Commentary
A state of emergency has been in place in Western Australia (WA) since March 15, 2020. This has given its government extraordinary powers to impose draconian rules and restrictions with the stroke of a pen. These measures are currently renewed every two weeks by the simple signature of the emergency services minister, Stephen Dawson.
The government has used these powers to restrict people and their movement, including vulnerable Indigenous communities, over the last two years through closing borders, requiring passes to enter the state, and mandating masks.
But now, after more than two years of state of emergency, the WA government is quickly passing legislation that is even more draconian than the existing one. The new scheme is worse than a rebranded state of emergency because it removes any requirement for the emergency services minister to declare such an emergency….