There are 'few people in Labor able to speak up' against Daniel Andrews

Victoria’s new proposed pandemic laws should not allow the premier to extend emergency declarations beyond three months without going to parliament, says former Labor MP Michael Danby.

“I can understand how people want to take away from overbearing medical officers the right to declare medical emergencies, but the Labor Party, as I understand it, is comprised of democrats,” he told Sky News host Chris Kenny.

“Giving any person, including the premier, the right to extend laws beyond three months to declare an emergency, it should be something that happens if you go back to parliament.”

Mr Danby said, “there are very few people in Labor who are able to speak up” against the proposal as federal Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews are driving an “intervention”.

“All the rights, all the powers, all the oversight that the Labor Party used to provide to its own government have been abolished,” he said.

“I think this has chilled debate inside the Labor Party, and I think people are feeling frightened that their preselections might be affected, and I think that’s why there’s been so little resistance from Labor.”