Today the Coalition has made it a crime to protest at Town Hall

Fresh regulations made under the new anti-protest laws have made it a crime, punishable by up to 2 years in jail, to take part in or organise a protest at Town Hall that blocks any of the entrances to the train station.

Criminalising protest at Town Hall is just one part of sweeping regulations made under the new anti-protest laws that criminalise protest activity at or near over 40 train stations from Wollongong to the Hunter.

The regulations also extend harsh penalties to any protest that occurs on a main road anywhere in NSW. Main roads include George Street, Oxford Street, Lee Street and Taylor Square. These are places that have a rich history of protest and dissent.

Under these laws, large scale protests can only occur if the police give their prior consent. Police have repeatedly made clear that they oppose large scale protests such as the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests at Sydney Town Hall. No other comparable country with democratic traditions gives the police veto powers over protests.

Greens MP and Roads Spokesperson Abigail Boyd said:

“The NSW government has gotten drunk on power and has written legislation that seeks to curtail the right to political speech and the right to peaceful assembly in this state.

“The major parties are so captured by the interests of their big business mates that they are willing to trample on some of the most fundamental political rights of the people of NSW.

“Nobody likes to be criticised, but that doesn’t mean you get to imprison those who speak out against you.

Greens MP and Justice Spokesperson David Shoebridge said:

“These laws have been written with the clear intent of jailing the Government’s opponents. We know they will have an especially harsh impact on First Nations and climate protests.

“We have all seen what happens when police have the power to veto protests in Moscow and Beijing, now they have been given that same power or veto and arrest at Sydney Town Hall.

“The right to protest comes with the right to cause disruption. Quiet protest in a park that no one sees and doesn’t cause a stir won’t challenge any government, and that’s just how Labor and the Coalition want it.

“Police don’t like protests, especially when these protests are against police brutality and the racism of the justice system. Asking for their consent is seriously Orwellian,” Mr Shoebridge said.

Media Contact: (Angus Hoy for) Abigail 0416 130 969

More detail:

New Road Regulations:

Expand highly prohibitive laws that applied only to the Harbour Bridge to almost all the road network in NSW
Capture practically every road in NSW including all “main roads”<https://roads-waterways.transport.nsw.gov.au/business-industry/partners-suppliers/lgr/documents/classified-roads-schedule.pdf>, all highways, freeways, and toll roads
Applies to every bridge or tunnel in Sydney, Newcastle or Wollongong, as well as any bridge or tunnel connecting onto practically any road in NSW
The regulations essentially prohibit all street politics, marches and rallies in NSW that don’t receive prior sign off from the NSW Police

Crimes Act Regulations:

Cover metropolitan train stations, ferry and cruise terminals
Also apply to Lucas Heights Nuclear reactor, power stations and major distribution centres
You will now need explicit police approval to gather at or near Town Hall, which would have seen attendees at actions like the recent Black Lives Matter rally in 2020 faced with 2 years imprisonment and/or a $22,000 fine

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

Will you sign?

First Name

Last Name

Mobile phone

Address (Street, Suburb, State, Postcode)

Country

I want to volunteer

Join with Facebook

Join with Twitter

Today the Coalition has made it a crime to protest at Town Hall

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

Will you sign?

Join the Campaign

Join 49,851 other supporters in taking action