EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
ORDINANCE NO 2 OF 2001
Issued by the Authority of the Minister for Regional Services, Territories and Local Government for the Attorney-General
Seat of Government (Administration) Act 1910
Unlawful Assemblies Repeal Ordinance 2001
The purpose of the Ordinance is to repeal the Unlawful Assemblies Ordinance 1937 (the Principal Ordinance) and the Unlawful Assemblies Ordinance (No 2) 1937 (an amendment Ordinance).
The Principal Ordinance provides: 
•	it is unlawful for more than 20 persons to meet or be assembled for any unlawful purpose within the distance of 90 metres from any part of the building known as Parliament House (subsection 3(1));
•	an unlawful purpose includes the pretext of making known grievances, discussing public affairs, considering, preparing or presenting any petition, memorial, complaint, remonstrance, declaration or other address to His Majesty, the Governor-General or to both Houses or either House of Parliament or to any Minister or Officer of the Commonwealth for the repeal or enactment of any law, or for the alteration of matters of State (subsection 3(2));
•	any member of the police or an officer authorised in writing by the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the Minister may arrest without warrant any person who appears to him to have been guilty of an offence under section 3 (subsection 4(1));
•	any person who wilfully obstructs or resists any member or officer while acting or attempting to act in pursuance of subsection 4(1) is guilty of an offence (subsection 4(2));
•	the penalty for offences is $200 or imprisonment for six months.
The repeal of the Principal Ordinance implements recommendation 9 of the Report by the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories entitled A Right to Protest dated May 1997. The report was the result of the Committee's inquiry into the right to protest on national land and the parliamentary zone in particular. The Principal Ordinance was considered outdated and contrary to the democratic principle of freedom of expression. The recommendation was agreed to by the Government. Disorderly protests in the vicinity of Parliament House may be adequately dealt with under other Commonwealth and ACT laws. 
Details of the Ordinance are as follows. 
Section 1 provides that the name of the Ordinance is the Unlawful Assemblies Repeal Ordinance 2001.
Section 2 provides that the Ordinance commences on gazettal.
Section 3 provides that the Unlawful Assemblies Ordinance 1937, No 9 of 1937 and No 14 of 1937 are repealed.