Today the Victorian Liberal Nationals will introduce a bill to reinstate Victoria’s Move-on Laws to keep the Victorian community safe and minimise commuter disruptions.
In 2015, one of Daniel Andrews’ first acts as Premier was to repeal Victoria’s Move-on Laws, leaving Victoria Police hamstrung in their ability to break-up dangerous protests and manage deliberately disruptive individuals.
The Summary Offences Amendment (Move-on Laws) Bill 2019 will reintroduce key elements of Victoria’s Move-on Laws, including:
· Reintroduce the reasons why a Move-on order may be given, including in relation to committing an offence in a public place, conduct causing a reasonable apprehension of violence in another person, causing undue obstruction to a person or traffic, or impeding a person from lawfully entering or leaving a premises.
· Reinstate arrest powers for those in contravention of a Move-on order, and require recipients of Move-on orders to provide their name and address if requested.
· Remove exceptions to Move-on orders relating to demonstrating or protesting a particular issue, or behaving in a way that is apparently intended to publicise the person’s view about a particular issue.
These Move-on Laws will also include strengthened exclusion orders, where an exclusion order must be sought by Victoria Police if the arrest was made in relation to a known, ongoing protest or demonstration.
These enhanced laws will return to Victoria Police a valuable tool to break-up dangerous and disruptive protests, help keep Victorians going about their lawful business safe from violence, threats and intimidation and hold offenders to account.
Today Daniel Andrews has a choice to support stronger laws to break-up unlawful, dangerous protests or leave Victoria Police without the powers they need to keep the community safe.
Comments attributable to Shadow Minister for Police and Community Safety, David Southwick:
“Everyone has the right to protest but no one has the right to hold up others or the city to ransom.
“In 2015, Daniel Andrews repealed Victoria’s Move-on Laws, leaving Victoria Police without the tools they need to promptly and effectively break-up dangerous protests.
“Labor’s slap on the wrist punishments are a green light to those who want to disrupt the daily lives of others and place the community’s safety at risk.
“The Victorian Liberal Nationals Move-on Laws will balance the right of all Victorians to peaceful protest, with the interests of the general public and the good order of our community.”