Page 1713 - Week 05 - Wednesday, 1 April 2009
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Let me get back to the important point of this motion, though—this is in response to legislative amendments that are proposed in New South Wales. This is not the Canberra Liberals responding to any activity that is currently occurring in the ACT. What we are trying to do is anticipate actions to get ahead of the game and to be proactive rather than reactive. I will remind you of what Nathan Rees has said:
I want to get the best legal minds over the next week, put together a package that is robust and drive these criminals out of New South Wales.
The rhetoric he is using certainly indicates that he is going to follow through on that. If we do not have the appropriate laws here in the ACT, there is no doubt that, based on the advice that I have received from the AFPA, the advice the South Australian government has given and the advice from the Australian Crime Commission, the impact on the ACT will be severe. The Canberra Liberals do not want to wait and see the impact of outlaw motorcycle gangs and other organised crime elements here on the streets of the ACT before we act. This is not a knee-jerk response.
I reiterate the point that, when we talk about outlaw motorcycle gangs, we are not referring to biker groups and people who ride motorcycles. It is important to make the distinction in this place—we are not talking about motorbikes; we are talking about organised crime. There is no doubt that members of outlaw motorcycle gangs are involved in a lot of serious crime. Indeed, the Chief Minister outlined a number of the activities they are involved in. They are reprehensible, and we need to make sure we have laws that combat the problem.
I endorse the position that Kevin Rudd is taking in this matter where he has called for a national approach, as has the federal Attorney-General. The Prime Minister has said that organised crime more broadly is a growing concern for Australia and one that the government is determined to act on.
There were concerns raised in this house about the impacts on human rights. I reiterate the comments of the Chief Minister, who said:
At some stage you have got to just let yourself go and trust a little bit.
Further, he said that you cannot make:
… the assumption you cannot trust coppers and you cannot trust courts.
Indeed, I concur strongly with the Chief Minister in this regard. So we are not calling for new laws in response to any media and sensationalism over recent events. We are calling for appropriate laws, not the toughest laws. We are calling for the most appropriate laws in response to what is occurring in other jurisdictions, notably, those jurisdictions which have Labor Premiers—South Australia, New South Wales, the Northern Territory and Queensland.
This is just not the Canberra Liberals saying this; this is advice from the South Australian government, advice from the Australian Crime Commission and advice
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