- 23 Oct 2003 00:13
#36618
Say what you like, but don't expect Bush to hear
By Mark Riley, Political Correspondent
October 21, 2003
The basic right of freedom of speech will adopt a new interpretation during the Canberra visits this week by the US President, George Bush, and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
Protesters will be free to speak as much as they like - just as long as they can't be heard.
Last week, the Federal Parliament's presiding officers announced that no members of the public would be allowed into Parliament on Thursday or Friday, when the leaders deliver historic addresses to the "people's house".
Now, organisers of an anti-war protest have been told they have been banned from using a public address system anywhere in the precinct encircling Parliament.
The only spot made available for protests is at the back of Old Parliament House in Federation Mall.
But the speakers must be pointed away from the new Parliament House so that no one inside, particularly the two presidents, can hear the protest speeches.
The organisers will also have to find a way to carry the stage and the equipment to the site. All roads servicing the area will be closed from early Thursday morning, preventing the protesters from bringing in their buses.
"This is all being done to prevent Bush and Hu from knowing there are any protests going on," said one protest organiser, James Vassilopoulos.
He said his group, the ACT Network Opposing War (ACT NOW), was expecting groups from Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as others from country and coastal NSW to join the protests.
A spokesman for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Neil Andrew, said yesterday the decision to ban protesters from using microphones in the parliamentary precinct was in line with guidelines for protests, which were drafted and enforced by the presiding officers.
Meanwhile, Canberrans are bracing themselves for unprecedented security measures during the presidential visits.
Mr Bush will arrive under blanket security at Fairbairn RAAF base on the outskirts of Canberra tomorrow night. An advance team of US Secret Service agents has been in Canberra for several days planning the visit.
Mr Bush, who will be in Australia for less than 24 hours, addresses Parliament on Thursday morning and flies out that afternoon.
Mr Hu arrives in Canberra from Sydney shortly after Mr Bush's departure.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/ ... 56196.html
By Mark Riley, Political Correspondent
October 21, 2003
The basic right of freedom of speech will adopt a new interpretation during the Canberra visits this week by the US President, George Bush, and his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao.
Protesters will be free to speak as much as they like - just as long as they can't be heard.
Last week, the Federal Parliament's presiding officers announced that no members of the public would be allowed into Parliament on Thursday or Friday, when the leaders deliver historic addresses to the "people's house".
Now, organisers of an anti-war protest have been told they have been banned from using a public address system anywhere in the precinct encircling Parliament.
The only spot made available for protests is at the back of Old Parliament House in Federation Mall.
But the speakers must be pointed away from the new Parliament House so that no one inside, particularly the two presidents, can hear the protest speeches.
The organisers will also have to find a way to carry the stage and the equipment to the site. All roads servicing the area will be closed from early Thursday morning, preventing the protesters from bringing in their buses.
"This is all being done to prevent Bush and Hu from knowing there are any protests going on," said one protest organiser, James Vassilopoulos.
He said his group, the ACT Network Opposing War (ACT NOW), was expecting groups from Sydney, Melbourne, Newcastle and Wollongong, as well as others from country and coastal NSW to join the protests.
A spokesman for the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Neil Andrew, said yesterday the decision to ban protesters from using microphones in the parliamentary precinct was in line with guidelines for protests, which were drafted and enforced by the presiding officers.
Meanwhile, Canberrans are bracing themselves for unprecedented security measures during the presidential visits.
Mr Bush will arrive under blanket security at Fairbairn RAAF base on the outskirts of Canberra tomorrow night. An advance team of US Secret Service agents has been in Canberra for several days planning the visit.
Mr Bush, who will be in Australia for less than 24 hours, addresses Parliament on Thursday morning and flies out that afternoon.
Mr Hu arrives in Canberra from Sydney shortly after Mr Bush's departure.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/10/ ... 56196.html
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