Democracy on hold

Because of the corona crisis, the Australian parliament has not met since the end of March. Then it was announced for early August that the meetings would start again. But on August 6th it was said, no, that should be postponed again. Because, during the Covid crisis, it is simply too dangerous to summon all parliamentarians to Canberra. The Prime Minister instructed all parliamentarians and senators on August 5 that the next session should take place on August 24, not early August as planned. However, there are conditions, because the coronavirus cases are still stiff in Victoria, and that is why the Chief Medical Officer of Australia suggested that all senators and parliamentarians who come from VIC should be quarantined in the ACT for 14 days, so that they don't infect anyone else. The news reported that Treasurer Josh Freydenberg, who is Kooyong's Melbourne office, has applied to travel to Canberra. In addition, the opposition leader Anthony Albanese had suggested that a few extra days should be scheduled in September, since so many meetings were canceled. And that should now be the case, because meetings of the Senate and the House of Representatives are planned between August 24 and September 3. We'll see if that really happens.

Das Australische Parlament Source: Barbara Barkhausen