Kealy raises anxiety over legislation

M ember for Lowan Emma Kealy has spoken of her fierce objection to new legislation designed to streamline future statewide pandemic management that has passed through the Victorian Parliament’s lower house.

Ms Kealy said she and her Nationals colleagues remained vehemently opposed to the State Government’s Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Pandemic Management Bill 2021.

She said the legislation allowed the Victorian Premier, now and into the future, to rule by decree and vowed to repeal the move if elected to government.

“The bill gives almost unfettered power to the government over what rules they could put in place in Victoria,” she said.

“This is not about whether you like or dislike Premier Daniel Andrews, and it is not about whether you think he’s done a good or a bad job managing COVID – it’s about the power handed not just to this government, but all future governments.

“The bill allows the Premier to declare a pandemic in Victoria and empowers the health minister to make orders to lock down the state and suspend people’s rights even when there is no presence of disease in the state.

“The bill says the Chief Health Officer must publish advice within 14 days, but there is nothing in this bill that means the government has to follow this advice.

“Further, there is no mechanism for oversight by parliament.

“All the Premier must do is set up a consultative committee, which he appoints and which has no power of veto.”

Messages of concern

Ms Kealy said she had been overwhelmed with messages of concern.

“I have received copious amounts of correspondence from constituents and people from across the state who are deeply opposed to this legislation,” she said.

“They can see that in the wrong hands, it will cause irreparable harm to our state and its people.”

Ms Kealy said she was particularly concerned by the power the bill conferred to make orders on attributes, including race, gender and sexuality.

“This bill offers people no rights of appeal to courts,” she said.

“Under Labor’s proposed laws, individuals face fines of more than $90,000 and even jail time.

“The president of the Victorian Bar Christopher Blanden said the legislation ‘effectively gives the health minister, in a practical sense, unlimited power to rule the state by decree for an indefinite period and without any effective judicial or parliamentary oversight’.

“When this is the assessment of one of the state’s top lawyers, all Victorians should be worried.

“We know the government needs a certain degree of flexibility to control dangerous outbreaks of disease – no one is arguing about that.

“We are arguing for proper accountability and oversight, and this bill does not deliver those measures.”

Ms Kealy urged people to contact crossbench members of parliament who had indicated their support for the proposed legislation ahead of a vote in the parliament’s upper house in three weeks.

She said people could also record their concerns online at www.no plandan.com.au/lockdown-legislation.