A show of power – theage.com.au

A show of power

MELISSA FYFE – The Sunday Age – October 25, 2009

…First came news that Batchelor had enthusiastically brought to cabinet a proposal to export millions of tonnes of the state’s dirty brown coal to India. Then it was revealed Premier John Brumby had become ”the leading advocate” in Canberra to secure more compensation for the old brown coal-fired stations in the emissions trading scheme. Kevin Rudd’s current proposal sees them pocket about $3 billion of the public’s money, even though economist Ross Garnaut said they should not get a cent.

But now there’s also something else, something symbolic of where Batchelor’s loyalties really lie between the hegemony and the other side. Almost two weeks ago, the energy minister unveiled laws designed to protect the brown coal-fired power stations from climate change protests.

The Electricity Industry Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill creates two new offences. If a person is found on a power station’s land or premises without authority they can go to jail for a year. Second, if a person damages, interferes with ”or attaches a thing” to the power station’s equipment, they risk two years’ jail. For this offence, the person must be found ”reckless” as to whether their act will result in disrupting electricity supply…

Liberty Victoria says there are already adequate laws dealing with trespass and criminal damage, but Batchelor says these measures are ”too vague, too broad, not appropriate and didn’t send that [safety] message”…

via A show of power – theage.com.au

So, someone with absolutely NO intention of doing any damage and with absolutely NO realistic way to disrupt electricity supply – lets for argument’s sake say they wanted to attach a banner to a cooling tower for some climate change publicity – could be jailed for two years as a result. And all because the word “reckless” was deliberately put in the legislation.