MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st November, 2019) Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison threatened on Friday to impose radical crackdown measures on environmentalists who called on companies to boycott any firms connected with the resources sector, specifically the mining industry.
The proposal comes in the wake of Tuesday's protests in Melbourne, where hundred of environmental activist blocked the city's convention center during a mining conference. At least 20 people were arrested as the protests turned violent.
In a speech to the Queensland Resources Council, an independent body representing commercial developers of Australia's northeastern state's energy resources, Morrison took a hard stance on the environmental activists, calling them "anarchists" seeking to "deny the liberties" of Australians.
He proposed to introduce penalties on those promoting secondary boycotts citing businesses that had refused to provide banking, insurance and consultancy services to companies directly or indirectly involved in the mining sector as one such example.
The prime minister said that the environmentalists' rhetoric and actions would inadvertently hurt Australia's economy, especially small businesses and would lead to firms either reducing their economic activity or taking it over seas, all of which would negatively impact the country.
"Let me assure you this is not something my government intends to allow to go unchecked. Together with the attorney general, we are working to identify mechanisms that can successfully outlaw these indulgent and selfish practices that threaten the livelihoods of fellow Australians," Morrison concluded.
In response to Morrison's hard-line approach, several civil society groups, including the Human Rights Law Centre and Australian Conservation Foundation, have said that the drastic proposal was a direct attack on the country's democracy and right to practice free speech.
Australia is the world's fourth largest mining country after China, Russia and the United States. According to the International Trade Administration, mining accounts for roughly 7 percent of Australia's GDP.
