Daniel Andrews is set to pass new laws to manage pandemics which allow him to lock down anti-vaxxers and more harshly punish people that break the rules.
The Victorian Labor Government introduced the Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 in the state Parliament on Tuesday.
The bill has been drafted after consultation with three crossbench MPs to guarantee it will pass this week or next month despite opposition from the Liberals and Nationals.
The new laws will replace the state of emergency powers which expire on December 15 when they will have been in place for 21 months.
So what do the new powers do?
Three-month lockdownsUnder the new laws the premier would be able to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time, with an extension required every three months.
The health minister will be able to sign off on public health orders instead of the Chief Health Officer, a role currently held by Brett Sutton.
Under the new laws the premier would be able to declare a pandemic for an unlimited time, with an extension required every three months. Pictured: Premier Daniel Andrews on Sunday
This gives the health minister the power to enforce lockdowns, shut down businesses, restrict movement, require masks, ban public gatherings, and enforce quarantine and isolation - powers currently held by the unelected CHO.
These powers can be implemented regardless of the number of disease cases or severity.
The bill will also extend the mandatory payment for hotel quarantine beyond 31 December.
Vaccine mandates and lockdowns for anti-vaxxersThe bill states that a pandemic order such as a lockdown or a vaccine mandate 'may apply to, differentiate between or vary in its application to persons or classes of person'.
This allows the Government to select who it wants to apply the order to, including people who have been at a certain event, who live in a certain area or who have a certain type of job.
Under the new laws the premier would be able to shut down businesses, restrict movement and ban public gatherings even if there were no disease cases in Victoria. Pictured: A protestor is arrested by police at a protest in St Kilda on Saturday
The Government can discriminate based on 'presence in a pandemic management area; participation at an event; an activity they have undertaken; their characteristics, attributes or circumstances,' the bill says.
The last section allows the Government to discriminate based on attributes defined in the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 which include race, religion, sexual orientation, marital status and employment status.
It also allows the Government to lockdown unvaccinated people only.
A summary of the bill says it will 'clarify that pandemic orders can differentiate between people in a range of settings according to public health risk: for example, vaccination status.'
Bigger punishmentsDuring Victoria's latest lockdown police could issue on-the-spot fines of up to $1,817 for adults and up to $10,904 for businesses for breaking lockdown rules.
A summary of the new bill says it will provide for an 'aggravated offence' which can come with a bigger punishment.
There will also be even bigger fines for businesses who break the rules which will be based on a multiple of the profit they make while breaching the lockdown order.
Tiered fines systemIn a small win for disadvantaged people, the bill will make fines for breaching rules smaller or larger depending on income.
The summary says the bill will 'create a concessional infringement penalty scheme for infringements issued... for those experiencing financial hardship.'
Barista Maelys is seen at work at Cafe Chez Mademoiselle in Prahran, Melbourne, last week. Under the
