After calling for the release of the amendments to COVID-19 Omnibus (Emergency Measures) Bill the Spectator Australia has now received them and, after analysis, can claim a capital “V” for Victory.

The amendments have effectively hollowed out the Bill, stripping away the most pernicious aspects of it, in particular clause 252.

This clause was the most egregious attack on civil rights and liberties in the Bill, the ability by a designated authorised officer to arrest and detain a person indefinitely without recourse to the courts and other civil protections has been dropped entirely.

This is a major win.

Under the original Bill a “designated...