By Erin Pearson and Noel Towell
The Victorian government has won a six-month extension of its powers to declare the coronavirus pandemic an ongoing state of emergency, following a marathon debate overnight.
Shortly after 9pm, when the first vote on the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Bill took place, 21 MPs voted in favour and 18 against.
The final vote, following a debate about the legislation’s technical details, took place just before 2am on Wednesday, with 20 MPs voting in favour and 19 against…
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Reason Party MP Fiona Patten also raised concerns over the unprecedented level of “viciousness and aggression” her office had seen in correspondence from the public during what she said was an extraordinary couple of weeks.
“This is not our last pandemic,” Ms Patten said.
Read the full article on the Sydney Morning Herald’s website.
