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Victoria\u2019s police chief will be given sweeping powers to shut down or move on protests in the aftermath of terrorist events, while officers carrying rifles will be deployed to the Boxing Day Test following the Bondi terror attack.<\/p>\n
Jacinta Allan on Monday announced Victoria will follow New South Wales by introducing legislation to parliament next year granting the police commissioner the power to \u201cstop or move on a public protest within a certain time following a designated terrorist event\u201d.<\/p>\n
The Victorian premier said her government was still receiving legal advice on whether attacks in other states would trigger the powers and how long they would apply but noted the new powers would likely be modelled on the NSW legislation<\/a>, <\/strong>under which protests can be banned for 14 days.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have always defended the right to protest \u2013 and we will not allow a return to the undemocratic laws that aim to reduce the power of workers \u2013 but the safety of the community is paramount,\u201d Allan told reporters.<\/p>\n \u201cThere is a need for there to be calm, for there to be cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n The move is expected to be welcomed by the police commissioner, Mike Bush, who earlier on Monday said he had been in discussions with the government about being given the power to \u201cveto protests when they\u2019re not appropriate\u201d.<\/p>\n Bush maintained Victoria did not need a protest permit system like in NSW but urged people not to protest after the Bondi attack, saying it would be \u201cvery inappropriate\u201d.<\/p>\n He announced the police Critical Incident Response Team (Cirt), carrying long-arm semi-automatic rifles, would be deployed to the Boxing Day Test as an additional security measure after the attack.<\/p>\n Sign up: AU Breaking News email<\/sub><\/a><\/p>\n But he stressed the decision was proactive and \u201cbased on the current threat environment and not a specific new threat\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe reason we\u2019re doing this is to provide reassurance to the public that we are here always to keep them safe but also as a deterrent,\u201d Bush said.<\/p>\n He said the Cirt officers will be \u201chighly visible\u201d across all five days of play, joining an additional 120 officers outside the MCG. He said similar deployments would be considered on a case-by-case basis at other major events over summer, including the Australian Open.<\/p>\n Allan also announced the government would fast-track the civil law aspects of the state\u2019s new anti-vilification laws<\/a> to come into effect in April 2026, instead of mid-year.<\/p>\n The government will also amend the laws to remove the requirement for consent from the Director of Public Prosecutions before police can pursue criminal vilification charges \u2013 a compromise that was reached with the crossbench<\/a> in order for the bill to pass parliament in April.<\/p>\n