Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

PUBLIC ORDER (PROTECTION OF PERSONS AND PROPERTY) ACT 1971 - SECT 18

  (1)   A person who:

  (a)   assaults a protected person;

  (b)   harasses a protected person or otherwise unreasonably interferes with the free and safe discharge of the duties of a protected person;

  (c)   behaves in an offensive, threatening or insulting manner towards a protected person; or

  (d)   unreasonably obstructs a protected person;

commits an offence, punishable on conviction by a fine of not more than 20 penalty units.

  (2)   For the purposes of an offence against paragraph   ( 1)(a), (b), (c) or (d), absolute liability applies to such of the following physical elements of circumstance as are relevant to the offence:

  (a)   that the person mentioned in the paragraph is a protected person;

  (b)   that interference with the discharge of the duties of such a person is interference with the free and safe discharge of those duties.

Note:   For absolute liability , see section   6.2 of the Criminal Code .