Media release – Guy Barnett, Minister for State Development, Construction and Housing, 7 September 2022
Tougher laws and increased penalties for workplace invasion, but Labor abandons workers
In a significant milestone for improving workers’ safety in this state, this evening the Tasmanian Government’s Workplace Protection legislation has passed the Tasmanian Parliament.
The Government’s agenda has delivered stronger laws and increased penalties to protect workers and businesses from workplace invasions.
Tasmanian workers should be allowed to go to work safely, without threat from extremists who invade workplaces and endanger employees and disrupt businesses.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government has consistently fought to protect these rights and has received mandates from the Tasmanian people to deliver our agenda in 2014, 2018 and most recently in 2021.
Today we have delivered on an important promise we made to the Tasmanian people.
Intimidating, threatening and endangering employees will never be acceptable.
We have amended the Police Offences Act to ensure that our police are able to better protect workers and businesses through strengthening trespass and obstruction laws.
The Tasmanian Government respects the right to protest and every Tasmanian’s right to free speech, but it is also important this is not at the expense of the right to lawfully work or run a business.
The biggest question is for Tasmanian Labor, and why it has abandoned Tasmanian workers and business and voted against this legislation, especially when similar legislation has been supported by Labor federally and in other states.
Since 2014, Labor has stood with the Greens and the radical Bob Brown Foundation’s workplace invaders instead of supporting the workers of Tasmania. And it is little surprise that the federal Labor executive has now taken control of the party.
This legislation will support our productive industries and businesses working in sectors like forestry, mining, agriculture and aquaculture. I want to thank the many business and representative groups who have helped to deliver this important reform.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government will always back workers and local businesses.
We will continue to monitor very closely interferences with businesses and workers and whether more needs to be done in the future to provide a deterrent from unlawful and unsafe protest activity.
Media release – Bob Brown Foundation, Bob Brown Foundation
Tasmania ruled by corporations
Tasmania’s government has abandoned its citizens and shamefully bowed to corporate interests by passing new anti-protest laws.
“These new anti-protest laws are written for the logging, mining and salmon factory industries. The corporations have used their unfettered influence over governments so they can continue to destroy forests, pollute the seas and kill wildlife,” Bob Brown Foundation’s Jenny Weber said.
“Tasmania is governed by a group of climate deniers who fail to legislate protections of the wild places we all need for our survival,” Jenny Weber said.
“It’s a sad day in Tasmania, as we witness the erosion of fundamental freedoms. However, this unnecessary law will not deter people from continuing to carry out peaceful protests which are essential when the environment and climate are under attack,” Jenny Weber said.
