Police will separate rally participants and counter-protesters
Victoria Police will deploy extra officers and keep opposing groups apart at Saturday’s Restore Women’s Rights rally, after Family First Victorian leader and Western Metropolitan Region MP Moira Deeming raised concerns with the Chief Commissioner’s office.
Deeming said she received the clarification by email on 17 September 2026 from Superintendent Shane Brundell, Deputy Chief of Staff, Government Liaison in the Office of the Chief Commissioner.
In that email, Brundell told her that “extra police resources are being deployed to manage the rally and counter protest” and that police “will be keeping both groups separated to ensure safety of all participants, police and the broader public”.
The intervention followed concerns from organisers, who feared for their safety and believed there might be no dedicated police protection for the event.
Deeming welcomed the change, saying the key point was that police had now confirmed extra officers would attend and that rally participants and counter-protesters would be kept apart.
She also thanked Victoria Police in advance for keeping the peace on Saturday, adding that officers had a difficult job.
The Australian reported on 17 September 2026 that earlier women’s rights rallies had needed substantial police deployments to separate participants from counter-protesters.
Those incidents over recent years have involved assaults, projectiles, attempts to break police lines and arrests.
Human Rights Charter dispute continues
However, one issue remained unresolved in Deeming’s correspondence with police.
She challenged what she understood to be an indication that the content or conduct of the Restore Women’s Rights rally could raise human rights concerns.
Brundell wrote that “The Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act applies equally to everyone in the state.”
Deeming said she accepted that the Charter applied equally to everyone. However, she remained disappointed that women attending a peaceful rally about sex-based rights could be left with the impression that their words might put them in breach of the law.
She argued that the exchange showed what she described as an anti-free speech effect from Victoria’s anti-vilification laws.
Victoria Police did not set out in the material provided any further details about the size of the extra deployment or the exact location and time of Saturday’s rally.
