COVID-19 Officers to Receive Powers to ‘Break and Enter’ in Western Australia

A member of WA Police inspects cars at a border checkpoint on Indian Ocean Drive in Perth, Australia on Jun. 29, 2021. Matt Jelonek/Getty Images

The Western Australian Labor government looks set to pass an impending law for the “ongoing management” of COVID-19 that grants law enforcement extensive powers, including the authority to “break into and enter any place or vehicle.”

A debate has been ongoing since the end of September 2022, with opposition MPs refusing to back the Emergency Management Amendment (Temporary COVID-19 Provisions) Bill 2022.