Victoria, Australia holds the record of being the most locked down totalitarian state in the world. The Premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, has used the 18,000 member police force as the enforcement storm troopers for his heavy-handed unilateral rules and dictates. The Victorian Police Commissioner, Shane Patton, has aligned himself with the political needs of Daniel Andrews. The results are massive conflicts between the police and formerly free citizens now under the boot of the state.
Recently, Acting Senior Sergeant Krystle Mitchell, a sworn member of the Victoria Police in Australia, has announced she can no longer take part inside an organization that has lost its connection to the community it is supposed to serve. Ms. Mitchell has served Victorians for 16 years as a police officer, including 6 years at Professional Standards Command – the division responsible for investigating police misconduct, corruption, discrimination and freedom of information, referring investigations to the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission (IBAC) where appropriate.
Acting Senior Sergeant Mitchell cites ethical conflicts as the reason for speaking publicly about conduct of Victoria Police officers, their Chief Commissioner – Shane Patton, their Minister – the Hon. Lisa Neville MP, and ultimately their Premier – the Hon. Daniel Andrews MP. She feels she can no longer remain silent with the division between police and community growing, and totally ignored by the leadership of both the police and government.
Acting Senior Sergeant Mitchell has witnessed the opposite trajectory during the Covid-19 pandemic, and is reminding her colleagues that ultimately they will individually be held accountable for their actions, and are still subject to s 462A of the Crimes Act 1958 (Vic) which forbids the disproportionate use of force.
The full interview with Ms. Mitchell is below.
Interesting Development – Victoria Australia, Officials Withdraw Vaccination Mandate for Government and Judicial Employees
Citing “jurisdictional issues“, the severe COVID compliance office of Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has reversed a significant portion of the vaccine mandate. Details are oddly sketchy to find; however, it appears Victoria State government workers and workers within the judiciary will no longer be mandated to accept the COVID-19 vaccination.
(Sky News) […] All Commonwealth employees as well as people who work in connection with court proceedings will be exempt with a government spokesperson saying the relaxation is an attempt to avoid “jurisdictional limitations”. The change will apply to judges, lawyers, security guards and police officers. (read more).
It would appear this reversal is due to an issue in a similar vein to ‘separation of powers’. This sets up an unusual dynamic. The vaccine mandate still exists for everyone in the private sector; because of course it does. However, a judge hearing a case that challenges the vaccine mandate would themselves not be subject to the same state-wide mandate argued in their court.
**I’ll keep looking, but if you find anything I’d be interested to see what the official reasoning is.
UPDATE: The mandate guideline is HERE in pdf Form. But the reason for the distinction between Government and Judicial employees (page 5) is not outlined.