypocrisy that they’re using to play with the fears of the Victorian public.

“Whatever the government does they just want to say the opposite and spread fear and misinformation in the community, and I think that’s actually deplorable.

“I just plead with people to not believe the fearmongering, the misinformation that is being put out there about this.”

Mr Meddick said he would also welcome the new pandemic laws’ protections from police accessing individuals QR code data for non-public health measure issues, and would be pushing for a right to conduct peaceful protests abiding by appropriate health orders.

Originally published as MP Andy Meddick to back new pandemic laws, slams opposition spreading ‘fear and misinformation’