On 17 March 2020, Tasmania entered a ‘state of emergency’ in response to COVID-19. Parliament stands adjourned, and the executive is regulating the crisis through delegated regulations that significantly limit civil rights and freedoms. Despite assurances that Tasmania’s Subordinate Legislation Committee would scrutinise executive power throughout the crisis, its role has been limited, due to an overly prescriptive (and we argue incorrect) reading of Tasmania’s scrutiny framework, which has not been properly reformed in several decades. This is a salient lesson as to why constitutional laws require regular review and modernisation, to ensure parliaments remain supreme even (and especially) during crises and emergencies.

中文翻译：

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塔斯马尼亚州下属立法委员会在 COVID-19 紧急情况下的作用

2020 年 3 月 17 日，塔斯马尼亚州进入“紧急状态”以应对 COVID-19。议会休会，行政部门正在通过显着限制公民权利和自由的授权法规来调节危机。尽管塔斯马尼亚州的下属立法委员会保证在整个危机期间都会对行政权力进行审查，但由于对塔斯马尼亚州的审查框架过于规范（我们认为是错误的）解读，其作用受到了限制，该框架几十年来没有得到适当的改革。这是一个重要的教训，说明为什么宪法需要定期审查和现代化，以确保议会即使（尤其是）在危机和紧急情况下也能保持至高无上的地位。