The president of the Victorian Bar has slammed the state’s new pandemic legislation as “appalling” and claims the state government “grossly misrepresented” its consultation with the barristers’ peak body.
Christopher Blanden, QC, said the new laws, designed to replace sweeping state of emergency powers, would give Victorian Premier Dan Andrews unprecedented power with little to no checks and balances.
“Stasi police would have been more than happy with the range of powers if they were given it,” Mr Blanden told this masthead. “It’s extraordinary.”
Loading
The proposed legislation, tabled on Tuesday, will curtail the Chief Health Officer’s powers – giving the Premier the authority to declare a pandemic and the Health Minister the role of making public-health orders.
Mr Blanden was scathing of the bill, saying it did not have appropriate checks and balances, gave the Premier too much power with little parliamentary scrutiny and allowed for indefinite detention of people who breach restrictions.
Law Institute of Victoria president Tania Wolff shares Mr Blanden’s concerns about the lack of parliamentary scrutiny, but said the bill was a major improvement on the existing framework.
Read the full story here.