Leader of the Reason Party and Member for Northern Metropolitan, Fiona Patten, has today joined with key crossbench colleagues to call on the Government to ensure the Victorian Parliament has proper oversight of decisions during the Covid -19 crisis.
“We all need to work together to flatten the curve, so I accept that during this period there will be extraordinary actions taken by the Government,” said Ms Patten.
“However, significant infringements on the civil liberties of all Victorians are occurring without the proper scrutiny of non-government members of the Parliament and that’s just not acceptable to the Reason Party.
“The Andrews Labor Government should not be afraid of analysis of their decision making – they should welcome it. In my view, the independents and minor party members are well placed to provide this oversight.”
Ms Patten noted that a multi-party committee is being convened at a federal parliamentary level for this exact purpose.
“The Premier should take the lead from his federal counterpart, Labor Leader Anthony Albanese, who has been at the forefront of the push for oversight by non-government members during this period.
“If the Government wants to bring the public along with them during this crisis, they need to be as open and as transparent as possible,” said Ms Patten.
Read the signed statement here:
Read the joint release here:
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