Chained workers in protest march
A CHAIN gang led an antiprotest protest march through the streets of Hobart in a demonstration against the government’s workplace safety Bill.
The “anti-protest” Bill would mean harsher penalties and stiffer prison sentences for activists who protest in worksites and disrupt their day-today operations.
The Bill concerns Bob Brown Foundation activist Anna Brozek, who has already been arrested twice while protesting at Mount Brown and the Tarkine rainforest.
Ms Brozek said she, and others like her, would continue
to protest at sawmills and other worksites even if the tough new laws were introduced.
“What they’re trying to do is silence the people, they’re trying to deter protesters from taking direct action, because direct action works and makes change,” Ms Brozek said.
“There’s no way this is going to deter us from doing what we do, because the stakes have never been higher. This is our future on the line. This is not just about saving our own skins, this is about our kids, our future, our planet.”
Bob Brown Foundation’s Jenny Weber said the existing laws were already harsh enough on protesters, who were regularly arrested and charged.
When Resources Minister Guy Barnett put the Bill before parliament for the third time, he said it would protect the rights of workers to do their job without being harassed.