- by Peter Farmer
- The Guardian
- Issue #2122
Disturbing news from a recent Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), meeting in South Australia recently. There are rumours that South Australia is working on even stricter laws around protestors and protests. In Adelaide the steps of Parliament house were available to protesters with permission but that is allegedly being banned. South Australia already has the strictest protest laws in the country, with fines of up to $50,000 for obstructing a public place (what constitutes ‘obstructing’ has been left conveniently vague).
According to the Human Rights Law Centre, 49 laws affecting protest have been introduced in federal, state, and territory parliaments over the last two decades. New South Wales has introduced the most anti-protest laws, while South Australia has the toughest financial penalties .
An Aboriginal Man, Wayne “Coco” Wharton was arrested near the Sydney Opera House after protesting against Charles and Camilla Windsor’s visit to Australia.
There’s no suggestion in the media that Wharton was any kind of danger to the Windsors, he seems to have been arrested for refusing to move on.
