Ep 15 – Fighting for the right to protest in 1970s Queensland

In 1977, the premier of Queensland, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, banned protests. "Don't bother applying for a march permit," he declared. "You won't get one. That's government policy now." In this episode, we speak with Judy McVey, who helped organise the massive protest movement that arose in response to Bjelke-Petersen's announcement. Tens of thousands of people rallied in the streets and directly defied the law, over 2,000 people were arrested, and the anti-protest laws were abolished. With governments in Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia passing repressive laws that threaten protesters with massive fines and jail time, we look at what this campaign means today and what we can learn from it.