2025-11-12
The Victorian Greens say Labor’s anti-protest laws risk stifling people’s fundamental democratic right to speak truth to power and call out injustice.
The Greens have been deeply concerned by these laws since they were announced almost a year ago and say that the fact that Labor faced internal backlash and had to wind back these reactionary laws due to potential constitutional challenge shows these laws have been deeply flawed from the beginning.
Under the proposal, police will still be able to demand people remove face coverings and criminalise the use of materials like ropes, chains and locks - items that have been used in peaceful protests for decades like tree sits to stop native forest logging and Zelda D’Aprano famously chaining herself to the Commonwealth Building for women's rights - a moment Labor MPs continue to celebrate and take photos next to her statue to this day.
Police are already misusing the powers they have, with IBAC investigations finding excessive use of OC spray and other force. This was seen in 2019 when police violently dispersed peaceful climate protesters outside a mining conference without provocation.
The Greens warn that these sweeping powers will inevitably be misused against peaceful protesters and further entrench the disproportionate targeting of First Nations people and multicultural communities - something already happening under existing laws and certain to worsen with the addition of new police powers
The Greens are yet to see the full legislation but believe that the proposed laws will have a chilling effect on people’s democratic rights - taking us down an unwanted and unwise route that Trump and other authoritarian regimes are treading
Quotes attributable to the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Ellen Sandell:
“The fact that Labor has had to scramble to patch up their draconian proposed anti-protest laws after legal warnings shows just how reckless and reactionary they were to begin with.”
“Around the world, attacks on protest are often one of the first signs of a worrying slide into authoritarianism. These laws are straight out of the Trump playbook and Labor shouldn’t be taking us down that path.”