Protesters settle in for cold night on State Parliament steps

By David EstcourtUpdated November 15, 2021 â€" 7.59pmfirst published at 12.56pm

Protesters have settled in for the night outside Parliament House, where they are rallying against the Victorian government’s proposed pandemic laws.

Throughout a cold day in Melbourne’s CBD, protesters chanted, listened to music and displayed signs railing against COVID-19 vaccines, jab mandates, Premier Daniel Andrews and the pandemic response. Some activists slept through Sunday night on the Parliament House steps.

Protesters on the steps of State Parliament on Monday evening.Credit:Eddie Jim

Organisers have promised the demonstrators will remain on the steps for as long as the proposed version of the pandemic management bill remains unchanged.

Mother of two Abigail, who did not want to give her last name, said her concern extended beyond the vaccine mandates to the powers that would be handed to the government should the bill pass through Parliament.

“The bill is really important, but at the end of the day, it’s just about having choice and being pro-choice. I wouldn’t label ourselves as anti-vaccine … my kids are vaccinated [against] everything else,” she said.

“We feel like those choices are being taken away in this country.”

A primary school teacher, Abigail said she had been stood down from duties for refusing to get a COVID-19 vaccine. She brought her two young daughters to the CBD on Monday.

Throughout the day, people played music, sang in unison to Pink Floyd and listened to an acoustic musician play covers.

Protesters set up a speaker and talked about a vaccine mandate challenge in NSW. They also voiced their objections to employment mandates attached to people’s vaccination status.

They also spoke about their antipathy towards the state government’s proposed legislation, which has been criticised for being too heavy-handed in giving the premier and health minister of the day the authority to declare a pandemic and make public health orders.

Abigail and her two daughters protest on the steps of Parliament House on Monday. Credit:Chris Hopkins

Slogans “Sack Dan Andrews”, “Jail Dan Andrews” and “Kill the bill” were periodically yelled into a megaphone, as bystanders stopped to take photos.

Dandenong grandmother Jay said she hadn’t protested before the emergence of the bill.

“We do not agree to this bill, any part of it,” she said.

Jay attended the larger rally on Saturday that was addressed by Victorian Liberal MP Bernie Finn and federal MP Craig Kelly.

The new pandemic laws are set to replace state-of-emergency powers when they expire on December 15. Instead of the chief health officer declaring a pandemic and making public health orders, those responsibilities will rest with the premier and health minister of the day.

Victorian Health Minister Martin Foley defended the state’s proposed laws, saying they put public health advice at “the heart” of decision-making.

“That’s what this legislation is predicated on,” he told ABC Radio National.

“We’ve looked around the country and, indeed, New Zealand, and based on all the best models that we’ve seen, what this legislation does is makes the public health advice the heart of the decision - it will be published, it will be tabled in Parliament.”

Demonstrators hold signs critical of Premier Daniel Andrews on Monday morning in the CBD.Credit:Chris Hopkins

Monday’s gathering came after thousands flooded Melbourne’s CBD on Saturday in a peaceful protest against the controversial proposed laws. Although police did not provide an estimate of the size of the crowd, the demonstrations have been increasing in size in recent weeks.

The Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (pandemic management) Bill 2021 passed the lower house last month, and the government is now hoping it will pass the upper house next week with the support of three crossbenchers.

David Estcourt â€" David is a crime and justice reporter at The Age. Get in touch at david.estcourt@theage.com.au.Connect via email.

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