Simpson Villages: How to Camp Out and Protest

A system for peaceful, disciplined, self-governing protest camps — the code of conduct, the village model, the daily rhythm, and how to start your own.

1. The principles

Every camp and every action runs on the movement’s code. The commitments that matter most on the ground are these: absolute non-violence, toward people and property, without exception; peaceful and lawful action, always; look after each other, because mateship is the rule and not a slogan; be Simpson, leading by quiet example, endurance and practical help; and respect everyone, including police, and including those who disagree with us.

We win by being disciplined, credible and united. A camp that is calm, tidy, lawful and welcoming does more for the cause than a thousand angry posts.

2. The code of conduct

The code is non-negotiable, and every participant signs it before joining any camp or action. Breaking it damages the whole movement — we choose effectiveness over ego.

• Absolute non-violence. No pushing, throwing objects, weapons, property damage, graffiti or physical confrontation.
• No provocation or illegal acts. No unlawfully blocking emergency services, roads or critical infrastructure. No masks for concealment, no black-bloc tactics, no escalation.
• Stay alert to provocateurs and infiltration. Be wary of anyone pushing extreme, illegal or violent ideas. If someone urges illegal action, calmly distance the group, document it, and remove them.
• No alcohol or drugs on site or during any action.
• Record for protection. Visible body cameras on during public actions, with phone audio as backup. Footage is for our protection and legal defence only.

Enforcement is simple and transparent. A first breach gets a clear reminder; a second, a request to leave; a persistent breach, a ban, documented. No vigilante action — everything is handled in the open.

3. The camp model

A Simpson Village is a clean, professional, self-governing camp capped at fifty people — small enough to know one another, govern itself and stay disciplined. When a village fills, you start another. The aim is many small villages, not one sprawling camp; small and committed, done properly, beats large and chaotic every time.

Each village is built from seven-person teams — six members plus a leader. Seven teams make forty-nine, and a Camp Coordinator makes about fifty. Each team lives, works, eats, watches and protests together, so trust and accountability are built in from the start.

4. Who runs it

One person leads, and the work is split across functional teams drawn from the affinity teams.

• Camp Coordinator. The overall leader — responsible for operations, decisions, and enforcing the code.
• Media team. Filming, photos, social media, and the official record.
• Community relations team. Welcoming the public, liaising with police, running the information table.
• Elders council. Advice, conflict resolution, welfare and moral guidance.
• Operations and logistics team. Kitchen, cleaning, supplies.
• Medical and welfare team. First aid and support.
• Security and discipline team. Entry control and enforcing the code.

5. The daily rhythm

A village runs to a clear daily pattern. The structure is the discipline.

• 8:00 am — morning muster. Mandatory, twenty minutes maximum: discuss the day’s action, then reports, the job roster, a code reminder, and a note of mateship.
• 8:30 am to 12:30 pm — the work shift. Four hours on assigned jobs — kitchen, cleaning, security, media and the rest.
• Afternoons and evenings — free. For rest, outreach and voluntary actions, with an optional evening debrief.

6. Site standards

The camp’s appearance is part of the argument. Each camp is named and clearly marked — ropes, cones, banners — with a communal kitchen at the centre for shared meals. It is kept clean, tidy and professional at all times: Leave No Trace, and better. The layout is simple and legible — team sleeping clusters around central meeting, medical and welcome areas.

7. Security

Security is what keeps a camp safe, calm and standing — the difference between a village that lasts and one that falls apart. This is important, and it protects two things: the people in the camp, and the camp itself. It is calm, visible and welcoming, never heavy-handed.

Every group takes a turn. Each seven-person team carries a designated security rotation on a set timetable, so the camp is watched around the clock without burning anyone out. A simple roster — who is on watch, where, and when — is drawn up each day at the morning muster and posted where everyone can see it. Security is everyone’s job, shared evenly, not left to a few.

• A controlled cordon. Entry is managed; only signed-up code members inside the cordoned area.
• Rotating perimeter watches. Teams take set shifts on the perimeter, day and night, to the roster — eyes on every approach, all the time.
• Visible identification. GOYAA armbands or vests, worn at all times, so everyone can see who is on duty.
• The buddy system — always. No one watches, walks the perimeter, or handles a problem alone.
• Protect the members. Watch for anyone — inside or outside — who threatens, intimidates or tries to provoke; keep the vulnerable safe; and look after each other.
• Protect the camp. Guard the kitchen, the gear, the records and the supplies; control who comes and goes; keep the site secure overnight.
• Cameras on the camp. Tech is cheap, and a camp that is recorded is a camp that is protected. Fixed security cameras cover the perimeter and the key areas, feeding a single secure, access-controlled repository. Post clear signs that the camp is recorded, keep the footage locked down, and use it for one purpose only — protecting the members and the camp, and legal defence if anyone gets heavy-handed.
• Nothing to hide. Friendly and welcoming to everyone, including police. Record anything important, for everyone’s protection.

8. Appearance and conduct

How we look and behave carries the argument as much as anything we say. Clean, ordinary clothing — no torn gear, no offensive slogans, no activist stereotypes. Calm, friendly and respectful at all times. Smile, offer information, explain the goals peacefully. Project seriousness and trustworthiness, because that is what wins the public over.

9. The legal picture

The right to protest exists, but camping and long occupations are regulated, and the rules differ by state and territory. There is long precedent for a sustained protest camp in Australia — the Aboriginal Tent Embassy has held since 1972 — but a long camp still runs into move-on powers and, near a parliament or council building, the rules of the precinct. Check the law for your location, and consider having legal observers present. Recording people — on body cameras or the camp’s security cameras — also carries privacy obligations: sign-post that the camp is recorded, store the footage securely, and use it only for the stated purpose. This memo is general guidance, not legal advice. Staying peaceful and lawful is our best protection, every time.

10. Starting your village

1. Read and sign the code of conduct.
2. Form your first seven-person teams.
3. Find a suitable location and test it with small gatherings.
4. Appoint a Camp Coordinator and the functional teams.
5. Run your first 8 am muster and four-hour work shift.
6. Stay connected to the wider GOYAA network.

We are building something serious — organised, disciplined, and rooted in real Australian mateship. Stay strong, stay peaceful, stay effective. Be Simpson.

11. References

This is an operational guide, not a research paper. Its one standing reference is the movement’s own code of conduct. Protest, camping and public-assembly law is specific to each state and territory and changes over time; check the current rules for your location rather than relying on any single source, and seek legal observers for a long action. The precedent cited for a sustained protest camp is the Aboriginal Tent Embassy, established in 1972 and Australia’s longest-running protest camp.