It’s been a busy week of ignoring the public for the NSW Labor government.
Firstly, a Transport for NSW statutory review of anti-protest laws was released last week, and it appears all the submissions from legal and human rights institutions were ignored.
Back in 2022, the then Liberal-National NSW government amended the Roads Act 1993 and the Crimes Act 1900 and created a new one, so they could punish climate activists who caused damage or disruption to major roads or major public facilities.
It is called the Roads and Crimes Legislation Amendment Act 2022.
Fines of $22,000 and two year jail terms were rushed in for those pesky activists. There was a lot of humbug and yabber yabber about it at the time.
Despite submissions against the law from the Human Rights Law Centre, the Law Society of NSW, Young Labor Left NSW and NSW Council for Civil Liberties – to name a few – the unnamed Transport for NSW review authors said the policy objectives ‘remain valid and its provisions remain appropriate’.
One imagines they were relying on the one submission that said it was all tickety-boo.
On page 10 it reads, ‘Of the [1,462] submissions that were received, all but one called on the government to repeal or make changes to the legislation to reduce the penalties’.
It’s a tricky balance to strike between the right to protest and the public’s right to move freely, yet this looks just lazy and not in the spirit of building a more robust democracy.
Australia is the only liberal democracy in the world without a national act or charter of rights that comprehensively protects people’s basic rights, says www.humanrightswatch.gov.au.
While the ACT, Victoria and Qld have a bill of rights, NSW does not.
New planning body to bypass local councils
Meanwhile The Echo is yet to hear back from the office of NSW Planning Minister, Paul Scully, around claims by the body representing local government, LGNSW.
LGNSW said in a statement last week they condemn the announcement by the Minns Labor government that a new planning body will bypass local councils and communities on large housing developments.
LGNSW President Cr Darriea Turley AM says ‘a three-person planning authority [will be] given responsibility for housing developments over $60 million in the Sydney region and over $30 million in rural and regional areas.’
‘Removing councils from the spot rezoning process means removing the community’s voice. It will give developers a clear run to propose their own height limits, density and green space settings – it means that developers will now run our communities, not residents,’ said Cr Turley.
So there you have it – there is little difference between major parties when it comes to favouring developers and persecuting activists.
Hans Lovejoy, editor
News tips are welcome: [email protected]
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
