The Victorian Greens have slammed Jacinta Allan's Labor Government for bringing weapons expo, Land Forces back to Melbourne in 2028, saying they are completely out of touch.
It comes after the government announced they would be bringing the expo back in 2028 on Tuesday afternoon. The expo was cancelled in Melbourne and announced in Perth for 2026.
In 2024 there was a public outcry and protests at the conference. The Victorian Government deployed huge numbers of police including bringing police from the regions.
A report from Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS) highlights the concerning police tactics and excessive use of force used against protesters in 2024. The report found that police used "potentially lethal weapons" against protesters, police deploying OC foam against people on the ground or passively standing posing no physical threat to officers, and using dangerous and intimidating crowd control tactics.
The Greens say the fact that Labor is bringing this divisive expo back to Melbourne shows a complete contempt for Victorians who made it very clear that they do not want this weapons expo in their city. Victorian Greens spokesperson for Peace and Disarmament, Gabrielle de Vietri says that the government cancelled 2026 to avoid mass protests just before an election, and now they are moving it back hoping people won't notice that they are still doing deals with warmongers.
As stated by Greens spokesperson for Peace and Disarmament, Gabrielle de Vietri:
"The public have made it very clear that they do not want this weapons trading expo in our peaceful city. Jacinta Allan's Labor Government would prefer to prop up an industry designed to kill than listen to the people they are supposed to represent."
"Jacinta Allan's Labor Government couldn't be more transparent - they moved Land Forces to Perth in an election year to avoid scrutiny and mass protests just before an election but are happy to keep dealing in war and weapons in plain sight once the election is done and dusted."
