Ms PATTEN: I would like to rise in favour of this amendment. It is imperfect and I do not think that it actually solves some of the issues that we have been raising throughout the day, and in actual fact throughout the last few weeks, in trying to find a way for independent scrutiny of some of the very big decisions that are being made.
I take this point again to congratulate the government on many of the ways that they have responded to this, and the outcome is the result of that. However, without that scrutiny we cannot see what they are missing; we cannot see the points. You are looking at the brushstrokes, you are not seeing the painting. And sometimes you do see with those outside, independent eyes either what is missing or what is working and we should never lose.
I think there are some things that have occurred during this time that have proved that we can do things differently and we can do things better. And that is what I hope to see from greater scrutiny of this Parliament and of this government in the work that they are doing.
So while I say it is imperfect, it does provide the opportunity for a non-government voice to consider and report to the community and to Victorians from a different lens to that of the government.
Fiona Patten MP
Leader of Reason
Member for Northern Metropolitan Region
Covid-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Bill 2020, Amendment by Mr Davis 23/4/20
Committee divided on amendment:
Ayes, 19
Atkinson, Mr
Finn, Mr
McArthur, Mrs
Bach, Dr
Grimley, Mr
O’Donohue, Mr
Barton, Mr
Hayes, Mr
Patten, Ms
Bath, Ms
Limbrick, Mr
Quilty, Mr
Crozier, Ms
Lovell, Ms
Ratnam, Dr
Cumming, Dr
Maxwell, Ms
Rich-Phillips, Mr
Davis, Mr
Noes, 19
Bourman, Mr
Melhem, Mr
Symes, Ms
Elasmar, Mr
Mikakos, Ms
Tarlamis, Mr
Erdogan, Mr
Pulford, Ms
Taylor, Ms
Garrett, Ms
Shing, Ms
Terpstra, Ms
Kieu, Dr
Somyurek, Mr
Tierney, Ms
Leane, Mr
Stitt, Ms
Vaghela, Ms
Meddick, Mr
Amendment negatived.