myAIPMExpanding Victoria’s police powers without robust, independent oversight is a dangerous idea
Jude McCulloch | Policing Insight
"Monash University Emeritus Professor Jude McCulloch believes that a bill being considered by Australia's Victorian Parliament as part of legislation to tackle COVID-19 would provide police and other ‘authorised officers’ with unprecedented, extraordinary powers, and rely too heavily on a punitive approach to controlling the coronavirus, with limited checks and balances.
The state of emergency that has been issued in Victoria during the pandemic is to be taken seriously. Police are undoubtedly one component of the state’s health response, needed to enforce measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 such as restrictions on group gatherings and curfews.
However, a bill before the Victorian Parliament to expand the police’s authority during the emergency is a worry. The bill would provide police and other “authorised officers” with unprecedented, extraordinary powers and rely too heavily on a punitive approach to controlling the coronavirus, with too few checks and balances.
The Government maintains these powers are necessary in the context of the COVID-19 health emergency to “keep protecting Victorians” and “enforce laws that kept case numbers low”.
Responding to human rights concerns raised by legal groups, Premier Daniel Andrews maintains the bill “strikes the right balance”. But the bill is out of balance, even in a time of emergency."
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Expanding Victoria’s police powers without robust, independent oversight is a dangerous idea, Jude McCulloch, Policing Insight, 2020