Law & order

The NSW Upper House inquiry into floodplain harvesting hadn’t even finished hearing evidence when a barrage of media releases came from the Victorian and NSW National Parties ... What caused this great flurry of excitement by the Nationals? It appears the excitement was generated by how floodplain harvesting sits as an offence under s60A of the Water Management Act. This does not mean floodplain harvesting is lawful, it just means that provision doesn’t catch it.

Evidence presented this week at the NSW Upper House Select Committee on Floodplain Harvesting has shown without licencing, floodplain harvesting will increase across the state, having negative impacts on the environment. Minister for Water, Property and Housing Melinda Pavey said evidence presented at the inquiry demonstrates the importance of regulating this activity.

An attempt by Labor to increase penalties and offences for timber workers and timber harvesting has nothing to do with forest management, and everything to do with inner-city politics. Member for Western Victoria  Bev McArthur, has told the Victorian Parliament that Labor’s legislation is about sacrificing jobs in the bush to appease inner-city ideologues.

A Maryborough man has been fined $25,000 in the Maryborough Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to destroying marine plants and conducting unauthorised works in a declared Fish Habitat Area at Kalah Creek.

Mark Latham. NSW One Nation supports people fighting for their rights through the Australian legal system during this time of massive government failure in our State. We have record mental health cases, youth self-harm, businesses collapsing, and people losing their jobs and being isolated socially. The NSW Lockdown has failed in every respect. This is why we support the court challenge by NSW religious bodies to return to religious practice in a Covid safe and responsible way.

Queensland has marked the historic milestone of the opening of applications to recognise Torres Strait Islander traditional child rearing practice under new law that translates as “for our children’s children’’. It follows more than 30 years of advocacy by Kupai Omasker Elders to allow Torres Strait Islanders raised by extended family to transfer their legal identity from birth parents to cultural parents.

Workers in rural and regional NSW can now carpool to and from work in a COVID-safe way following an amendment to the NSW Government’s Public Health Orders.

The NSW Government has announced a public inquiry to investigate the serious issues plaguing Wingecarribee Shire Council and help restore community confidence in the Council. Minister for Local Government Shelley Hancock said it followed a recommendation from the Wingecarribee Shire Council interim administrator Viv May to hold a public inquiry which will provide an independent, open and transparent process to help improve its performance.

The Labor and Liberal parties have voted to pass the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020 which makes three new warrants available to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) ... “The Richardson review concluded that this bill enables the AFP and ACIC to be ‘judge, jury and executioner.’ That’s not how we deliver justice in this country.” said Senator Lidia Thorpe, the Greens spokesperson for Justice.