Peaceful Assembly Act Works fine

Michael Cope, QCCL President said today, “The Council welcomes yesterday’s decision by the Chief Magistrate to reject the Brisbane City Council‘s application to prohibit the protest march in the city this morning.“

That decision was made under the Peaceful Assembly Act, which was introduced to bring an end to the arbitrary and undemocratic laws which existed under the Bjelke Petersen regime.

The intervention by the Council before the Court was a political stunt by the new Mayor of which the former Premier would have been proud.

“It is clear, that there is a right peaceful protest in this State. Sometimes, when rights are exercised in a democracy other people are inconvenienced. That is the price that we pay for having a democracy.“

The Council calls on protest groups to respect the legal arrangements and to apply for permits. Those applications will allow relevant government authorities to plan for the events and to minimise disruption and inconvenience to other individuals.

Equally, the Council says the police have an obligation to facilitate protest.

“Having said all that, the Peaceful Assembly Act is not perfect. In 2017, the Queensland Court of Appeal held that protestors with a permit are still subject to council regulations in the mall. We say that this should be amended so that the final decision as to what restrictions apply to protests in Brisbane City Council malls, is made by the Magistrate. This will take that decision making process out of the hands of politicians.”

——

For further information contact Michael Cope President QCCL on 07 3223 5939 during office hours and at all times on 0432 847 154