Authorities in Australia have given themselves the power to have police remove children from the custody of their parents in order to ensure compliance with coronavirus rules.
Schedule 2 of the COVID-19 Emergency Response Act 2020 amends the Emergency Response Act 2004 to create new powers during “declared emergencies.”
Section 25 of the act states the following;
—Removal of children
(1) Without derogating from section 25, an authorised officer may, for the purpose of ensuring compliance with any direction under that section, remove a child from any premises, place, vehicle or vessel to a place of residence of the child or to a hospital or quarantine facility, as the authorised officer thinks fit (and may, in doing so, use such force as is reasonably necessary).
A child is defined as anyone under the age of 18…
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