Victoria spends $15 million to police anti-war protest

Victoria is forking out up to $15 million to police large anti-war protests outside a deference conference, while a Greens MP plans to skip parliament to join the demonstration. Organisers claim up to 25,000 activists could rally against the Land Forces weapons expo on Wednesday, following days of smaller protests around the CBD. Victoria Police expects it to be their biggest operation since chaos surrounding the World Economic Forum in 2000, with regional and interstate police called in to bolster the local force. Treasurer Tim Pallas said police had asked for additional funds to cover the event, estimated to be between $10-15 million. He urged anyone not protesting to stay away from the area around the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and asked demonstrators to act "with a modicum of respect" including towards police. "It does require a measure of policing, both to assure the safety of the convention of tenders, but also the community in and around those areas," Mr Pallas told reporters on Tuesday. He said the event, which involves more than 800 companies, was organised before the war in Gaza reignited in October 2023 and he understood people were "animated" about the issue. "We hear a variety of views on the multiple perspectives but those are matters essentially far beyond the border state," he said. "From our perspective, the key is to recognise that this is an important industry that the state will continue to support, and this convention is really a showcase of the industry to the world." Students for Palestine and Disrupt Wars plan to block the opening of the expo when it begins on Wednesday morning. "Working class people in Australia are suffering through a cost-of-living crisis, and the Victorian Government's priority is hosting weapons manufacturers perpetrating a genocide in Gaza," blockade co-chair Jasmine Duff said on Sunday. Greens MP Gabrielle Di Vietri said she will attend the protest while parliament is sitting, insisting the government should have cancelled it. "The Labor government sponsoring a deadly weapons expo, that might be worth skiving off an hour or two of parliament," Ms Di Vietri told reporters on Tuesday. "There has rightfully been a huge other outcry, tens of thousands of protesters are expected to resist this expo going ahead, they don't want to see more profiteering on our doorstep." Labor minister Ingrid Stitt said she believed Ms Di Vietri's constituents would expect her to be at parliament while it was sitting. Opposition Leader John Pesutto also hit out at the Greens MP, saying she has a responsibility to Victorians to not attend a protest that may turn violent. The National Terrorism Threat level was raised to probably in August, but Victoria Police said there was no intelligence to suggest the three-day conference was the target of any specific threat. "However, we are prepared for protest activity so will have ample police resources available to provide an agile response to any incidents," a spokesperson said. Police, using anti-terror legislation, have increased powers to search any person or vehicle within the area surrounding the event.