WA Liberal leader Liza Harvey has urged West Australians to avoid mass gatherings and not attend a Black Lives Matter protest scheduled for Langley Park on Saturday.
“I support the right of people to protest and march about matters that are important to them,” Ms Harvey said.
“But we have seen in recent days, in Western Australia and all over Australia, that during these mass gatherings people are not social distancing.”
Ms Harvey said allowing the protest to go ahead highlighted the double standards of the McGowan Labor Government.
“A restaurant owner was fined $5000 recently because he had eight more customers than he was allowed,” she said.
“But a march can go ahead which could feature more than 10,000 people. Can you imagine the frustration from that small business owner that there are such inconsistencies.
“We can’t have these double standards when our businesses still have restrictions imposed on them about how many customers they can have.
“Small businesses throughout Western Australia are being decimated. The law should be applied equally to all West Australians. It is the sheer double standards and inconsistency that is the issue.
“West Australians have made so many sacrifices in recent months. They have missed the funerals of loved ones, the weddings of family or friends.
“They couldn’t commemorate Anzac Day in the traditional way.I urge people who want to protest, who want to make a statement, to think outside the square and find another way.So many people in my own street in Scarborough walked down to the roadside at dawn on Anzac Day to commemorate all the brave soldiers who lost their lives serving our country. It was a powerful message.”