Media release – Guy Barnett, Minister for Resources, 25 May 2022
Better protections for Tasmanian workers and workplaces move a step closer
Better protections for Tasmanian workers and workplaces moved another step closer tonight with the Police Offences Amendment (Workplace Protection) Bill 2022 passing the House of Assembly.
This Bill will protect the rights of workers and to deter unlawful interference with workplaces, by strengthening the law of trespass and obstruction, making it more easy to understand and enforce.
We have been elected at three consecutive elections with policies designed to protect the rights of workers and to deter unlawful interference with workplaces.
We have listened to the needs of business and we have seen the impact of unlawful protests on businesses and their employees. It costs money, it creates risk, and it can cause stress for the workers. In some cases there is potential for physical harm.
I want to reassure Tasmanians and be very clear, we respect every Tasmanians right to free speech and the legislation will not put in place anything that will limit lawful protesting.
This Bill won’t stop lawful protests outside hospitals, schools or restrict those wanted to make their views known on issues like climate change. It will not interrupt our democratic processes and it will not limit people’s ability to contribute to the state’s political and regulatory decision-making.
Tasmanians will still be entitled to protest and have their say.
What we want is to protect Tasmanian workers and their right to earn a living and I acknowledge Labor’s support for the Bill.
Intimidating, threatening, and endangering employees is not acceptable and we are pleased to have taken an important step to ensure our legislation is updated to stamp this out.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, 26 May 2022
Tasmania’s anti-protest laws move forward
“The Tasmanian Labor Party has voted with the Liberal Government to silence community protest. What a shameless betrayal of a movement once built on protest,” Scott Jordan, Bob Brown Foundation takayna / Tarkine campaigner said.
“What a dark day for democracy. In what could have been a day for progressive Tasmanian parliament after Premier Rockliff announced increasing parliament members to 35. However, it’s been overtaken Premier Rockliff legislating draconian anti-protest laws – unamended – through House of Assembly,” Jenny Weber said.
“We shall continue to protest for planet Earth. From Australia’s largest temperate rainforests threatened by mining, logging and a heavy metals tailings waste dump to Tasmania’s stunning coastlines and oceans being polluted by the toxic salmon industry. To the climate heroes, the native forests that are critical carbon storehouses and home to critically endangered wildlife,” Jenny Weber said.
“This legislation was for nature’s destroyers, not the citizens who stand up to defend it with a proud history of non-violence and peace,” Jenny Weber said.
“Dangerous misleading comments by politicians in the debate need to be corrected. Tasmania Police are well aware that our protesters are trained in non-violent direct action, and use de-escalation techniques to maintain safety in our protests. None of these tactics has had safety impacts on workers,” Jenny Weber said
Sarah Lovell, Shadow Minister for Workplace Relations, 26 May 2022
Protection for workers should be paramount in protest debate
Labor supports the right to protest but not when it places workers at risk.
Labor has sought to amend the Rockliff-Ferguson Government’s so-called Workplace Protections Bill to remove public annoyance provisions and include protections for workers engaged in industrial action, disputes or campaigns.
Disgracefully, last night, the government again used its numbers to unnecessarily guillotine the debate on this significant issue.
Labor will continue to pursue its amendments in the Legislative Council where the Rockliff-Ferguson Government can’t shut down debate.
Labor have made it clear that protection for industrial activity by workers and unions is non‑negotiable.
Additionally the public annoyance provisions are a complete overreach and have nothing to do with the stated intent of the Bill which is to keep workers safe in their workplace.
Labor will always fight for the rights of all workers to a safe workplace and will support provisions that protect workers put at risk by radical green protests.
After six years of Minister Barnett using worker’s safety in a political game it is time that the government actually took action to improve protection for workers.
Editor’s note: Tasmanian Times asked Labor verbally, and in writing, to provide details of incidents where workers have been injured by protesters in Tasmania. We gave them two weeks; they were unable to provide any evidence at all of this ever having occurred.
A spokesperson for the Bob Brown Foundation, in relation to their own protests, said:
“There has never been a single incident of a worker being injured due to protests. There have been many incidents in the past of protesters being assaulted by workers. Two forestry workers have died in the last 12months in their line of work.”
We would also draw attention to Sarah Lovell’s remarks made on Twitter last year:
