Phil Donato calls for parliament to resume during coronavirus crisis

Mr Donato said there had been "no clarity" around some of the state's social distancing laws - which can attract fines of up to $1000 for individuals and $5000 for businesses - and was a result of laws being rushed through without consultation from the state's MPs.

He also said there was no oversight on the government, and slammed the inquiry into the Ruby Princess, which won't be conducted by parliament, as a "cop out".

The investigation into allowing the Ruby Princess to dock could take up to 18 months, which Mr Donato said was too long.

"With parliament not sitting, the government's not being held to account,'' he said.

"Parliament sat through World War I and World War II ... legislation and regulation is being made and enforced on our citizens without us having a say in it.

"To have the police commissioner come out and tell us about new rules, no-one elected the police commissioner."

He said the directive from government and police relied on officers using their discretion in too many cases, which was creating confusion and left the door open to abuses of power.

"Police are using their discretion and each and every officer will have a different interpretation," Mr Donato said.

"People will be pulled over - especially this weekend - based on number plates and you've got to be careful about how far you go.

"If it's all up to the discretion of an officer, history has shown you'll get people being overzealous no matter what the situation."

The laws were also not made clear about what could and couldn't be done, and that clarity was often something thrashed out on the floor of parliament.

"There's no opportunity for scrutiny if parliament's not sitting," he said.

Mr Donato said there were countless ways the risks of parliament spreading infection could be mitigated.

"We're expecting medical staff and frontline staff to work, the risks can be mitigated and there are ways around it for older members," he said.