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A last-ditch plea from unions to scrap proposed laws that crack down on Victorian logging site protests has fallen on deaf ears.
The Sustainable Forests Timber Amendment (Timber Harvesting Safety Zones) Bill 2022 is set to be debated in Victoria’s upper house, and potentially put to a vote, on Thursday evening.
Under the legislation, the maximum jail sentence and fines for hindering, obstructing or interfering with timber harvesting operations would be increased to 12 months and more than $21,000.
Other existing rules would be strengthened inside timber harvesting safety zones, small and restricted areas where trees are logged.
Often used in protest activities, PVC and metal pipes would be added to the prohibited items list and authorised officers given additional powers to search containers, bags and vehicles as well as issue “banning notices” to repeat offenders.
As revealed by the Guardian on Thursday, the Victorian branches of the Maritime Union of Australia, the United Workers Union and Australian Services Union wrote to the state government in an 11th-hour bid to withdraw the “undemocratic” bill.
“The bill wrongly locates workplace risk in the democratic right to protest,” reads the letter to the premier, Daniel Andrews, the agriculture minister, Gayle Tierney, and the workplace safety minister, Ingrid Stitt.
“Any stripping away of the right to protest eventually finds its way to further limiting workplace action. 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.”
Andrews said he had not seen the letter but was aware of it, and insisted the bill struck the “right balance” between the right to protest and worker safety.
“Some of these work sites … are potentially very, very dangerous places. They need to be regulated, they need to be safe,” he said ahead of the upper house debate.
The changes were based on feedback from workers, many of whom were union members, Andrews added.
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The Victorian Greens’ leader, Samantha Ratnam, said it was grim day for Victoria’s native forests and democracy, saying she expected the major parties to join forces to pass the bill.
“This sets a worrying precedent for the right to protest in Victoria,” she said.
Despite repeated requests, Ratnam said Labor failed to provide any evidence of logging protesters threatening the safety of workers.
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The fact a tragedy was yet to occur does not mean the state government should not act to lessen its likelihood, Andrews argued.
“I’m sure there’s been near misses … often these things can be very, very much on the edge,” he said.
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