Bikie Laws - What price for Justice?

Do you know enough about the arrest to comment.....he could have been consorting...do you know about consorting....

 

I think I said "read the article AND look at the photo"....I think worldwide people are arrested based on looks...
Its human nature is it not.....
If I saw a nun riding a motor cycle and someone covered in OMG tats....I know which one would be pulled over....

 

The nun, she has a habit

 

Better arrest her then....................

 

Who needs the mafia ,with the Queensland Police force around, the proven to be corrupt!

 

World Socialist Web Site wsws.org
Published by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI)
Australia: Queensland government legislates draconian “anti-bikie” laws
By Mike Head
23 October 2013
Under the guise of cracking down on alleged motorcycle gangs after a series of violent incidents, including brawls on the Gold Coast tourism strip, the Queensland Liberal National Party government last week rammed three police-state bills through the parliament, with the bipartisan support of the Labor opposition.

Arrests of suspected bikie club members have already begun under the new anti-association laws, which make it illegal for them to fraternise together, wear their colours in certain areas or visit certain addresses. Two alleged associates were arrested in Cairns last week after they went to a police station to ask whether they could continue to live on the same premises as a club house.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman boasted of introducing “the toughest laws in the nation,” but they are the spearhead of a broader offensive, backed by the new federal Abbott government. Just before the Queensland laws were pushed through, in the state of Victoria police and army personnel carried out a series of raids against alleged bikie premises. Earlier this year the Victorian government introduced laws only slightly less draconian than those enacted in Queensland.

The Queensland provisions mark an escalation of a series of “criminal association” laws passed by state governments, Labor and Liberal alike, since 2001, eroding basic democratic rights, including free speech, freedom of association and the right to remain silent, on the pretext of combatting “bikie gangs.”

The alarmist terminology of the Queensland laws, such as the Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Act, is designed to whip up hysteria against “bikies,” as the pretext for overturning basic legal rights.

Under this act, anyone convicted of committing a declared serious offence while a “participant” in an association (which includes taking part in one event), will be declared a “vicious lawless associate,” unless they can prove that the association does not have a purpose of “engaging in, or conspiring to engage in, declared offences.” This not only reverses the burden of proof for a criminal trial, but such proof may be impossible.

These “associates” will face a mandatory 15-year jail term, on top of any sentence imposed on them. Association office bearers face another 10 years’ imprisonment, on top of the 15 years. Parole will also be denied, unless a prisoner turns informer. For example, an office bearer who would have been released on parole after three years, will be imprisoned for 28.

Before being convicted, the normal presumption in favour of bail is also reversed—a provision borrowed from “anti-terrorism” laws.

In addition, a Criminal Organisations Disruption Act sets mandatory prison terms for alleged members convicted of lesser offences, such as affray and assaulting a police officer, and jail sentences of up to seven years for new offences, such as associating together or promoting their organisation. A third bill, banning owning or working in tattoo shops, and authorising closures of parlours, will soon be joined by similar laws in other industries, including security and car sales.

The government has declared that inmates will be held in a “bikie-only” maximum-security facility. Isolated for 23 hours a day, they will be denied access to television and gym equipment. Their phone calls and mail will be censored, while visitor contact will be restricted to one hour a week. “What they’re proposing is a standard of incarceration that is pretty much equal to Guantanamo Bay,” motorcycle lobbyist Russell Wattie told ABC television.

Far from being confined to “bikie gangs,” the legislation could be used in the coming period to outlaw a range of organisations, including political parties regarded as a danger to the political establishment. The laws extend the scaffolding already created by the previous state Labor government’s Criminal Organisation Act.

Passed in 2009, that legislation permits groups (which can now consist of just three people under last week’s laws) to be banned on the basis of secret “criminal intelligence” that the group and its lawyers are barred from viewing—opening the door to unchecked victimisation.

An organisation can be banned if it represents “an unacceptable risk to the safety, welfare or order of the community” and exists to engage, or “conspire” to engage, in “serious criminal activity.” Such activity is defined to include political offences like sedition and riot. Groups can be outlawed based on mere allegations by police agents that some members may plan such activity in the future.

So far, 26 bikie groups have been declared criminal organisations, banning members from meeting in public, and giving police powers to stop and search suspected members without warrants.

