2016-09-08
“The rallying cries from a coalition of voices in civil society and my year-long efforts which served to prolong debate and delay the Anti-Protest Bill in the Legislative Council have earned their reward,” says Greens MLC Lynn MacLaren.
“The Government has admitted they have no time left to push the proposed laws through the lower house before the March state election.
“The news that anti-protest laws are unlikely to go ahead comes as a huge relief not only for the Greens but for all Western Australians
“The proposed laws had the potential to criminalise many forms of peaceful protest and ensnare everyday Western Australians exercising their right to speak out.
“More often than not WA protests have served the public good to reverse bad government decisions and pre-empt development, such as James Price Point.
“These proposed laws put WA in the international spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
“UN human rights experts in February echoed Greens’ chief concerns about the bill – saying it would criminalise a wide range of legitimate conduct by reversing the onus of proof and disproportionately punish acts of peaceful protest, including up to two year jail terms and huge fines.”
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