Victorian government agrees to deal with Sex party MP Fiona Patten to introduce protest exclusion zones outside fertility clinics

This article is more than 5 years old

This article is more than 5 years old

Protesters will be banned from harassing women on the steps of Victorian abortion clinics before the end of the year.

The Victorian government has agreed to a deal with Sex party MP Fiona Patten to put protest exclusion zones outside fertility clinics.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Abortion clinic exclusion zone will protect women, says Sex party’s Fiona Patten – link to video

Patten’s original private member’s bill called for 150-metre exclusion zones and hefty penalties for protesters who breach them, but she said it was up for negotiation.

“I’m particularly happy to get government support for the objective of my bill,” Patten said on Tuesday.

“I’m confident we’ve got the numbers.”

Melbourne city council cleared of failing to protect women from anti-abortion protesters Read more

On 26 August Melbourne city council was cleared by Melbourne’s supreme court of failing to protect women from anti-abortion protesters at an East Melbourne fertility clinic.

The court found the council had not failed in its duty, or broken the law, by allowing women to be harassed by protesters.

At the time the Victorian health minister, Jill Hennessy, said the government was reviewing Patten’s bill and would carefully consider it, “as with all legislation”.

On Tuesday Hennessy said a government bill would be introduced before the end of the year, taking into account Patten’s bill and making sure it was legally robust and enforceable.

“Legislation like this often is the subject of legal challenge,” she said.

“We need to get penalties commensurate to other public nuisance offences.”

The bill would give Victoria police the power to stop protesters harassing women.

“We know we’ve got a challenge of some women being filmed without their consent outside of termination clinics,” Hennessy said.

The proposed 150-metre zone was based on the Tasmanian model, but was not necessarily appropriate for Victoria.

“We don’t want to create a set of rules where we produce unintended consequences,” she said. “Ultimately we’re going to probably have to land on a distance.”

The government will introduce the legislation before the end of the year.

The Greens have indicated they will vote for it, and the Liberals will have a free vote, meaning the bill will pass.

Patten said she had support from a number of Liberal women MPs who supported the right of women to go to fertility clinics without being harassed.