The legislation has attracted a fair share of criticism
By Lucy Cocoran, April 4, 2022
Late last week, the NSW Government passed new, tougher punishments for protests (and protesters) across the state. Under the new legislation, protesters could be could be fined up to $22,000 and/or jailed for a maximum of two years for protesting illegally on public roads, rail lines, tunnels, bridges and industrial estates.
As it currently stands, this applies to ports in Newcastle, Port Kembla and Port Botany, but the government have already expressed plans to add to this list in the near future.
The new rules come after a climate change strike last month disrupted major operations around Sydney’s Port Botany. Members of Blockade Australia staged their protests on bridges, roads, freight rail lines and a crane to call for greater action on climate change. A few weeks later, four people were arrested after blocking peak-hour traffic on the Princes Highway in Sylvania.
