Lawyers, Aboriginals and environment and civil liberties groups pan new anti-protest laws

A coalition of groups have joined forces to protest against the State Government’s proposed new anti-protest laws.

LEGAL, Aboriginal, civil liberties, environmental groups and the Greens have launched a petition and a protest against proposed new anti-protest laws which they say are unconstitutional, too broad, anti-democratic, unnecessary and unworkable.

The State Government has introduced new legislation into Parliament to fix problems with its first attempt — which was ruled invalid by the High Court.

The court described that legislation as overly broad, vague, confusing and exhibiting “Pythonesque absurdity”.

The new laws include heavy penalties and jail terms of up to four years for people who interfere with business operations — or even threaten to do so.

THINK ANTI-PROTEST LAWS WON’T AFFECT YOU? THINK AGAIN

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor said the right to protest was an integral part of Tasmanian democracy.

“It’s been part of Tasmania’s story for the longest time: the Franklin, Wesley Vale, the pulp mill, Ralphs Bay,” she said.

“We treasure here our right to peaceful protest. There’s a Bill coming before the Tasmanian Parliament for debate that would take away that right to peaceful protest, alienate Tasmanians from their own lands and waters.

“It’s a dog of a Bill that attempts to patch up an Act.”

Greens leader Cassy O’Connor called the legislation a “dog of a Bill”. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Tasmanian director of Civil Liberties Australia Richard Griggs said the laws were an assault on democracy.

“These laws are illiberal, they’re unjust and they’re dangerous,” he said.

“They’re illiberal because they attempt to use the apparatuses of the state to shield business from legitimate criticism from the community.

“There unjust just because they harshly punish, through prison sentences and hash fines, community members who do no more than gather on public land to peacefully protest and to speak truth to power, and ultimately dangerous because the message that they send to the community is that the Government is saying is that you should sit down, be quiet, and trust us.”

Lawyer Roland Browne said he wasn’t sure the laws would stand up to another legal challenge.

“Protest has a very important role to play in our society and the High Court recognised that. These laws were struck down by the High Court in 2017 because that was so broad, they were vague, they were impossible to enforce.

“Nothing has really changed. The definition of business premises is so broad that a person that has a dispute with a manager at Bunnings or at Woolworths runs the risk of being charged with trespass under those labels for impeding business activity.”

Tasmanian director of Civil Liberties Australia Richard Griggs called the laws illiberal, unjust and dangerous. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre spokeswoman Sara Maynard said the laws would see more Aboriginal people imprisoned.

“We as an Aboriginal community are really concerned because we hold many protests, peaceful protests, because we’re able to have a view that’s different from the Government — and we all know that the Government don’t represent many Tasmanians let alone the Tasmanian original community,” she said.

“We’re outraged, we’re concerned, we don’t want any more Aboriginal people being locked up because the incarceration rates of Aboriginal people in this country are just horrific.”

Long-time environmental campaigner Bob Brown said the Government’s aim was to stifle dissent.

“I’m very aware that the Government’s agenda is to privatise people’s natural environment in Tasmania for the big end of town,” Dr Brown said.

“That applies to the oceans … that applies to our forests, like the Tarkine … and it applies to our national parks, which effectively Will Hodgman is putting out to tender.”

A copy of the petition can be found on the State Parliament website. The protest will be held

at noon on Monday on Parliament Lawns.

Both Labor and the Greens have announced their opposition to the laws.