Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Act 2015

Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Act 2015
Parliament of Victoria
Long title Act to amend the Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008 to provide for safe access zones around premises offering reproductive health services and for other purposes
Citation	No. 66 of 2015
Considered by	Legislative Assembly of Victoria
Considered by	Legislative Council of Victoria
Royal assent	1 December 2015
Legislative history
First chamber: Legislative Assembly of Victoria
First reading	21 October 2015
Second reading	12 November 2015
Third reading	12 November 2015
Second chamber: Legislative Council of Victoria
First reading	12 November 2015
Second reading	12 November 2015
Third reading	27 November 2015
Status: Current legislation

The Public Health and Wellbeing Amendment (Safe Access Zones) Act 2015 is an act of the Parliament of Victoria relating to the legal protection of access to abortion.

Background

Before the passage of the act, there had been many years of complaints from abortion clinics in Victoria regarding protests. ^[1]

Prior to this law, in 2005, the Australian Democrats proposed a law to create buffer zones around clinics in Victoria. ^[2]

During the passage of the bill, the Fertility Control Clinic in East Melbourne took the City of Melbourne to court for failing to meet its obligations relating to stopping "nuisances which are, or are liable to be, dangerous to health or offensive". ^[3]

Provisions

The legislation establishes buffer zones of 150 metres around clinics at which abortion are provided. ^[4]

The legislation includes jail terms for repeated offenders. ^[5]

Reception

Georgie Purcell, an Animal Justice MLC, had an abortion before the bill and an abortion after the act came into effect and described the difference the legislation made in the second abortion positively. ^[6]

I remember thinking, this is what it feels like for politics to so intimately affect my life. And I feel safer here doing what I am completely within my rights to do

References

1. "Abortion clinic protest buffer zone law passes Victorian Upper House". ABC News. 26 November 2015. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
2. Heinrichs, Paul. (August 28, 2005). "Democrats push for clinic law Archived 2007-09-29 at the Wayback Machine ." The Age. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
3. Davey, Melissa (3 June 2015). "Women delay treatment at abortion clinic because of harassment, court told". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on 11 July 2025. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
4. Sifris, Ronli (30 November 2015). "State by state, 'safe access zones' around clinics are shielding women from abortion protesters". The Conversation. Archived from the original on 6 December 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
5. "Victoria to establish 'safe access zones' around abortion clinics". Nine News. 31 August 2015. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 11 July 2025.
6. Griffiths, Madison (6 December 2023). "Georgie Purcell had two abortions. Does that make her unworthy of fellow MPs' respect?". Crikey. Archived from the original on 1 July 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2025.