By Sumeyya Ilanbey and Marta Pascual Juanola Updated December 2, 2021 — 3.10pm, first published at 11.25am The Andrews government’s contentious pandemic bill has passed the upper house paving the way for Victoria to become the first jurisdiction in Australia to implement tailor-made pandemic laws. The legislation will shift the responsibility to declare pandemics and issue health orders from the chief health officer to the premier and health minister once the state of emergency powers expire ...

By Sumeyya Ilanbey and Marta Pascual Juanola Updated December 2, 2021 — 3.10pm, first published at 11.25am The Andrews government’s contentious pandemic bill has passed the upper house paving the way for Victoria to become the first jurisdiction in Australia to implement tailor-made pandemic laws. The legislation will shift the responsibility to declare pandemics and issue health orders from the chief health officer to the premier and health minister once the state of emergency powers expire ...