Victorian Bill ‘allows premier unprecedented powers’

Victoria’s premier would be armed with unprecedented powers to declare a pandemic under Andrews government legislation.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews. Picture: Getty Images

Victoria’s premier would be armed with unprecedented powers to declare a pandemic under Andrews government legislation.

The legislation, which sidelines the chief health officer, would enable Premier Daniel Andrews to declare a pandemic in three-month blocks, even without a case of a specific disease in the state.

While the premier would be required to consult the chief health officer, the new law would see chief health officer Brett Sutton lose his ability to make health orders, instead transferring that power to the health minister.

Politicians, and not bureaucrats, would have ultimate say over restrictions on movement, closure of businesses, banning of public gatherings, and quarantine protocols.

The new legislation is intended to replace the current state of emergency when it expires on ­December 15.

In a bid to secure the support of crossbenchers, the government has included additional measures, including requiring an independent committee to scrutinise government decisions, stronger safeguards to withhold QR code check-in data from police, and a means-tested fine system.

The government would also be required to make health advice public – something it has refused to do throughout the pandemic. Opposition Leader Matthew Guy branded the laws “the most dangerous legislation to come before an Australian parliament”.

“One man to usurp everyone, the parliament, the cabinet, everyone. It must be opposed,” he tweeted.

The opposition has instead proposed amending the constitution to limit the ability of the government to declare an emergency for no more than 30 days unless it secures a special majority vote in both houses of parliament.

A government spokeswoman said: “After examining the powers in other jurisdictions, like NSW and New Zealand, and working through ­issues with an independent panel, we’ll introduce a bill to parliament tomorrow to manage pandemics into the future and keep Victor­ians safe.”