O’Brien slams bid to extend powers

OPPOSITION leader Michael O’Brien said “month-tomonth” reviews of powers allowing the state government to enforce COVID rules are needed to keep it accountable.

Premier Daniel Andrews wants to keep the powers until September next year but Mr O’Brien said he won’t support the move.

“There’s no justification for it whatsoever. We need to see a plan to live with COVID-19 because with the absence of a vaccine, in the absence of a cure we cannot continue to live like this,” Mr O’Brien said on Wednesday.

“No premier, no politician deserves a blank cheque on those sorts of powers. We are not saying there’s no case for any extension but we are saying it should be strictly limited.

“Why shouldn’t parliament sit every month? Let the government make the case to the parliament, to Victorians, and explain why this needs to be done for another month and explain what they are doing to make sure they are not coming back the next month and have to do it again.”

Mr Andrews said the state of emergency gave the government the ability to act on its “opening-up strategy” and give confidence to businesses.

Asked if he had offered a compromise on the extension to the upper house crossbench, Mr Andrews said: “We’re just working through a range of issues in a usual respectful way. It’s important to do that on this measure or any other measure where we need support.”

Opposition leader in the upper house David Davis said the government needed to release scientific evidence behind social restriction changes. “Huge powers are being exercised and you want to see that there’s a proper scientific basis for some of these,” he said.