With a review of 2022 anti-protest laws now underway, the NSW Council for Civil Liberties is calling on the NSW Labor government to include public submissions in the process and for it to be undertaken ‘in a clear and transparent manner’.
A statement from the organisation reads, ‘The right to protest is a fundamental democratic right that allows us to express our views, shape our societies, and press for social change. In NSW, and nationally across Australia, it is under attack’.
‘In April 2022, the NSW Parliament passed legislation to prevent “illegal protesting” on major roads, bridges, tunnels, public transport and infrastructure facilities. The new legislation amends section 144G the Roads Act 1993 which criminalises causing serious disruption by entering, remaining on or trespassing on prescribed major bridges and tunnels, to now include all “main roads”. Offences carry a maximum penalty of $22,000 or two years in gaol, or both.
‘The legislated review of the undemocratic “anti-protest” law is scheduled to take place after 1 April 2024 and will be carried out by the Department of Roads and the Attorney-General’s Department – the NSW Government has so far refused to commit to the review being open to the public and transparent. The right to protest cannot and should not be scheduled merely for a “departmental” review.’
For more info visit www.nswccl.org.au.
We know that environment defenders are the new sport for Minns / NSW labor ( and NSW LibNat ) to be arrested by police and brought before courts to face jail, fine or both.
But when its say NSW firefighters last month protesting for higher pay by disrupting Macquarie Street, Sydney it’s a completely different thing. No police arresting anyone and not one outraged politician to be seen or heard.
And what about the rights of thousands of citizens to go about their business without being held to ransom by protestors blocking a public road, especially when the primary purpose of the protest was to block a busy PUBLIC ROAD and massively inconvenience many others?
What about the rights of citizens to get to a doctor’s appointment on time, without being deliberately prevented from doing so by protestors
What about the rights of citizens to get to an airport in time to catch their flight, again without being deliberately prevented from doing so?
What about the rights of citizens to get to work on time?
Etc, etc, etc.
Nobody is preventing people from protesting – just do it in a means of not deliberately, massively inconveniencing thousands going about their daily lives.
Where do you draw the line?
By all means, protest by inconveniencing those directly involved in the subject of the protest. But when there is a deliberate attempt to cause maximum inconvenience to everybody else, basically for the sake of publicity of a cause, this, in general, will probably be counter-productive anyway. And no, indiscriminately causing massive disruption to John and Jane Citizen definitely does not qualify, even if they don’t join you in your concern for what, in reality, is a worthy sentiment.
Protest to your hearts content – just do not do so via the deliberate attempt to cause maximum inconvenience to everybody else.
So…just protest so that nobody notices or cares, to inconvienience those just going about their usual business of mindlessly destroying the future of our children, is just too tiresome ?
Of course, the right to protest is absolute and does not depend on your agreement, infact that is the whole point Grrrr.
Cheers, G”)
Joachy, guru of everything fair and lovely and knower of all, guess what?, firefighters actually work, they endanger their lives on a daily basis to protect citizens like you, they have a right to protest for their livelihood. In contrast lefty greens are protesting for the main purpose of disrupting the general public just because they can and they do it regularly with no real justification for their total disregard for their fellow people. The greens support anti-Semitism, they support disgusting anti Jew rhetoric and have no remorse. They do not recognise the Australian flag, they are anti Australian. They close their eyes to the environmental destruction involved with so called renewable energy and everything else that normal thinking people would consider fair and good. Joachy, you will never convince the normal majority of this fine country to support the misguided rabble that call themselves the Australian greens…