Labor need to support workplace protection laws

It is time for Labor to get off the fence and back our workplace protection laws which are clearly needed here in Tasmania. 

It beggars belief that Labor would come out and condemn the Bob Brown Foundation’s most recent protests, yet refuse to support laws that are designed to allow hard working Tasmanians to earn a living for their families without fear of dangerous protests occurring in their workplace. 

Hopefully Shane Broad’s statement today is

an indication that Labor has backflipped again this week - like last week’s reversal on 11/12 extension schools - and will now support our priority Workplace Protection legislation, which they previously tried to block. 

To the Bob Brown Foundation, I say enough is enough and I call on these protesters to cease their dangerous and threatening actions.

These latest protests are attacking a facility where hard working Tasmanians are lawfully producing high quality products that are used for building homes here in Tasmania and across the nation. 

The protesters have followed harvesting operations from Wentworth hills, which is Permanent Timber Production Zone (PTPZ) land and was specifically set aside for sustainable forest harvesting by both Houses of State Parliament and agreed to by the Greens.

We support the right to protest peacefully but dangerous actions are unacceptable and at a time when we desperately need to protect jobs and regional economies, it is extremely disappointing that BBF protesters would invade a legitimate workplace to try to stop hard-working Tasmanians earning a living.

I call on Shane Broad to speak with the Labor member for Derwent and his Upper House colleagues, to explain why our Workplace Protection legislation is needed and ask that they support it for the sake of Tasmanian workers.