[Greens-Media] Public participation protection needed

[Manderson, Roland]

ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey Media Release

Fri 19 Aug 2005


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Public participation protection needed



ACT Greens MLA Deb Foskey has pointed to the continuing unjustified behaviour of Tasmanian timber company Gunns Limited in pursuing 20 environmentalists as evidence of the need for anti-SLAPP legislation throughout Australia.

"The Victorian Supreme Court has thrown the Gunns case out of court once, and this week ordered it to pay court costs of the 20 people it is persecuting. Undeterred, Gunns has re-filed its case" Dr Foskey said today.  

"Despite the very obvious inadequacies of its case, Gunns is continuing with legal action in order to intimidate its opposition.  By these actions, it is demonstrating very clearly that we need legislation to protect the right of the public to act in support of social, community and political causes."

"The Court Procedures (Protection of Public Participation) Amendment Bill 2005, which I introduced to the Legislative Assembly in June, and which has been drafted to prevent the use of Strategic Litigation against public participation (SLAPP) suites, is still before the House. For this bill to succeed I need the support of the ACT Government."
 
"The ball is in their court" Dr Foskey said. 


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Roland Manderson   Media Advisor
ACT   Greens    MLA  Deb  Foskey  
Legislative Assembly for the ACT 
ph(02)62050551      m 0412241379
==== www.act.greens.org.au ===== 
  
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