COVID-19 - politics, blame and point scoring goes here

That’s the thing, dad just wanted to have a discussion. Not like he proposed an opinion either way.

Wouldn’t have been pleasant.

That anecdote fits with a bunch of other interactions people have shared about Scomo. He can be an incredibly harsh and dismissive individual when he doesn’t respect those he’s talking to and there’s nobody watching.

1 Like

i refuse to respect him because hes got those little bits of hair, the loser should just embrace being bald.

1 Like

Lucky Scummo didn’t do that 20 years ago. Dad was a harsh rugby player and would have snotted him one.

Total snack.

I would like a word with the person who put that blue dot there.

4 Likes

is his family even real or are they paid actors?

1 Like

Take it up with Microsoft Bing

1 Like

Authority to apply measures for the Pandemic under the Emergency Legislation expires 15 December and could not be renewed without amendment to that legislation…
Bringing actions in respect of pandemics or potential pandemics into the Heath and Wellbeing Act will make the Government more accountable.

1 Like

Out of interest…
How did the first state of emergency ever be allowed to be placed without some form of framework or legislation in place?
I don’t recall it going through state parliament.
So who had the powers at the time to call for a state of emergency?

Premier has the power to declare a state of emergency under existing Emergency legislation as well as a state of disaster ( which can include health) which extends the scope of authority to implement measures.
Andrews noted that a state of disaster had only been declared twice, once for the 2019/20 bushfires, then much later for the pandemic.
There are existing powers to act under the Health and Wellbeing Act in case of a serious risk to public health, but the scope of action is more limited. For instance under the emergency powers, movement and access can be restricted and e.g. special constables sworn in to enforce laws and to charge transgressors.
IIRC, Sutton as CHO declared that a pandemic existed some time before the 11 March decision by the WHO, thus affording cover for Andrews to declare a state of emergency.
NSW has had more authority under its Health Act and IIRC only declared a state of emergency for its last wave ( to keep the people in the bad LGAs home for most of the day)
At the Federal level, the Minister for Health has the power to declare a state of human health emergency, with initial involvement of the GG in setting guidelines for measures , with a rollover of 3 months of measures IIRC without any sunset clause on a state of emergency.

2 Likes

Cheers.
So why does the legislation need to be revised when the current state of emergency expires?
Why can’t they use the same acts and legislation that was in place previously to call the state of emergency and adjust the legislation at a later date?

Ladies and gentlemen of the internet, we found the person that uses Bing.

1 Like

I give scomo the respect he deserves by searching for him on bing.

6 Likes

Screen Shot 2021-11-17 at 9.47.59 am

1 Like

2 Likes

Because the same emergency - in this case the Covid pandemic - is continuing, beyond the sunset period for a Declaration of a State of Emergency.
Broadly emergency legislation is framed for natural disasters or other events of shorter term effect as compared to events that become normalised ( like living with Covid).
A Declaration of a State of Emergency affords a Government wide ranging powers which allow for Parliament to be bypassed - by giving it powers beyond existing laws and suspending the operation of other laws.
Some have labelled the invocation of emergency powers as the capacity to rule by decree. Others could label it a temporary waiver from the constitutional construct of institutional operations.
That is why Declarations of states of emergency are time limited.
This will not be the last pandemic and the durations of them could go on for several years.
Therefore, it is appropriate to bring pandemics within the scope of Health legislation and for greater scrutiny by Parliament

2 Likes

McDonald’s hehe

But surely there is a loophole. This this can be like renewing your work visa by leaving the country, then entering back in a day later.
Have a day without the state of emergency then announce it again a day later.
There has to be a short term way to continue the state of emergency without it being tied up in the passing through of the bill process.

The state of emergency is based on the Covid pandemic. You can’t declare a pandemic ceases to exist one day and then declare it exists the next day, That would be arbitrary and legally unjustifiable
If you had a legal system that worked that way, you are on the road to a Dictatorship.
While not of the same immediacy, NSW also has a sunset clause on resort to emergency powers. Hazzard wanted to introduce legislation to extend it to 2023, but there has been a backlash.
There have been suggestions that Victoria is on the right path in excising pandemics from Emergency legislation and placing them squarely in the framework of health legislation - a model for other legislatures

1 Like