30 May 2023
The Greens have condemned the Government’s decision to bring on their draconian anti-protest laws for decision in the Upper House in the face of growing opposition from community leaders.
Debate on the bill in the Upper House has just begun and is being streamed live from the SA Parliament website at this link: https://www.parliament.sa.gov.au/en/About-Parliament/Live-Broadcast
Earlier today, the Greens and SA-Best held a media conference together with representatives of civil society groups including SA Unions, Human Rights Law Centre, SACOSS, the Conservation Council and Amnesty International Australia urging the government to dump the laws.
“This bill is ill-considered and was rushed through the Lower House with just 22 minutes of debate. The Government are now progressing it through the Upper House — despite the overwhelming concerns of the community. It’s an insult to democracy and our parliamentary processes”, said Greens Attorney-General Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.
“Meanwhile, urgent priorities like reforms of the Residential Tenancies Act which commenced last year continue to languish and are being kicked down the road yet again. Why has this bill not been prioritised by the Government today?”
“It’s a very sad turn of events when it takes the Government just 22 minutes to crack down on protest yet more than 6 months to provide relief to renters who are at the front line of the housing crisis.”
“The Greens are opposed to this anti-democratic bill and will be moving to refer it to a committee to ensure the full implications are considered”, said Mr Simms.