The Tasmanian government will have to decide whether to accept a significantly watered-down version of its flagship anti-protest legislation after the state's upper house substantially altered the bill to reduce its scope and penalties.
Requiring police to prove protesters "substantially" obstructed workers and intended to do so
Reducing maximum penalties for individual protesters from $13,575 for a first offence to $9,050, with the maximum prison term increased from 12 months to 18 months Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest supported the bill before the winter break but yesterday persuaded the council to consider new amendments to the bill, arguing it did not strike the right balance between protecting workers and protecting the right to protest.Ms Forrest represents an electorate in the far north-west of Tasmania where many people are employed in mining and forestry and is the location of many environmental protests.
Ms Forrest argued this meant the new offences could be applied to people unintentionally blocking workers or workplaces unconnected to protests.
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