The way was cleared for such laws in March. Urged on by the federal Labor government, the High Court, Australia’s supreme court, ruled that the 2009 Queensland legislation was constitutional. This created a framework for the states to side-step earlier High Court rulings striking down various anti-association laws.

In March also, Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard called on the state governments to refer constitutional powers to Canberra to outlaw groups. Now the Abbott government is taking up where Labor left off, but relying on the states to pass the legislation.

In Victoria, the Criminal Organisations Control Act, which commenced in March, allows the police chief to apply to the state’s Supreme Court to make a group a “declared organisation,” if it is satisfied the group organises, facilitates or supports criminal activity. Further “anti-fortification” laws, introduced this month, permit the demolition of property.

The Victorian police have not yet applied to use these laws, however, complaining that they are too complex compared to the Queensland laws.

Instead, Victorian police used existing search warrant powers on October 10, when more than 700 officers, some in commando gear and armoured vehicles, and federal police and customs officers, raided around 60 properties said to be associated with the Hells Angels. Victorian police sought to justify the operations on the ground that they were searching for military-style weapons, but none were found.

Two days later, about a dozen army personnel were involved in a raid near Melbourne. The Queensland government has indicated its readiness to follow suit in enlisting military support for such operations. These antidemocratic initiatives violate the centuries-old principle against the domestic use of the military against civilians.

The corporate media hailed the Victorian raids. A Melbourne Herald Sun editorial declared: “This is exactly what Victorians want to hear after drive-by shootings by bikies who have no regard for the rule of law. The police are faced with what can be fairly described as urban terrorism.”

This likening of gang members to terrorists points to how authoritarian powers, first imposed under the cover of the fraudulent “war on terrorism” after 2001, are being extended throughout the legal system. A so-called “war” on “bikies” is now being coordinated by the Abbott government.

Federal and state attorneys-general convened for a summit on October 10-11 and issued a communiqué that noted the new Queensland laws and backed the Abbott government’s “commitment to establish a new Standing Council on Law, Crime and Community Safety to bring together lawmakers and law-enforcers and to sharpen the national focus on fighting crime.”

Amid mounting social tensions generated by worsening inequality and the decimation of working class jobs and conditions, this is a deliberate attempt to divert public discontent behind a “crime gang” scare campaign while further boosting the powers of the police and state apparatuses. Wide-ranging measures to ban “lawless associations” and jail their supporters are part of preparations being made to suppress major social and political struggles against the bipartisan austerity program being intensified under the Abbott government.

The author also recommends:

Australian High Court approves “criminal organisation” laws
[29 March 2013]

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Mandatory sentencing is Useless ,as it takes away the discretionary powers of the Judiciary,which is well ,ANTI-DEMOCRATIC!

Are you democratically retarded ,the government speaks for "War on Terror" ,"War on Drugs " its time for WAR ON CORRUPT STUPID GOVERNMENT!

I remember the dark old days of Bjelke-Petersen and his Police Commissioner henchman ,Russel Heinz .

If men on Motorcycles scare you ,stay at home and be timid silly Cyphers!

The idiots in Government scare me more ,by a Long shot Kiddies.

 

could be

maybe

possibly

Are??????


What happened to "innocent until proven guilty"?

 

You know the REAL joke in this? The top dogs won't be touched because they have too much money and can afford the lawyers

 

No the real joke is if the WAR ON DRUGS was finished with ,a failed policy of a near Impeached Dead president Nixon .

Then We could stop criminalising and jailing people UNDEMOCRATICALLY,all drug traffic is Police\government controlled any way essentially.

Legalisation not prohibition !

 

No the real joke is that many do not see the way government is eroding their own personal rights and are rejoicing in laws that will eventually encroach on their rights simply due to their opinion that is different from their own government... It would be funny if it was not so sad.

War of bikies??? As demonstrations of the past war on any crime does not work it simply pushes it underground to a point where the government can exploit more corrupt activity to keep the law abiding person down...

 

I fundamentally have a problem with outlawing freedom of association. I don't care if you're a member of some organization, show me evidence that you've actually harmed anyone!

If you've killed someone as a member of a bikie club you should go to prison like anyone else, bikie or not. It's up to the government to show that crimes were committed. They can't just say "well, others in your group have committed crimes, so we're going to punish you all collectively"

[hr][/hr]

I can't stand this country sometimes. When it comes to politics we're all "common sense bogans".

