Bridget McKenzie (Victoria, National Party, Minister for Agriculture) Share this | Hansard source

Agricultural businesses should be operating their lawful businesses without being subjected to farm invasion. When you trespass and steal, you are not a protester, you are not someone to be lauded—as Richard Di Natale did in his comments around the bill that, somehow, civil disobedience is okay if you don't agree with the law—and you're not a protester. This is not a badge of honour. You're a criminal, and you deserve to be punished with the full force of the law. Those who choose to damage property or to steal need to be rightly and strongly held to account. These protections and the protections of their privacy are fundamental principles of our society. Activists' actions are a risk to farm biosecurity. They risk the introduction of pests and disease to farm operations, reducing our access to markets and costing farmers in our regional communities millions of dollars and thousands of jobs. Activists' actions are also a risk to animal welfare, with some incredibly disturbing animal outcomes as a result of farm invasions. (Time expired)