We spoke about the right to protest a little earlier – and here is one of the reasons why it needs to be protected.

Here is the bill the Victorian Liberals have offered up to the parliament:

The Bill provides for the registration and authorisation of public protests, confers legal protection for participants in authorised protests, establishes a regime for prohibition and exclusion orders, prohibits the wearing of face coverings at protests (other than for religious purposes), and makes consequential amendments to the Summary Offences Act 1966.

In summary, the Bill:
a. Introduces a registration and authorisation scheme for public protests, enabling the Chief Commissioner of Police and the Supreme Court to approve, refuse, or impose conditions on protests;
b. Allows for prohibition orders to prevent organisers from conducting protests likely to cause serious disruption, endanger public safety, or require unreasonable police resources
c. Establishes exclusion orders restricting individuals from entering specified public places for protest purposes where they have repeatedly been subject to “move on” directions;
d. Prohibits wearing face coverings at protests except for religious reasons, with police powers to direct removal of such coverings; and
e. Amends the Summary Offences Act 1966 to remove certain provisions relating to “move on” powers.
Human Rights Issues