Human rights advocates have lambasted Western Australia’s Cook government over its proposed “extraordinary powers” for police to use against those protesting a major defence and weapons expo in October.
Fri 28 Aug 2026 01.00 AEST
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Human rights advocates have lambasted Western Australia’s Cook government over its proposed “extraordinary powers” for police to use against those protesting a major defence and weapons expo in October.
The three-day Land Forces event is held biennially, with Perth making its hosting debut later this year.
It’s expected that around 10,000 local and international delegates and visitors will attend.
WA’s Police Minister Reece Whitby said the Land Forces Bill will give police additional powers to establish checkpoints, stop and search people and vehicles without reason and request identity documents.
He also confirmed the department will receive an additional $10.5 million for personnel and equipment.
“These temporary powers will ensure WA Police have the necessary tools to safely manage a major international defence event, balancing the right to peacefully protest with the need to keep the community safe,” he said.
However, human rights advocates have warned the powers could be abused and used to shut down peaceful protests.
“The Cook Government is trying to create some of the most restrictive anti-protest laws in the country,” said Sarah Schwartz, legal director at the Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC).
Ms Schwartz said the legislation represents an attack on the right to protest and a “significant overreach” into basic democratic freedoms.
The 2024 expo in Melbourne was marred by ugly clashes between police and some protesters, with the ABC reporting officers were “pelted with rocks, cans of baked beans, and horse manure, and sprayed with acid”.
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It said 42 people were arrested on the first day and 27 officers required medical attention.
However, many were there to protest peacefully, with Ms Schwartz arguing police shouldn’t interfere with “fundamental freedoms”.
“People wishing to peacefully express their views are likely to be deterred from attending any peaceful public assembly in or around the Convention Centre during the Land Forces event period,” she said.
“This chilling effect and the potential for the vast powers to be mistakenly applied represents a significant burden on the freedom of political communication and the right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.”
The Cook Labor government has a separate bill underway that would allow WA Police to deny protest permits on grounds that critics have described as “vague and broad”.
“Australia has a proud tradition of disruptive protest, including women’s suffrage, the fight for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander civil rights and massive marches against the Vietnam War,” said Bill Browne, the director of the Australia Institute’s Democracy and Accountability program.
“In recent years, state governments have chipped away at protest rights in an attempt to escape scrutiny.”
WA’s bill is the latest in a wave of tougher protest laws introduced across the states and territories in recent years.
Polling for the Australia Institute in 2024 showed 71 per cent of Australians support federal legislation to protect the right to protest – which is designed to stop over-reach by state laws.
“Protests have proven effective at forcing governments to change direction and make concessions, and that’s why they face such stiff resistance,” said Mr Browne.
