Parliament to suspend Northern Victorian MP Tim Quilty over vax evidence

Mr Quilty will still be an MP and will be allowed to undertake the duties of an MP but will not be able to vote on legislation as the constitution entails that must be done in-person from parliament.

He will be paid throughout the suspension.

It comes after the Upper House passed a motion on Thursday night which requires MPs to prove they have had one dose of a COVID vaccine or have a booking for the vaccine by October 15.

They must also provide evidence they are fully vaccinated by November 26.

MPs who do not provide proof of vaccination will be barred from entering parliament until the second day of the 2022 sitting, or until they provide such evidence.

The motion garnered bipartisan support with just four MPs voting against it.

Member for Northern Victoria Tim Quilty, who is based in Wodonga, likened the suspension of MPs to the actions used by the Nazi Party in 1933 to consolidate power.

The Liberal Democrat said the Premier heard the term 'Dictator Dan' and 'liked it'.

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"The government demonstrates that in Victoria human rights are nothing more than a joke," he told the Legislative Council.

"This motion is designed to suspend members of parliament who oppose vaccine mandates. It is a deliberate effort to subvert democracy."

Mr Quilty, who is fully vaccinated and describes himself as 'pro-vaccination' said the mandates were "outrageous breaches of the rights of individual Victorians to consent to medical treatment".

Fellow member for Northern Victoria and Government Leader in the Upper House Jaclyn Symes said the motion was 'relatively uncontroversial' and 'pretty straightforward'.

"Members of parliament are leaders in their community," she said.

"We should strive to be leaders. We reflect the communities that we represent, and I think that we should all agree that we do not deserve any special treatment."

Ms Symes acknowledged suspensions were a 'harsh penalty' but said 'these are unprecedented times'.

"[The motion] fundamentally is about ensuring that members of parliament are treated no differently to other Victorian authorised workers," she said.

Mr Quilty's fellow Liberal Democrat David Limbrick put an amendment to the house that instead of requiring mandating vaccination the house implements a rapid PRC testing policy.

It was not passed.

House leader of the opposition David Davis said Parliament House had one of the highest levels of vaccination in the state, "and that is as it should be, because we are leaders and we should lead".

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