Thousands take to Melbournes CBD to protest new pandemic laws vaccine mandate

Thousands of demonstrators have gathered in Melbourne’s CBD, protesting against vaccine mandates and Victoria’s new pandemic laws.

Since Chief Health Officer restrictions were lifted last month crowds at regular weekend rallies protesting lockdown, initially, have steadily grown.

Crowds marched through the CBD towards Parliament House.Credit:Luis Ascui

Former Liberal MP Craig Kelly, head of the new independent United Australia Party, is one of a number of speakers expected to speak at the protest.

Mr Kelly has been admonished in the past for his unsubstantiated claims around COVID-19 and vaccines.

As speakers addressed the crowd with calls to “sack Dan Andrews”, the protest remained peaceful. Age reporters heard some from the crowd shout threats to the Premier and one man carried a makeshift gallows with three nooses hanging from it as he marched through the streets.

The crowd, which included a mix of families with children, the old and the young, made its way through the city from the State Library, spilling onto Swanston Street and blocking the tram lines as they made their way to Parliament House.

Several banners likened the Victorian government to the Nazis and advocated for violence against politicians.

Protesters on Saturday.Credit:Luis Ascui

Some speakers pointed to the QAnon conspiracy theory, including singer Claire Woodley, daughter of The Seekers band member Bruce Woodley, who addressed the crowd saying she wanted to dedicate a performance of ‘I am Australia’ to the “victims of satanic ritual abuse” - a common talking point in Qanon.

“You are all heroes,” another speaker told attendees earlier on Saturday before the crowd started to march. “We are standing up for ourselves here. It might be our last chance so let’s make our voices loud and clear.”

IT worker Greg Ooi came to the protest with his wife Alice Foo and their three children. Mr Ooi said he wanted to protest vaccine mandates and said it was the first time the family had attended a rally.

Protesters on Saturday.Credit:Luis Ascui

Today’s protests come after more than 3000 people marched into the streets of the CBD last Saturday to call for the resignation of Premier Daniel Andrews.

The new pandemic laws, which are set to replace state-of-emergency powers when they expire on December 15, will give the premier and health minister of the day the authority to declare a pandemic and make public health orders.

They will also curtail the role of the chief health officer.

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.

The Opposition, which has openly lashed the legislation as “the most dangerous piece of legislation” it has seen, has vowed to derail the process by refusing leave to debate the laws, delaying the debate until at least Wednesday.

Premier Daniel Andrews has previously said the legislation is an improvement to human rights and government transparency, but lawyers claim the laws will give politicians “a blank cheque to rule by decree” and are unlikely to achieve the outcomes promised in its current form.

Fascinating answers to perplexing questions delivered to your inbox every week. Sign up to get our new Explainer newsletter here.

Share this post