Media Release 26 March 2016

The state government  has failed to meet the 14-day timeline for filing a notice of appearance in the High Court of Australia after Bob Brown issued a writ which challenges the constitutionality of Premier Hodgman's draconian anti-protest laws.

'The rules of the High Court allow the Tasmanian government 14 days to indicate that it will defend the challenge but that deadline passed on Thursday without the required response,' Brown said today.

The filing of a Notice of Appearance signifies a party's intention to participate in and defend a proceeding.

'I presumed, when the state government said it was confident its punitive protest laws would be upheld in the High Court, that it was preparing a spirited defence. However, this failure shows either an unpreparedness, a missing spirit or a simple lack of attention to the task,' Brown said.

This turn of events follows the arrest of five peaceful forest defenders in the Lapoinya Forest south of Burnie in January. Charges against Jessica Hoyt, a Hobart neurosurgery nurse who grew up in Lapoinya, and Brown, have been held over in the Hobart Magistrates' Court until 7th June.

Contact
Jenny Weber
0427 366 929