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Rough sleepers will be moved on from around the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre and Elizabeth Quay bus station when the Land Forces defence and weapons expo rolls into town next month.
The admission that the government would move on rough sleepers from the security exclusion zone around the expo came out in the lengthy debate on the Land Forces Event (Special Power) Bill this week, which was passed after a marathon sitting in the upper house on Thursday night.
The bill, modelled on a similar piece of legislation used during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth in 2011, grants police special powers to beef up security for the expo.
The bill had support from the Liberals and One Nation, but questions from Greens MLC Sophie McNeill pushed proceedings late into the evening.
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McNeill was incensed by the expansive powers of the bill, while the government argued WA Police needed them to prevent the chaotic scenes that emerged during the expo in 2024, which brought Melbourne’s CBD to a standstill as different activist groups banded together to protest the major arms show.
About 10,000 international and interstate visitors were expected to attend the expo between October 6 and 8 and the state has budgeted $11.5 million to pay for the extraordinary levels of security.
The bill passed last night allows for a security exclusion area covering the convention centre and Elizabeth Quay busport for a period of 10 days around the event.
In that zone, police will be given powers to ban people, stop and search anyone they choose and remove face coverings.
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There is also a long list of banned items that police can confiscate, including speakers and microphones; dangerous animals; insects including bees; and items that could be used as weapons including flares and bottles.
There is a designated zone for protests and anyone who does not comply with police demands faces a fine of $6000.
During the debate on Tuesday the government’s lead on the bill in the upper house, Homelessness Minister Matthew Swinbourn, confirmed the state would move on rough sleepers within the security area but committed that they would be connected with homelessness services.
“I have given an undertaking as the minister for homelessness that I will ensure that outreach services are connected with those who are impacted by what is happening during Land Forces,” he said.
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McNeill flagged concerns the extent of powers afforded to police to deal with protesters under the legislation was “unconstitutional” and restricted people’s implied freedom of political communication.
“Human rights legal experts from the Human Rights Law Centre and The Australian Democracy Network warned the Cook Labor government that these laws were unconstitutional and restricted people’s implied freedom to political communication,” she said.
“But WA Labor chose to restrict the rights of Western Australians and ensure that the murderous weapons companies attending this arms fair didn’t have to hear or see anyone opposed to their presence.
“The provisions in this bill create deeply alarming and dangerous precedents that could have lasting repercussions for Western Australians’ ability to peacefully protest.”
During debate, Swinbourn rubbished the assertion the bill created any precedent.
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“This legislation has its own internal kill switch, which will be given effect after the event. Once the event is over, it will no longer be the law of this land; it will no longer apply,” he said.
“This legislation cannot be resurrected for the purposes of another commercial event.”
McNeill also took aim at a proposed amendment from One Nation MLC Philip Scott removing an exclusion that would have prevented people wearing face or head coverings for cultural or religious reasons from being forced by police to take them off.
Scott told parliament he believed the clause left a “gaping hole”.
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“I think the police should have the ability to have facial recognition of potential troublemakers,” he said, drawing a swift rebuke from McNeill.
“I think it is a disgraceful amendment and I think the member should be ashamed to have put it forward,” she told parliament.
The bill eventually passed with an amendment allowing the Corruption and Crime Commission to review the police operation.
WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch has previously said he intended to ban protesters flying from interstate who were involved in the Melbourne protest or have been violent at other protests.
The WA Anti-War Collective, which is leading the protest in October, said it would not set up in the established protest zone.
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Instead, it plans to set up outside the exclusion zone.
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Hamish Hastie is WAtoday’s state political reporter and the winner of five WA Media Awards, including the 2023 Beck Prize for best political journalism.Connect via X or email.AdvertisementAdvertisement