By JESSE GRAHAM
CONTROVERSIAL laws to move-on protesters are being repealed by the State Government, with Tecoma’s anti-McDonald’s group praising the move as a “win for democracy”.
On Tuesday 10 February, Attorney General Martin Pakula announced that the Victorian Government would introduce legislation to repeal the former government’s controversial “move on” laws.
Under the old legislation, five additional grounds for use of police’s move-on powers were added, meaning more people could be told to leave public spaces immediately or risk jail time.
No McDonald’s in the Dandenong Ranges spokesperson, Garry Muratore, told the Mail that the new move was a “win for democracy”, and a repeal they had helped to campaign for.
Though the laws were introduced after the Tecoma McDonald’s opening, Mr Muratore said if they had been around in the early days of the campaign, the laws might have quashed the group’s protests.
“It had the potential that anybody holding a sign out the front could be asked to move on, and police wouldn’t have to give a reason – it was very repressive,” he said.
“They could have basically just told us to move on, and anybody that ignored that order or who came back within 48 hours could be fined $900 – if they did it again, they could face jail terms of up to two years.”
Mr Pakula said that, under the Summary Offences Amendment (Move-On Laws) Bill 2015, police would retain the ability to enforce offences such as trespass, besetting and obstruction of roads and footpaths.
Violent or unlawful protests would also still trigger police arrest powers and offenders can still be prosecuted, without the additional powers added by the Napthine Government last year.
“The Liberal move-on laws were an extraordinary attack on the right of Victorians to have their say,” Mr Pakula said.
“Victoria doesn’t need Bjelke-Petersen-style laws designed to silence dissent and outlaw peaceful protests.”
The legislation was introduced on Tuesday 10 February, but must pass the houses of parliament before the laws are repealed.
Do you think the move-on laws should be repealed? Do you think this will help people to have their say, or be harmful? Write a letter to the editor and send it to editor@yvnews.com.au or PO Box 470, Healesville, Victoria, 3777.
