Public annoyance clause removed from Tasmanian Government's anti-protest legislation

Having passed the second reading stage before the winter break, the Police Offences Amendment (Workplace Protection) Bill was recommited to the committee stage for clauses 4 and 5 to be reconsidered with amendments.

This was the third time in 25 years that a bill had been recommitted to the committee stage after passing the second reading stage.

Leader of Government Business in the Legislative Council, Leonie Hiscutt, said the chamber needed to be wary in the future over recommital of a bill.

"As a general rule, recommital at this stage happens fairly rarely and very rarely - certainly not frequently or as a matter of course as it should be," she said.

Murchison independent MLC Ruth Forrest moved an amendment to rewrite part of the clause for it to be a public annoyance offence only if a worker was being obstructed from entering their workplace or worksite or from doing their job.

This was supported by the government and a majority of members.

However, when it came to argument and a vote of the clause in full, Ms Forrest rejected it in its entirety.

Ms Hiscutt pleaded with other members to support clause four.

"The amendment is tolerable and we ask members to please put it in there because it's crucial to the rest of the bill," she said.

The clause was voted out of the bill six votes to five.

Ms Forrest moved an amendment to clause 5 of the bill on unlawful entry on land and trespass penalties, which was ultimately successful and supported by the government.

The amendment sought to protect industrial action from aggravated penalty and for aggravated trespass to only apply when workers were prevented from going about their work

Labor's Sarah Lovell questioned why the government had not previously supported her proposed amendment, which was essentially the same as that proposed by Ms Forrest.

Ms Hiscutt said Labor's amendment exempted industrial action as well as trespass of workers onto a worksite.

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