Dark Day for Democracy in NSW as Protest Report Fails to Recommend Reform
Kobi Shetty MP - Media Release - 14, November 2024
14th November 2024
NSW Greens MP and democracy spokesperson Kobi Shetty has slammed the Transport for NSW report into the state’s anti-protest laws.
The report which was due over a month ago has finally been tabled today but has failed to recommend any substantial changes, despite overwhelming feedback received calling on the government to repeal the laws.
At the close of the consultation period, 1,462 submissions were made by individuals, and 20 were made by civil society organisations. All but one of the submissions from the community called for either the repeal of the legislation in full, or for a significant reduction in penalties.
The main issues raised by the submissions include that the legislation was an ‘unacceptable attack on freedom of political communication’, that the laws ‘were not necessary to achieve their objective’, that the penalties of imprisonment were ‘disproportionate’ and further that the government should actively protect the right to protest in legislation such as a Human Rights Act.
Kobi Shetty MP for Balmain and Greens NSW Spokesperson on Democracy Says:
“This is a slap in the face to the more than 1,000 people who took the time to engage in this process in good faith, expecting to see genuine recommendations for reform. It’s pretty clear that this was nothing more than a sham review from a government intent on curbing our democratic right to protest.
“The government had to be dragged kicking and screaming to table this report, and now we can see why they tried to delay making it public.
“The feedback was overwhelmingly in favour of repealing these draconian laws, or at the very least reducing the heavy-handed penalties in place for protestors.
“Despite this, the report has failed to engage with the submissions made and has instead maintained that the objectives of the legislation remain valid. They failed to even recommend repealing the sections already found to be partially unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
“Just today the Premier stood here in Question Time bragging about introducing more legislation to make it harder to protest in NSW. This is a dark day for our democracy. The Greens will continue to push for the repeal of these undemocratic anti-protest laws.
-ENDS-