Controversial pandemic laws are being debated in the Victorian parliament as protesters maintain their presence outside.
On Tuesday afternoon, a motion to declare the pandemic bill "urgent" brought by Attorney-General Jaclyn Symes was passed by the state's upper house with 19 votes to 18.
Ms Symes called for the bill to then go through a second reading.
Leader of the opposition in the Legislative Council David Davis questioned the urgency of the bill, calling the move a "shameful attack" on democracy.
The Victorian government pushed through a series of late-night changes to its pandemic bill on Monday as dozens of protesters gathered on the steps of parliament to speak out against the legislation.
The government made seven amendments to the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Pandemic Management) Bill 2021, following 11th-hour negotiations with key crossbench MPs.
The bill, which gives the premier and health minister the power to declare a pandemic and make public health orders, had been criticised for being too broad and lacking in parliamentary oversight.
A controversial clause that gave the health minister the ability to make orders based on a person's "characteristics, attributes or circumstances", such as age, location, vaccination status and occupation, also raised concern.
Amendments to the legislation will clarify that the premier will need "reasonable grounds" to declare a pandemic and that the application of orders based on characteristics "must be relevant to the public health risk".
Maximum fines for people who breach public health orders have been halved.
The proposed legislation will also require the health minister to confirm the role the state's Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities has played in any decisions.
The advice behind any orders issued must be made public within a week rather than a fortnight, while the parliament's Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee will be given the power to consider any order when it is made, instead of after it is tabled.
Health Minister Martin Foley said the amendments came after consultation with public health, human rights and legal experts.
"The new pandemic laws will provide a clear framework for managing pandemics such as COVID-19 - while putting the safety of all Victorians first," he said in a statement.
The government is relying on the support of Animal Justice Party MP Andy Meddick, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Victorian Greens leader Samantha Ratnam to pass the bill in the Legislative Council.
They issued a joint statement on Monday night saying their advocacy had secured greater transparency and accountability in the bill.
Ms Patten said the amendments had found a delicate balance between protecting human rights and protecting the health of the community.
The debate is expected to continue until the end of the week.
Police in riot gear are seen at a protest at Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) headquarters in Melbourne, September 20, 2021. Source: AAP
The Victorian opposition also announced it would be moving 18 amendments to the bill, including limiting extensions to pandemic declarations to one month, subject to a three-fifths majority vote of both houses of parliament, and the scrapping of the characteristics clause.
It comes as protesters swarmed the steps of parliament in Victoria on Monday night, protesting to "kill" the pandemic bill.
Protesters gathered around a noose and gallows emblazoned with the words "treason", taking photos of the prop.
Some had chanted "Hang Dan Andrews" during the weekend's protest as they held prop gallows similar to the noose photographed at the 6 January insurrection of the US Capitol. Others carried Donald Trump flags and wore QAnon t-shirts.
The latest protests against the pandemic bill follow months of anti-lockdown and anti-mandatory vaccine rallies.
Victoria Police described anti-lockdown protests in August and September as "the most violent protests in 20 years".
At least nine officers ended up in hospital after a protest in September after being pelted with projectiles, punched and kicked by some members of a 4,000-strong crowd who turned out to protest the city's COVID-19 lockdown.
With AAP
