Peak legal body, the Victorian Bar, has criticised Premier Daniel Andrews and his government for “grossly misrepresenting” its support for a sweeping Pandemic Bill that will grant extensive powers to the premier and health minister. The comments were made by Christopher Blanden Q.C. in an internal email to Victorian Bar members who also warned that the government’s impending Public Health and Wellbeing (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021 (pdf) would allow “unlimited interference” in the liberties of the state’s residents. Debate is ongoing as the government tries to rush the bill through Parliament, conceding in a summary of the new law that because of the “short timeframe and the complexity involved in developing this bill, consultation has not been as extensive as it would normally be.” At the same time, the summary also claimed that the Health Department and an “Expert Reference Group (ERG)” had undertaken consultation to assist with the creation …