Details of photos used to justify new protest laws blocked from release

This article is more than 11 months old

This article is more than 11 months old

The Palaszczuk government has blocked the release of basic information about climate protests – including dates and locations of photographs used to justify controversial proposed laws – by claiming the details are subject to cabinet confidentiality.

At an inquiry hearing last week, the Queensland police tabled photographs of “locking devices” that are proposed to be banned by the new legislation.

When asked on notice to clarify details about the images, the police responded a week later to say: “the time, date and place of each of the events depicted in the tendered photographs are subject to cabinet in confidence”.

The government has attempted to sell its crackdown on climate protesters by making arguments that activists are “extremists” and using “sinister tactics”, including lacing locking devices with booby traps. No evidence has ever been released to back those claims.

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In parliament, the premier, Annastacia Palaszuczk, claimed activists had put butane canisters in locking devices. Police told the inquiry last week the only similar incident occurred more than 14 years ago.

After heightened Extinction Rebellion protests this month, the government is now rushing to get its laws through committee scrutiny and before parliament. But civil libertarians and human rights advocates have considerable concern the proposals, which they say will restrict basic liberties and have been justified by claims which the government cannot back up.

Last week the state’s human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, questioned the justification for the laws and said there had not been an opportunity to “publicly scrutinise evidence ... to assess the necessity”.

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“It would appear that the proposed laws targeting devices that are not inherently dangerous are actually directed at avoiding the disruption caused by peaceful acts of civil disobedience rather than addressing public safety,” McDougall said.

Guardian Australia has confirmed that photographs posted on social media by Palaszczuk when announcing the laws were from a protest that occurred more than 18 months ago in north Queensland, although her public commentary has made it clear the laws have been prompted by disruptive Extinction Rebellion protests in Brisbane.

Images tabled by police – whose dates cabinet wants to keep secret – were from the same incident in January, 2018.

The Greens MP Michael Berkman said use of cabinet confidentiality was “pure cynicism”.

“These laws were always designed as a distraction from Labor’s support for new thermal coalmines and failure to commit to 100% clean energy. Now it’s clear how little evidence they actually have,” Berkman said.

“It’s pure cynicism to use an image as a political tool, then claim that its date and location are state secrets. This wouldn’t fly in a grade-10 science project, and it’s not good enough for the Queensland parliament.

“Under scrutiny the premier’s favourite talking point about aerosol canisters turned out to be an unsubstantiated rumour from 2005, so I’m not surprised Labor refuse to release the details.”

The laws will go before the state parliament next week.