Victoria has a bad law which the Andrews Government interprets to allow them to invoice the organisers of any private function if attendees need police protection from a violent mob. According to Victorian Police Minister Lisa Neville, such victims of lawlessness should pay for the distraction from “other police duties and crime prevention”.

And here we were, thinking the main role of Victoria Police was preventing crime and keeping Victorians safe and secure.

Is the Andrews Government arguing that people who buy tickets are magically not entitled to police protection from targeted violence when they want to hear a speech and ask a question, simply because the event is “commercial”, and not a violent protest in the street? If not, then why weren’t the organisers of the violent mob sent a bill for their advertised event?

The effect of this law is that if you organise a free speech event with a speaker the real fascists don’t approve of, they can block a major highway, intimidate and harass attendees and wilfully damage private property and bear absolutely no responsibility for the cost of police required to manage their lawless behaviour.

However, if you wish to organise a peaceful assembly of concerned citizens to debate important public issues, you will face crippling financial fees which would guarantee that the event would not go ahead or would be diluted beyond recognition in order to appease those people most prepared to be violent and irrational to get their way.

The effect of this very bad law is that domestic terrorists get to veto meetings which refute their ideas and challenge their agendas.

This is a bad law, and to so cavalierly dismiss the very bad effects this law has on public debate and Australian democracy is clearly bad government.

Sorry, Daniel Andrews and Lisa Neville. “The role of Victoria Police is to serve the Victorian Community and uphold the law so as to promote a safe, secure and orderly society.” If that sounds familiar, that’s because it’s legislated too. The legal advice I’ve received is that when Victoria Police’s actions contradict their role, judicial review will probably point you guys back in the right direction.

But why does it take a Court to tell the Andrews government the patently obvious? Blaming the victims of violent and intimidating political tactics merely enables the Thugs’ Veto. Instead of preventing violence and protecting the public, their actions, in effect, incentivise and reward it.

Forget about the pretty sounding political language of “user pays”, and have a sober look at the real world effect your bad laws and policies are having on public safety and common law rights and freedoms.

The heartbreaking scenes of open warfare between violent extremists and the general public with only a thin blue line between us is not what Victoria or Australia should be known for.

It’s a scary and daunting task to tell a police force and a socialist government to see you court, but I will look my future grandchildren in the eyes and tell them I left nothing in the tank in making sure they get to inherit the kind of Australia my grandparents would have wanted for them – free and just.

If you’d like to help defend free speech, please visit FreeSpeechCoalition.info to sign the petition and/or donate to the fighting fund.

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