15 May 2024
The Greens will today bring a bill to repeal Labor’s extreme anti-protest laws to a vote in the Upper House, 1 year after their passage through Parliament in 2023.
These laws, which passed with the support of the Opposition, imposed potential prison terms and massive fines of up to $50,000 on people who obstruct the public space.
“These extreme laws were rushed through the Lower House last year in the face of the overwhelming community opposition”, said Greens Attorney-General Spokesperson Robert Simms MLC.
“The right to peaceful protest and civil disobedience are fundamental to our democracy. Civil society groups including SA Unions, Human Rights Law Centre, SACOSS, the Conservation Council and Amnesty International Australia have urged the Government to dump the laws, and it’s time for the Parliament to act.”
“After having a year to reflect, I hope that the Malinauskas Government will now recognise that these laws were a colossal mistake and join the Greens in sending them to the dustbin.”