Climate Change and Environment
NSW government’s new laws an attack on basic human rights
Last year, the NSW government passed laws to prohibit and criminalise the right to peacefully protest.
The NSW Nurses and Midwives’ Association (NSWNMA) stands in solidarity with the trade union and civil society movement in condemning these laws.
Under the legislation introduced on 1 April 2022, protestors who demonstrate and disrupt major public roads or facilities can be fined up to $22,000 and be jailed for up to two years.
The right to protest is instrumental to Australia’s democracy and is responsible for significant societal improvements, including women’s right to vote, the 8-hour workday and marriage equality, to name a few.
Harsh penalties and legal actions have already been imposed on climate protestors in NSW under the anti-protest laws, restricting their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly – this is an unacceptable violation of their basic rights to peaceful protest.
The biggest issue of the 21st century is climate change. We are committed to action on climate because of its wide-ranging health implications.
This is why we are supporting the call to stop Santos from opening coal seam gas mining in Narrabri and the Liverpool Plains, against the wishes of the Gomeroi traditional owners and many of the farmers in the region.
The right to protest as a collective is essential in countering the influence of the fossil fuel industry. The people of NSW deserve leadership on the climate crisis, not an ideological attempt to silence us when we speak up for the health of our land, water and communities.
The NSW government is attempting to silence its political opponents and advance its conservative agenda.