Media coverage: The Guardian
New law will punish unlawful entry on ‘enclosed lands’ with up to three years in jail and fines of $22,000.
Pauline Wright, the president of the NSW Civil Liberties Council, said the new law was unnecessary and the wording too broad.
Wright said that existing laws against trespass already dealt with the issue adequately. The government had earlier increased the penalty from $550 to $5,500 in 2016.
“I can’t see the purpose of these new laws,” she said. “The existing laws already criminalise the behaviour that is targeted by this. It seems to just be grandstanding on the part of the politicians.
“We of course don’t like the notion of anyone entering on private land and acting unlawfully, and that shouldn’t be condoned. And it’s not. The law already adequately deals with that. Imposing tougher penalties won’t do anything. All the research indicates this does not act as a deterrent.”
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