West Australian Premier Mark McGowan has urged people not to attend a Black Lives Matter protest in Perth after previously saying calls by authorities against mass gatherings tends to have the opposite effect.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The planned rally for Saturday has been moved from Hyde Park to the much larger Langley Park in the CBD, with organisers rejecting Mr McGowan's advice to apply for an exemption to the 300 person gathering limit but seeking more space for social distancing.
He reiterated he understood passionate feelings around the worldwide movement.
"It is an important international issue ... but I ask people to do the right thing," Mr McGowan told reporters on Tuesday.
"Let's listen to the advice - it's there to protect people."
To those who insisted on going, he said: "My request to them, or my urging of them, is not to attend and not to breach the rules".
"When we're past this difficult period, the COVID period, when we're sure that we're out the other side when we ease restrictions, well that's the time to hold big rallies."
Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ben Wyatt says he's very worried indigenous people, who are considered more vulnerable to the virus, might travel from the regions to the protest and potentially become exposed.
An estimated 2000 people attended a Black Lives Matter protest in Forrest Chase last week, the first in a series of rallies around the nation.
The premier's comments came as he unveiled a new $100 million-plus hotel development in Margaret River, the first five-star accommodation in the wine region, as the state government continues to talk up intrastate tourism while the interstate border remains closed.
The low-rise hotel is expected to create more than 300 jobs during construction and more than 100 ongoing jobs, with the opening slated for mid-2023.
Also on Tuesday, Health Minister Roger Cook announced a $56 million investment in mental health, saying the impact of the pandemic would emerge over coming months and years.
"There could be long-term impacts in relation to mental health issues," Mr Cook said.
WA recorded no new COVID-19 cases overnight but still has 31 active cases, although none are in hospital.
Australian Associated Press