Two opposition MPs have been condemned as disrespectful to police who are hurting following the Porepunkah incident, after debate in state parliament overnight.
The MPs claimed former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews used police as his “personal army” and compared the former premier to Joseph Stalin and Saddam Hussein.
Moira Deeming.Credit: The Age
Liberal MP Moira Deeming introduced a petition to parliament on Wednesday night protesting a planned statue of Andrews and claimed that “Nuremberg trial principles” were abused in Victoria during COVID-19.
“We saw the police used as a personal army with weapons of war and no name tags,” she said. “We saw access to health care totally denied. We saw Nuremberg trial principles like bodily autonomy totally ignored.”
Deeming did not choose the timing of the introduction of the petition, but Labor MPs condemned the debate as “contemptible” and offensive given the ongoing manhunt for the self-described sovereign citizen and conspiracy theorist who allegedly shot dead two police officers in Porepunkah on Tuesday.
Liberal MP Ann-Marie Hermans.Credit: Justin McManus
Another Liberal MP, Ann-Marie Hermans, compared Andrews to Joseph Stalin, in comments that have since been condemned by some on her own side.
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Opposition Leader Brad Battin refused to condemn his MPs on ABC radio earlier this morning: “I’m not going to say it’s dangerous language, but as I said, it’s not words I use.”
He said his focus was on the tragedy in Porepunkah, the grieving police and the ongoing investigation.
Battin told the party room later this morning that he was “disappointed and very angry” they were distracted from what matters.
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