Anti-association laws will affect Australia’s most vulnerable

28 Jul 2018

Media release

July 28, 2018

Justice Connect is deeply concerned about proposed new laws announced by the Andrews Labor government.

These laws, which are being rushed through without appropriate consideration and consultation, appear likely to limit Victorians’ right to associate with people they choose to.

“These laws could disproportionately affect people facing homelessness, who are often forced to live their lives in public spaces,” said Professor Gillian Triggs, Chair of Justice Connect.

“Victoria’s Charter of Human Rights specifies rights like freedom of association and freedom of movement, which of offer vital safeguards to people experiencing homelessness. Any laws which risk running counter to those rights must, in our view, be reconsidered,” said Prof Triggs.

The details of these laws have yet to be announced, but will give Victoria Police the power to issue ‘anti-association’ notices to children as young as 14.

“When living your life in public space, you are more likely to interact with police and enforcement agencies and be charged with minor offences. The proposed laws risk creating another vehicle for the criminalisation and isolation of some of the most vulnerable people in our community, those who are experiencing homelessness.”

Last year, a coalition of 54 homelessness, housing and legal services, with support from the United Nations about international human rights violations, joined together to stop local laws that would have effectively criminalised rough sleeping in Melbourne.

“Restrictive, enforcement-based approaches are a notoriously costly and ineffective path of using the law to tackle people experiencing homelessness and other marginalised community members, and we are concerned that the proposed laws will be a backward step for all Victorians,” said Prof Triggs.

Read Gillian Trigg’s opinion piece in The Saturday Paper