VIC and QLD , Bed buddies.

[Outbackjack]

https://www.newmatilda.com/2014/01/2...protest-rights

[tweeked]

Dont really have a problem with what is proposed here. It doesn't outlaw protests - just means they have to move on and not block people going about their lawful business.

The current example of the East West tunnel protest is a good one - they nearly sent a poor cafe owner to the wall due to them blocking customers getting into his shop just because a building company that was tendering for the work had offices in the building above him.

Walk around and protest all you like - but keep out of the way of those who have nothing to do with your cause. If your cause is good enough you will get the support you are after - no need to be a ratbag.

[2011G6E]

After seeing the alleged "anti-bikie laws" which were changed a few times and now it's admitted by the government and police commissioner that they can cover anyone, whether you have ever been in a club or not, plenty of people up here are suspicious about the upcoming "out of control party laws".

They will say that an "out of control party" is a gathering of twelve or more people, where three of those people create a public nuisance...think swearing loudly, drunk and disorderly, blocking a footpath, etc. Now, the interesting bit is that the police then do not need a warrant to enter the premises and "take control", and the organiser of the party is then subject to a sentence of 12 months jail and a massive fine.

The suspicion is that with the G20 coming up in Brisbane, these could easily be "modified" and "fine tuned" like the "bikie laws" were, and cover any gathering of people anywhere.
Convenient.

Of course, there's that mistaken belief amongst the public that people have "rights" in Australia. We don't...we have no USA-style "bill of rights" attached to our constitution (though many many people mistakenly believe we do), and we only really have whatever "rights" the government of the day decides we are ALLOWED to have. Why do you think it's so easy to pass laws like the VLAD "bikie" laws (which don't actually mention "bikies" anywhere, just "persons"), confiscate your expensive personal property (your car) under "hoon laws", and for governments to just walk in an "resume" your house and land and kick you out when they need to build a highway or something?

Yes, a senior magistrate some years back did comment that we have an "implied" freedom of speech because of some previous government rulings, but "implied" isn't worth the paper it (isn't) written on. Yes, Australia has signed up to UN treaties on various things, but they have no real power as they would infringe on a countries sovereign rights to pass whatever laws internally that it sees fit to "maintain law and order". You don't have rights, you are only supposed to sit quietly and hope the government doesn't notice you, or they can very easily pass whatever laws they want to control you quite easily. Sad, but true.