One of the bill’s most controversial points was the detention powers given to the Health Minister for those potentially breaking pandemic orders.The meeting between crossbench MPs and the Government did not feature any ministers, but did include a major concession on the detention powers, according to the Herald Sun (...) Despite the meeting, no resolution to the currently dead-locked bill was reached.The legislation, which passed the lower house in October, would remove the power to declare a pandemic from the Chief Health Officer and give it to the Premier who could then extend the state of emergency in three-month blocks.

The bill looked set to pass last week after the Government announced amendments to the legislation securing the votes of three crossbenchers – the Greens’ Dr Samantha Ratnam, Reason Party’s Fiona Patten and Animal Justice MP Andy Meddick.But the Andrews Government delayed debate and begun renegotiating after former cabinet minister Adem Somyurek returned to Parliament and declared he would block the bill.

After Mr Somyurek’s return the 11 upper house Coalition MPs along with the remaining eight crossbenchers declared they would not support the bill in its current state – leaving the Government one vote short of the required 21.

Victoria’s shadow Attorney-General Matt Bach urged his upper house colleagues to “stay strong” and block the bill. “My message to my cross-bench colleagues in the upper house is clear: stay strong, and do what’s right,” Mr Bach told SkyNews.com.au.

“Labor’s pandemic lockdown laws are an affront to our democracy, and they will fundamentally endanger Victoria’s recovery.

The Andrews Government has until December 2 to pass the bill, before the existing emergency provisions expire on December 15.

skynews.com.au