Coronavirus: Backlash forces dumping of arrest powers
The Victorian government has dumped legislation that sought to give authorised officers the power to arrest and detain possible coronavirus victims and their close contacts.
The Victorian government has dumped legislation that sought to give authorised officers the power to arrest and detain possible coronavirus victims and their close contacts on the basis of suspicion.
It follows widespread political and community backlash, with business and political leaders on Wednesday hailing the government’s backdown as a victory for democracy.
The contentious provision will be removed, with the Victorian government to specify what powers Victoria Police and WorkSafe officers will be given as authorised officers when the omnibus bill faces parliament next week.
The power to appoint authorised officers will also be clarified.
Attorney-General Jill Hennessy said changes to the omnibus bill were made following negotiations with key stakeholders. “These changes address concerns raised throughout those negotiations while continuing to deliver the temporary, necessary changes we need to respond to the challenges the pandemic presents,” she said.
Legal affairs spokesman Edward O’Donohue said the opposition would seek a further briefing before making a judgment on what remained in the omnibus bill. “The omnibus legislation by Daniel Andrews was a massive overreach for authorised officers,” he said.
Reason Party leader and key crossbencher Fiona Patten said she was now relatively comfortable with the bill but wanted to examine the fine print before making a final decision.
“We want to ensure that when authorised officers are appointed, they’re appointed in the safest way … that they are generally health experts who are there to assist the health department in providing information to the community, which was the intention,” she said.”
The retreat was welcomed by lawyer Michael Borsky QC, who along with 17 other QCs wrote an open letter on September 22 raising concerns about the broadening of the detention powers.
“We are pleased to see democracy in Victoria functioning as it should, with provisions that would have authorised citizens to detain fellow citizens on the basis of a belief as to likely future action not passing into law,” he said.
Melbourne business leader Malcolm Broomhead, who last month publicly criticised the power grab, said he was encouraged by the government’s backdown.
“It is encouraging that the government acknowledges the existing powers, which have served us well thus far, are adequate,” he said. “We can now all focus on helping Victoria get back up and running at full strength.”
On Wednesday, Victoria recorded six new cases of the coronavirus as well as two new deaths, with Melbourne’s 14-day daily average falling to 9.9
Under the roadmap, the state must record a rolling daily average of no more than five cases over a period of 14 days before restrictions are eased.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he could not guarantee restrictions would ease on October 19, the date set in the original roadmap out of lockdown.
“When it‘s safe to take a step, we will [but] we can’t predict what tomorrow’s numbers will look like, let alone another 12, 14 days on,” he said.
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