Commonwealth Consolidated Acts

PUBLIC ORDEU(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;

is guilty of 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 .