Abortion clinic-style bans on protesters congregating outside places of worship are unlikely to be introduced in Western Australia, despite suggestions from senior Jewish legal figures amid heightened antisemitism. Source: ABC News.
The proposal, raised in the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion, could mirror similar buffer zones already in place around the nation’s abortion clinics.
While Jewish leaders argue protests outside places of worship can intimidate worshippers, experts warn a blanket ban may be unconstitutional and cause more problems if not applied correctly.
When asked if the WA Government was considering a ban, Attorney General Tony Buti said his focus was on “preventing harm, reducing intimidation” and empowering police to keep people safe.
That includes a bill currently before the state’s upper house, drafted in the wake of the Bondi terror attack and the alleged attempted attack on Perth’s Invasion Day rally.
“[It] will give police power to refuse a permit for a protest, including outside places of worship, that promote animosity or harassment of people because of their religion,” Dr Buti said.
But those changes do not specifically address places of worship.
Instead, once passed, police would be able to refuse permits for protests which promote hate against people based on factors like their race, religion or gender identity.
Former Commonwealth attorney general Mark Dreyfus called for laws which go further at the royal commission last month: “not to ban political protests … but rather to protect Jewish Australians”.
The New South Wales government last year attempted to empower police to move on protesters from near places of worship.
But that change was later deemed unconstitutional for impinging on the implied right of freedom of political communication.
Protest law expert at Deakin Law School, Maria O’Sullivan, said that was partly because the powers were too broad, capturing any protest near a place of worship, of which there are many in Sydney’s CBD.
Groups which advocate on behalf of survivors of child sexual abuse have also raised concerns about the impact of such laws on their activities.
Neither the Catholic nor Anglican churches indicated a desire for changes to protest laws when approached by the ABC.
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WA ban on protests outside places of worship unlikely amid heightened antisemitism (By Keane Bourke, ABC News)