 

Come on, Queensland has the best police money can buy.

 

We have all heard the saying: power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

This saying is completely relevant to Federal and State politicians, who can change anything they like with click of a finger.

I don’t believe politicians should ever be allowed this much power over the everyday lives of people. Politicians should not be the ones to dictate laws or the creation of laws; the people should have this power, not politicians.

 

Unfortunately any definition of "people" has to include rednecks racists and boguns and it is they who divide the world into "us" and "them"

Us is fine and law abiding and everything civilised whereas "them" is nasty people who are no better than they should be and deserve everything they get

Sadly this group represents a majority of humanity because at it's base is the psychological need to group into people objects and things commonalities

 

Just as an aside, the row between Newman and Stewart the COP seems to have been sorted in Newman's favour. Newman is now directing the COP. The joke was that Joh didn't know the meaning of the phrase, "separation of powers"; it seems Newman knows it, but like Joh, doesn't give a stuff about it.

I hope the HCA is given a chance to test all this stuff.

 

Named the Queensland Police >criminal enterprise if ever there was.

 

What was I thinking ,but hey I live in NSW ,my cops are more corrupt then Queensland Cops anyd....OK you win>

 

Oh I think you are right, I live in Sydney too and our cops are really friendly. They often stop me to ask me how I'm going, where am I going, if it would be OK to touch me up a bit. Very friendly chappies. I think our boys are a little more trigger happy then the QLD guys, but Victoria wins that title I think.

 

Victorian Cops were getting so trigger happy that the Government had to actually do something ,as far as NSW ,they are just so gay and friendly excuse me a moment [Dear gay and lesbian police of NSW ,yes it was me that slapped u today at the Downing Centre Sydney ,could I get off the gay and lesbian Homophobic list ,I call them the Pouf Police ,yep its me and I know you are spying on me ] thanks for that ,they are putrid with a Gay and lesbian giggle.

Now I agree and would say its close ,but the Queensland variety is the Thickest most Pig ignorant going .

This is my latest song ,as begun in Surry hills Lac ,to the tune "The Dream Police by Cheap Trick"

"The Pouf Police are playing with my head ,The Pouf police I wish that they were all dead , "

" And the lesbian ones .they are the worse ,I want to put them all in a Hearst A Hearst "

"Their waiting for me . every single day and they are .so Gayaa so gay, SO GAY"

When taken to Surrey hills LAC , I always ask for a heterosexual Liason ,hey ,and I get Many takers.

Its all about Community policing now ,and I do not see why the gay and lesbian Community get their coppers ,Why the hell can't the Bikie Community also get them ??

 

ooooh! Yes! So do I! So do I!

It would be a poke in the eye for all the right wing fools who would gleefully give up rights in exchange for so called "cleaning up the streets"

 

Seem's to be working, so it already is a poke in the eye for all those left wing fools who would gleefully take it up the wrong pipe to have criminals take advantage of vulnerable people.

 

Define "criminal" and why bikies, as an entire group should be all painted with that one brush

 

Seems to be working ,The sun seems to travel across the sky ,AND,the earth seems to be flat ,gee ,how advanced are you .

When basing oneself ideas on "seem's" ,watch out when the seam's give way!

Seems that the capitalists create wealth ,well we all know ONLY the Working Class creates anything useful!

And all wealth , Knowing is not impressions of what seems to be, it is it 's opposite !

Seems you don't know much?!

 

Police should be better resourced to investigate and punish criminals without the need for the government to violate human rights and jeopardise the independence of the judiciary with new legislation that will almost certainly be challenged in the high court and will end up costing the government millions of dollars in legal fees to defend.

The police forces need judicial oversight, or else they'll just turn into a gang of thugs as well. They already have trouble with corruption and criminal infiltration. They don't need less accountability, they need more resources, as do state prosecutors.

Ensuring law and order, and the protection of our rights, are really the two most basic things that the government should be doing. What they shouldn't be doing, is letting gangs develop over decades to the point where they have a ludicrous amount of power and then screaming "CRISIS! EMERGENCY!", and then panicking and taking away human rights and attacking the judiciary.