Occupy Melbourne has re-established its occupation at Melbourne’s Treasury Gardens. Its general assemblies are still held in City Square, the original Occupy Melbourne site.
Since being violently evicted from City Square on October 21, Occupy Melbourne has become a travelling occupation. When the Occupy Melbourne march arrived at the Treasury Gardens on October 29, it was met with a big police contingent, including police on horses. The police had threatened to arrest anyone who tried to pitch tents.
Because of the strong police presence, the Occupy Melbourne general assembly decided to move to Bowen Lane, at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).
RMIT is a university, so occupiers had thought that it would be possible to establish a site there. However, the RMIT vice-chancellor swiftly asked police to evict the protesters and charge people with trespass if they did not leave.
After a couple of hours of debate, the meeting decided to leave Bowen Place and set up an occupation site on the lawns of the nearby State Library. About 50 people occupied the site over the nights of October 29 and 30.
The library management asked the police to evict the protesters. Given the use of these lawns for regular protests, this sets a dangerous precedent for the right of assembly.
Protesters were given another notice to leave the library lawn by noon on October 31. A general assembly that night decided to shift the camp back to Treasury Gardens from November 2. Since then, about 50 people have camped at the Treasury Gardens without tents.
Melbourne City Council has put up new restrictions on the protest. On October 3, the police told occupiers they were not allowed to string up banners or leave banners lying on the ground. Banners were allowed only if protesters physically held them.
Then on November 4, the council issued Occupy Melbourne with a Notice to Comply, demanding occupiers remove “advertising material” and temporary camping equipment from the gardens.
The notice was issued under the Activities Local Law 2009 and prohibits “portable advertising signs” and camping in a public place in a “tent, caravan or any type of temporary or provisional form of accommodation”.
Council officers told Occupy Melbourne that the notice also said protesters must “remove from the Treasury Gardens all items, goods and equipment or other property or thing that you are responsible for”.
The council officers said the term “thing” included tables, chairs, milk crates, signs that are not being held, signs laid down on the grass, tarps and sleeping bags.
Occupy Melbourne members asked why they were being treated differently to other people using the park, but did not get a reply.
City of Melbourne Greens councillor Cathy Oke has called for an inquiry into the council’s decision.
Despite the hurdles, the Occupy Melbourne movement is not waning. About 150 people attended the general assembly on November 2.
Some of the decisions made included: supporting the Indigenous working group beginning “eviction proceedings” against Melbourne City Council Lord Mayor Robert Doyle on November 17, an arts and music event on November 19, a “Teddy Bears Picnic” for children and parents on November 19, and plans for future actions that target Australia’s top 10 richest CEOs and top 20 richest companies. The first of these actions will be against Qantas.