MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th December, 2021) Thousands of Australians took to the streets in Sydney, news South Wales (NSW) state, and Melbourne's central business district (CBD), Victoria state, to challenge vaccination mandates and Victoria's new pandemic laws.
Protesters in Victoria were heard screaming "Free Victoria" as they marched through Melbourne's CBD, 9News reported.
The crowds protested the Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment Bill which was passed in Victorian Parliament last week and will allow the health minister to make public orders for the COVID-19 as well as other pandemics such as mask-wearing and vaccination mandates, lockdowns and quarantines. On Friday, Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews noted that the bill would come into effect on December 15.
The protesters could be heard chanting for their freedom, as it has been previously argued that the introduced bill would give the premier too much power.
Some stressed that the protests were not about being an anti-vaxxer, but pro-choice as they opposed mandatory vaccination and the introduction of vaccine passports in NSW.
Demonstrations are also planned to take place in other parts of the country including Perth, Canberra, Hobart and Queensland.
Positive COVID-19 cases in the country are on the rise despite 89.2% of people over the age of 16 having had both doses of the vaccination. With 487 locally acquired new cases in the last 24 hours, Australia's total number of infected people rose to 15,724.
