Scott Morrison threatens crackdown on protesters who would 'deny liberty'

PM signals action on secondary boycotts of resources companies and says progressives want to tell Australians 'what you can say, what you can think'

Scott Morrison has branded environmental protesters "anarchists" and threatened a radical crackdown on the right to protest in a speech claiming progressives are seeking to "deny the liberties of Australians".

In a speech to the Queensland Resources Council on Friday, the prime minister said a threat to the future of mining was coming from a "new breed of radical activism" and signalled the government would seek to apply penalties to those targeting businesses who provide services to the resources industry.