The powers provide the legal framework for public health measures during the pandemic, such as hotel quarantine, home isolation, mask-wearing and the state's travel permit system.

The extension passed the Legislative Council late on Tuesday after the government secured the support of crossbenchers Andy Meddick from the Animal Justice Party, Reason Party MP Fiona Patten and Greens leader Samantha Ratnam.

The trio negotiated a number of changes to the bill before it passed parliament, including a reduction in COVID-19 fines for young people, a commitment to review fines in disadvantaged communities and a confirmation of the right to protest.

The government has also agreed to give people the right to appeal detention orders, as recommended by Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass in her review of the public housing tower lockdown.

"We haven't taken this decision lightly, which is why we put the interests of all Victorians on the table in these negotiations and agreed to support these legislations on the proviso that these reforms that will impact and hopefully support disadvantaged communities," Ms Ratnam said on Tuesday.

As part of the deal, the government has also begun drafting legislation specific to the pandemic to replace the current state of emergency powers in December.

The trio will get a "seat at the table" during the drafting process, Ms Patten has said.

Health Minister Martin Foley said the process could take up to nine months.

"Now with the degree of relative stability, we think it's now sensible to sit down with key public health and legislative stakeholders to develop COVID-safe specific set of powers to give the public health team and the chief health officer all the powers they need to get us to the other side of this pandemic," he told reporters on Wednesday.

Asked if the state of emergency will end if the legislation is ready earlier, Mr Foley replied: "Of course."

"We are going to do this thoroughly. We are going to do it once," he said.

Victoria is the only state that caps the maximum length of time a state of emergency can remain in force, with the current powers due to expire on March 15.

Premier Daniel Andrews said the pandemic was far from over, citing the British and South African variants of the virus spreading across the world.

"The challenge is getting more complex in some ways because the virus is actually changing, so to have that legal certainty, to have the framework in place, that is a good thing," Mr Andrews said.

Opposition Leader Michael O'Brien described the passing of the extension as a "disgrace".

"We are seeing votes rammed through parliament in the dead of night to keep Victorians under a state of emergency," he told reporters.

"It's up to the government and those minor parties who did this deal, who sold us out, to come clean and share what this deal entailed."

Mr Meddick, Ms Patten and Ms Ratnam all denied making a secret deal with the government when approached by AAP.

Mr Meddick said he would never make deals on public health issues, and accused the state opposition of politicising the pandemic.

"I am confident that my decision is not just reasonable - but mandatory. Denying these powers to the government would be dangerous for all Victorians," he said.

Mr O'Brien called for reform of the upper house's voting system.

"We need to do things better because the upper house isn't working at the moment, it's not actually as a house of review, it's acting as a house of grubby deals," he said.

Meanwhile, Victoria has recorded a fifth consecutive day without a new coronavirus case, following 18,825 tests in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning.

There are just eight active cases in the state, two fewer than Tuesday.

Australian Associated Press