Animal rights activist Tash Peterson denied from returning home to WA

An animal-rights activist who gained notoriety for her controversial protests says her application to travel home to WA has been rejected.

A controversial vegan activist who has gained notoriety for antagonising diners with her animal rights protests says she has been banned from entering her home state of Western Australia.

Tash Peterson, 27, relocated to Melbourne last month after she was banned from every licensed venue in Western Australia following a string of protests in pubs and restaurants in which she criticised patrons for their food choices.

She applied for a travel permit to return to Perth for a magistrates court appearance in August but the application was denied, she told her followers in a Facebook video.

West Australian residents not currently in the state have to apply for a G2G Pass to return home and the state has a hard border with NSW, Queensland and Victoria as the eastern states deal with Delta outbreaks.

Animal rights activist Tash Peterson says she has been denied from returning to her home state of WA. Picture: Tash Peterson

The activist is notorious for her animal rights stunts.

Ms Peterson said her G2G application appeared to be denied because she was no longer considered a WA resident, despite having a WA residential address and driver’s license.

“I’m due back in Western Australia later this week and I’ve just put in a G2G pass application to get back into Western Australia and my application has actually been unsuccessful on the basis that I’m a non-WA resident,” Ms Peterson said in the video.

“This is quite unusual.

“I lived in Western Australia for 24 years of my life. I have a permanent residential address in Western Australia as well as a West Australian driver’s license, but my application is still being denied.”

Ms Peterson said when she moved to Melbourne, media reports incorrectly suggested she had been “kicked out” of her home state.

But she said she now wondered if that was true, as the travel permit rejection seemed “suspicious”.

“Maybe the media headlines are true and I actually have been kicked out of WA, because I have no explanation for this,” Ms Peterson said.

She said it appeared she would have to try applying again, as she needed to return to Perth in time to complete quarantine before the court date.

Ms Peterson is well known for her vegan activism on social media and her public stunts have attracted controversy.

Tash Peterson stages a stunt involving a dead lamb inside a Melbourne Coles. Picture: Instagram

She gained notoriety in 2019 for accosting shoppers at Coles, dressed as a blood-soaked abattoir worker, and holding a fake dead chicken under her arm.

Ms Peterson also blasted sounds from animals, reportedly recorded in slaughter houses, and held a sign that read “Coles/Woolworths – Tell them the truth”.

A stunt in March saw her storming the Bathers Beach seafood restaurant in Fremantle to tell diners they were participating in the “fish holocaust” – was what saw her banned from all licensed venues.

Ms Peterson was banned from every licensed venue in WA. Picture: vganbooty

She was told if she did attempt to enter any of those premises, she would be charged with trespassing and face a $10,000 fine.

Last month, Ms Peterson said the barring notice had little impact on her because she was planning on leaving Western Australia.

“Guess what WA, I’m getting the f**k out of here anyway, so I can continue to do my protesting in other states in places that sell alcohol because this ban only applies in Western Australia,” she said.