{"id":232534,"date":"2019-04-08T10:28:25","date_gmt":"2019-04-08T00:28:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=232534"},"modified":"2019-04-08T23:49:05","modified_gmt":"2019-04-08T13:49:05","slug":"on-the-spot-fines-for-farm-invaders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2019\/04\/08\/on-the-spot-fines-for-farm-invaders\/","title":{"rendered":"On-The-Spot Fines For Farm ‘Invaders’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Agricultural Industry Development Minister Mark Furner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

April 8, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

The State Government announced on-the-spot fines at the weekend for farm “invaders” but has not yet revealed what those penalties will be.<\/p>\n

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said police and Agriculture Department officers would have the power to issue on-the-spot fines, a faster penalty than pursing trespass charges.<\/p>\n

As well, the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries will form a joint Taskforce with the Queensland Police Service intelligence unit to focus specifically on animal activism.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our farmers to get on with their job, to be able to work in a stress-free environment and not have activists, who are coming mainly from interstate to Queensland, causing them distress, which has an impact on our export industry as well,\u201d the Premier said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand the stress that this issue is causing our farmers, our families.<\/p>\n

Last week, Minister Furner and I had the opportunity to talk directly to the Queensland Farmers\u2019 Federation about this important issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do not believe anyone would believe that it is acceptable for people to cause this distress to hardworking families who work hard on the land.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agriculture Minister Mark Furner said there has been an escalation in the tactics of militant activists who appeared to assume their beliefs “somehow place them outside the rule of law”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis is completely against the tenets that underpin a law-abiding democratic society,\u201d Mr Furner said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a consequence of this new and completely inappropriate era of activism the Palaszczuk Government is drawing a line in the sand.<\/p>\n

\u201cEveryone has the right to protest, but nobody has the right to break the law.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bottom line is nobody should enter a livestock operation without proper authorisation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are complicated environments with strict biosecurity requirements.\u201d<\/p>\n

Opposition spokesman Tim Mander welcomed the announcement but said it was “long overdue”.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We believe the fines need to be very, very heavy and we think jail terms should be an option,” he said.<\/p>\n

He said the fines should be “thousands of dollars, not hundreds of dollars”.<\/p>\n

“We have to send a clear message to these activists that they must obey the law.”<\/p>\n

* * *<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The move by the State Government followed information that animal rights activist organisations were planning a co-ordinated “national day of action” on Monday.<\/strong><\/p>\n

By noon on Monday, protests had occurred in the Melbourne CBD, at Melbourne Aquarium and at abattoirs in Pakenham and Geelong in Victoria, Goulburn in NSW, and Yangan in Queensland.<\/p>\n

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