Senate debates

Thursday, 12 September 2019

Bills

Criminal Code Amendment (Agricultural Protection) Bill 2019; In Committee

1:35 pm

Photo of Bridget McKenzieBridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) | Hansard source

Firstly the DPP will have to decide whether any future prosecution is going to be in the public interest. That's the threshold question. Given your comments that the court should read these proceedings—poor things!—for how they're actually going to consider decisions around this legislation in the future, let me make it very clear to any future judge: Charizard, Pikachu and Jigglypuff are safe from this bill and the amendment. It is not intended to capture Pokemon GO participants and gamers. What it is intended to capture are those who wilfully, militantly and extremely target our farmers, fishers and foresters, their families, their workers and their livestock, and those who seek to disrupt those people's right to farm in this country.

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