Green and human rights groups have hit out at what they see as the growing repression of climate activism in Australia.
They cited "anti-protest laws" in Queensland and Tasmania, a proposed crackdown on charity regulations, as well as the excessive policing of and legal penalties for climate activists.
"For those without money or political access, protest is a critical way to advocate on the issues they care about," Human Rights Law Centre senior lawyer Yusur Al-Azzawi said.
"Yet we are seeing an alarming trend in which climate defenders are increasingly being restricted, intimidated and attacked by governments and politicians wedded to fossil fuels."
The Environmental Defenders Office cited two instances where activists spent more than 24 hours in policy custody after failing to sign bail conditions that would have imposed curfews and severely limited their movements.
"What we are seeing is police placing onerous bail conditions on climate activists, including strict curfews and movement restrictions, despite these conditions being repeatedly overturned in the courts," managing lawyer Julia Grix said.
The three groups called for changes including the establishment of a federal integrity commission and stronger legal defences for climate activism.
They also want the scrapping of proposed changes currently before parliament that would give Australia's charities regulator broad powers to strip groups of their tax-deductible donation status.
"Climate activists will continue to face significant repression, and their calls will continue to fall on deaf ears, for as long as the fossil fuel industry wields such disproportionate influence in Australia's political system," the report said.
It came two days after climate activist Eric Serge Herbert was jailed for at least six months for climbing atop a train during an anti-coal protest in NSW.
