JULY 9, 2019: I will push for stronger penalties to be imposed on green activists who want to target businesses in the mining industry, in the same way that the Government is set to impose stronger penalties on vegan activists who trespass on properties and harass farmers and agricultural businesses.

An Agricultural Protection Bill was introduced into Parliament last week, which will pave the way for similar legislation to protect mining businesses.

The continued antics of green activists are not going to stop and we now have green groups talking about taking ‘blockade action’ and harassing business owners with phone calls.

What we need are tougher laws to put an end to the persecution of businesses, the disruption of business activities and the disruption of various members of the community who are just going about their daily lives.

What I am proposing is to copy the law we are introducing into Parliament against militant vegan activists who illegally target farms and agribusiness, and make a new law with takes on the extreme green activists who are targeting law-abiding mining-related businesses and their workers.

I raised this in the Joint Party Room last week with the Attorney General and the Prime Minister, and I will be following up in the weeks to come.

The Criminal Code Amendment (AgriculturalProtection) Bill 2019 will make it a criminal offence to use a carriageservice to transmit or distribute material to incite illegal activity or thedestruction of property.

Just as these vegan activists need to face tougher penalties for publicising the addresses of farms and inciting people to trespass, disrupt and even steal from farmers, so too do green activists who harass mining-related business owners and workers.

I also commend the work being done by the State LNP on this front with their plan to impose three new criminal offences which increase fines and terms of imprisonment for aggravated, criminal and organised trespass.