A group of unions have hit out at the Andrews government over proposed legislation designed to criminalise environmental protests, which they say will stifle peaceful democratic action, calling for the bill to be scrapped.
The bill, which is before the state’s upper house, would see protesters who illegally enter timber harvesting zones to disrupt workers face 12 months jail time or $21,000 in fines.
In a letter sent to the premier, Daniel Andrews, and the state’s agriculture and workplace safety ministers, the unions argued the legislation is undemocratic and will not result in greater worker safety.
“Any stripping away of the right to protest eventually finds its way to further limiting workplace action,” the unions said in the letter, seen by Guardian Australia.
“Already Australia has some of the most restrictive laws around industrial action in the world. In the context of a climate crisis, the right to protest must be advanced not diminished.”
The letter is signed by the United Workers Union and the Victorian branch of the Maritime Union of Australia, as well as the Australian Service Union’s Victorian private sector branch and its Victorian and Tasmanian authorities and services branch.
The government has argued protests were putting the lives of forestry workers at risk. But the unions said no evidence has been provided of workplace injuries caused by protesters to substantiate the bill.
“We are deeply concerned that the bill is disproportionate, lacks sufficient safeguards and oversight, and makes a mockery of psycho-social safety in the workplace,” the letter said.
The Maritime Union of Australia’s Victorian branch secretary, Shane Stevens, said the right of protesters must be protected.
“In the union movement, we have seen it chipped away for years,” he said. “In the context of a climate crisis we need to defend that right for the benefit of everyone, including workers.”
The laws – which have been criticised by the Victorian Greens and environmental and human rights groups – would give authorised officers the authority to search people’s bags and vehicles for banned items such as metal pipes that make it difficult to move protesters on, and prevent them from entering the timber harvesting sites.
The Victorian government announced in 2019 it would phase out the logging of native forests by 2030.
Tasmania is debating laws that could see protesters fined up to $12,975 or jailed for 18 months for a first offence, and organisations up to $103,800, if they were judged to have obstructed workers or caused “a serious risk”. A final vote in the upper house is expected after state parliament returns later this month.
A Victorian government spokesperson said forest protest activity had increased in recent years and “dangerous” new tactics were presenting a safety risk to workers, authorised officers, police officers and the protesters.
“There have been instances of protesters blocking heavy working machinery, locking on to machinery, tethering tree sits to machinery and placing themselves under idle machinery – all of these tactics can have a detrimental impact on workers both physically and mentally,” the spokesperson said.
“Forestry workers, like other workers, are entitled to be mentally and physically safe as they go about their work regardless of how people may view that work.”
