She was part-way through an all-nighter. It would be another seven hours before the Legislative Council adjourned,limping through the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021,its 58 clauses and 145 amendments.
The bill,which attracted intense views and triggered daily protests on the steps of Parliament and will now return to the lower house as a formality,was designed to allow for the transfer of powers from the chief health officer to the premier and health minister of the day before the existing framework expires on December 15.
What is the definition of contact tracing? And of a disease of pandemic potential? Could the bill stop a voter taking part in an election if they have not been vaccinated? (The answer to the third query was “no”).
These were the questions answered — or frequently ignored as a statement — for 21 hours straight in the Legislative Council from 3.05pm on Tuesday until midday on Wednesday.
“I think I’ve seen half the chamber napping,” Liberal Democrat Tim Quilty said on Wednesday morning. “I’ve fallen asleep half a dozen times now. David[Limbrick] kicks me in the ankle.”
Between naps in the chambers and walks around Parliament — with half a dozen MPs posting photos of Christmas trees decorating the upper house and of sunrise over Melbourne — the MPs were restless enough to agitate Deputy President Wendy Lovell in the early hours of the morning.