Farmers for law push

THE Tasmanian Farmers and Graziers Association will work to ensure new laws clamping down on “illegal” protesters are passed by both houses of Government.

The State Government will bring its proposed Workplaces Protection Bill to parliament next week.

A previous attempt at the legislation was ruled invalid by the High Court as it was overly broad, vague, confusing and exhibiting “Pythonesque absurdity”.

Under the new proposed laws, activists who invade farms or industry operations and businesses would face up to 21 years in jail. Breaches would attract fines of $10,000 and jail terms of up to 18 months for a first offence.

TFGA president Marcus McShane declared the organisation’s support for the Bill in a column in Mercury- affiliated publication Tasmanian

Country yesterday.

He said the laws would hold to account anyone who impeded the right of businesses and individuals to conduct lawful business activities.

“It is important to us our family and business are protected from invasion and disruption,” he said.

“Protesting should be about convincing others as to your argument. If you must resort to illegal or underhanded activity then you have already lost the argument.”

Mr McShane said he had no issue with protests, but protests that resulted in loss to “others or a business” were thuggery.

The State Government yesterday called Labor members “circus clowns” and accused them of feeding Westbury residents “porkypies” about the Bill.

Opposition corrections spokeswoman Ella Haddad and Lyons MP Jen Butler held a press conference discussing the Bill with anti-prison protesters yesterday.

They said the Bill goes further than protecting businesses from trespassers and would prevent community members from speaking out.

“These laws are symptomatic of a Government desperate to silence the opinions of people of Tasmania,” Ms Butler said.

Ms Haddad said the Bill represented an attack on people’s “democratic right to protest and to have their say”.

Minister for Primary Industries Guy Barnett called yesterday’s press conference “embarrassing”, “misguided” and “utter tripe”.

“To be very clear, the Workplaces Protection Bill does not stop anyone speaking out or raising community concerns,” he said.

“The Bill seeks to implement the fundamental principle that, while people are free to protest, our laws should protect lawful business activities and their workers.”