Protests will be banned outside places of worship under new laws proposed by the Victorian government. It comes just over a week after the terrorist firebombing of the Adass Israel synagogue in Melbourne.
Category
đș
TVTranscript
00:00Well, the Victorian government has announced tough new measures to crack down on what it
00:06describes as extreme and radical protests that comes after that suspected terror attack
00:12on the Adas Israel synagogue, as well as other anti-Semitic incidents.
00:16Now a lot of these measures are to do with giving police more powers against protesters.
00:21So include things like banning the use of face masks and balaclavas by protesters who
00:26are seeking to conceal their identity, banning the use of glue, ropes and chains by protesters
00:32who have previously physically attached themselves to public spaces, as well as banning the flags
00:38and symbols of listed terrorist organisations in public.
00:42Now the Victorian government specifically cited groups like Hamas, Hezbollah and some
00:47right-wing extremist groups with these measures to build on existing laws already outlawing
00:52the Nazi symbol.
00:54Now beyond that, the government also confirmed today that it would be looking to ban protests
00:58outside places of worship.
01:00Now it will involve establishing safe access zones around places like churches, synagogues
01:05and temples, not to dissimilarly from the way there are exclusion zones around abortion
01:10centres, though the government did concede that this is a very complex matter and that
01:14further consultation will be needed to decide the scope and size of these safe access zones.
01:20In making these announcements today, the Premier, Jacinta Allen, said that the right
01:24to protest is important, but it shouldn't trump the safety of Victorians.
01:29Peaceful protests can and must be protected in this state.
01:34Protests that harm others cannot.
01:37Victorians have witnessed extreme, dangerous and radical conduct in numerous public demonstrations
01:42over the past year.
01:44And it would be wrong for me to say that everyone who's attending these protests is anti-Semitic.
01:49There's no one saying that.
01:50But we know some are, and we know some are showing that.
01:54We also know that hate and anti-Semitism are thriving in these environments.
02:00And Leanne, what other measures is the government proposing?
02:04Well some of these other measures are specifically to do with bolstering social cohesion, which
02:08the Premier said had clearly deteriorated in recent months.
02:12So one of the things that the government is looking at doing is introducing a social cohesion
02:16pledge that multicultural organisations will have to abide by in order to access government
02:22grants and funding.
02:24The government says there will be consequences if those groups don't abide by that pledge.
02:29They've also said that they will organise a new body called the Local Escalation and
02:33Help Group.
02:35So local organisations can liaise directly with the government in relation to matters
02:39concerning anti-Semitism and racism.
02:42These bodies will include representatives from local council, Jewish and community groups.
02:47And what's been the reaction to these announcements?
02:50Well the reaction has certainly been mixed.
02:52So we've heard from Naomi Levin from the Jewish Community Council of Victoria who welcomes
02:58the changes, saying that she's cautiously optimistic that it's been a really good start.
03:03However we've also heard from some legal and civil liberty experts who raise concerns that
03:08some of these changes will impinge on the rights of Victorians to protest.
03:12So one expert called this a permit process by stealth.
03:17So unlike New South Wales and other jurisdictions, currently Victorian protesters don't need
03:21to apply for a permit if they'd like to protest.
03:24Other legal experts have also urged caution in giving police greater powers.
03:29So they've said that these measures will have far-reaching consequences beyond this recent
03:34escalation in tensions.
03:35We've seen in the community, specifically in relation to the conflict in Gaza, that
03:39these laws, if introduced, will be around for the long haul.
03:44We've also heard from Nasser Mashni from the Australia-Palestine Advocacy Network who says
03:49that the government can't legislate itself to social cohesion, particularly when they
03:54say that they've been left out of this conversation.
03:57It shows the Premier has really committed to listening to our community and what we've
04:02been calling for in terms of measures to keep us safe.
04:06But this isn't just about the Jewish community, this is about all Australians.
04:10What's happened to us this week has happened to all Australians.
04:13We don't want to see a society where places of worship come under attack from terrorists.
04:20We all want to live peacefully and just go about our lives in a safe way.
04:25It's a knee-jerk response to appease a section of our community.
04:29What needs to be happening, we need to be talking to everyone.
04:32We are the Australian-Palestinian community, just as Australian-Victorian-Melbournian as
04:37anybody else.
04:38We need to be included in the conversations and we've been excluded from those.
04:43This proposed legislation will need to pass Parliament in order to come into effect.
04:47Victorian Parliament is currently on a break, meaning that this process won't properly get
04:51underway until next year.