[Greens-Media] Push for tougher laws to hit climate protesters condemned

[Lee Rhiannon]

MEDIA RELEASE
15 December 2008 

Push for tougher laws to hit climate protesters condemned

Greens MP Lee Rhiannon has condemned any move to crack down on climate change protesters as a clear sign that the NSW government along with other state and federal governments is preparing for a public backlash over their failure to create a strong emissions trading scheme and to rein in the coal industry. 

Ms Rhiannon was commenting on the review the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) has been asked to undertake by Energy Ministers into “unlawful disruption of energy facilities”.

“NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos should stand up for people’s right to protest and refuse to go along with any Australia wide attempt to limit civil rights,” Ms Rhiannon said. 

“This proposed SCAG review is a clear admission by state and federal governments that they know their response to climate change is weak and that they expect protests.

“Climate change actions have been building in recent months with more than 150 people arrested at a variety of non-violent protests this year.

“NSW laws are already extremely tough on protesters involved in occupying power stations or any other facilities. The Attorney General should not even consider making the penalties more extreme.

“If federal Labor adopts a weak position on emissions trading as expected protest actions will increase and more arrests could be expected. 

“The people putting themselves in non-violent arrestable situations at these protests are to be congratulated. Their actions alert the public and decision makers of the climate change urgency.

“It is to be expected that these actions will increase as scientists have predicted that humanity only has a few years to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to keep human induced temperature increases below two degrees. 
 
“In July this year more than 60 people were arrested in Newcastle at the Climate Change Protest Camp actions that attracted participants from across Australia. Most of those arrested were involved in a mass action to stop a coal train going into Newcastle Port. 

“Non-violent arrestable actions played a key role in the campaigns to end the South African apartheid regime and the Vietnam War and to achieve important environmental wins from saving the rainforests in northern NSW to the Franklin River in Tasmania,” Ms Rhiannon said. 



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