Media Release – Police Offences (Workplace Protections) Amendment Bill

Independent Member for Nelson Meg Webb said the Police Offences (Workplace Protections) Amendment Bill is both ideologically-driven and deliberately divisive.

“The reality is, the proposed Bill impinges on the fundamental, democratic rights of Tasmanians,” Ms Webb said.

“Rather than offer solutions, the most predictable outcome will be an increase in the very things the Rockliff Liberal Government claims it wants to stop.

“A decent, effective Government would invest in efforts to reduce the kinds of policy disputes and ideological conflict that leads to protest actions. It would not actively engage in aggravating and amplifying those conflicts through misleading legislation.”

Ms Webb said:

• Unions regard this bill as detrimental to worker’s rights overall
• Social services regard this bill as a risk to already marginalised groups
• Civil society organisations regard this bill as an unacceptable limitation on the rights of all citizens

“Current Tasmanian laws already provide a response to unlawful actions taken by protestors, including damage to property, assaults, trespass and nuisance.

“This Bill will fail to stop the types of intensive environmental protests it claims to target.

“However, its proposed changes and excessive penalties will act to chill the availability of protest action for everyday Tasmanians and local communities.”

Ms Webb said Tasmania has a long and proud history of achieving highly-valued social and environmental outcomes through protest action. 

“That progress could not have come about through authorised, tamed or sanitised protest, rather it was gained through actions which would be captured and highly penalised by this Bill.

“Legislating to threaten our fundamental right to protest risks depriving our state of future beneficial progress. This Bill is not in the best interests of our State – legislatively, economically, environmentally, democratically or socially.”

Read or watch Meg’s second reading speech.

Media Contact: A.Mark Thomas, M&M Communications, 0422 006 732