NSW State government working in consort with muppets, except they take it to the limit and beyond. They propose a law which passes the pub test but actually enact far more draconian measures to not only curb the plebs but legalise a full blown fascist idealogy toward dissent.
https://www.sydneycriminallawyers.com.au/blog/nsw-governments-relentless-attack-on-our-right-to-protest/Thelanguage used by NSW agriculture minister Adam Marshall as he introduced the Right to Farm Bill 2019 was somewhat suspect when he asserted that the legislation would “enshrine in law a farmer’s right to farm their land, to grow the food and fibre to feed and clothe” people.
This wasdubious because no one has been trying to prevent farmers from growing food.Rather, what animals’ rights activists have been up to is trying to bring ahalt to cruel practices perpetrated upon animals in factory farming operationsand slaughterhouses.
On therecommendation of the Morrison government, the Right to Farm legislation takesaim at “vegan vigilantes”, who are trying to expose practices that could beoutlawed if the public had a better understanding of what’s taking place.
However,the legislation goes much further than that. It also targets the right toprotest in general, as the draconian amendments it makes to the Inclosed LandsProtection Act 1901 (NSW) can be used against protesters of any ilk, includingfarmers protesting the mining industry.
So, whilethe federal government has pushed for all states to prioritise cracking down onanimal rights activists, the Berejiklian government has seen fit to take theopportunity to continue the NSW Liberal Nationals’ decade-long project ofsilencing dissent.“Civilorganisations – including environmental groups – unions and civil libertiesbodies oppose these changes because they would further limit people’s right topeaceful protest, a cornerstone of our democracy,” NatureConservation Council chief executive Chris Gambian made clear.
“If thisbill becomes law in its current form, it would almost quadruple the penalty foraggravated unlawful entry on inclosed lands,” he added, pointing to the law thelegislation would amend, which has implications for protest actions in general.
Section 4B of the Inclosed Lands Protection Act contains the offence of aggravated trespass on inclosed lands. When the Baird government created the crime in March 2016, it was condemned for increasing trespass penalties by tenfold, in a bid to protect mining interests.
And whilethe Right to Farm Bill is ostensibly about farms, the inclosed lands theaggravated trespass law applies to is defined as “any land, either public or private, inclosed or surrounded by any fence, wall or other erection, or partly by a fence, wall or other erection”, and this also includes buildings.
Bairdupped penalties applying to inclosed land trespassing from $550 to $5,500. But,Berejiklian’s now increasing penalties to $13,200 and/or 12 months imprisonmentfor a sole intruder, and for a person accompanied by 2 or more people, they’relooking at $22,000 and/or 3 years inside.
