Page 2874 - Week 08 - Thursday, 17 August 2017
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I’ve been calling for these laws since I became president just over 18 months ago and I just don’t understand the reticence of the ACT government. It doesn’t make any sense.
It’s the last part of the suite of resources we need to battle outlaw motorcycle gangs.
I’ve been going on like a broken record. We’re an island in New South Wales. We’ve become a safe place to operate.
Madam Acting Speaker, we have evidence here from the AFPA and from the Chief Police Officer that, as a result of this government’s failure to act, we have become a safe place for the bikies to operate. “For goodness sake,” she concluded, “bring these laws in.”
I have made this case before. In fact, I asked the Attorney-General in the last sitting weeks to give me an explanation as to why the bikies are coming here if not for the absence of anti-consorting laws. His response was, “Go and ask the bikies.” That was his response to this very serious issue: “Go and ask the bikies.” I think that is an outrageous response when we have evidence from the Chief Police Officer that these laws are needed to help dismantle and disrupt gangs and keep our community safe.
The Canberra Times editorial of 19 July also discussed the issue of this being a safe haven and the resulting epidemic of bikie gang-related violence. I quote from that editorial:
As matters stand Canberra is now viewed by some as a safe haven for these gun-wielding thugs who have fled across our border to avoid being persecuted elsewhere. Pity the terrified residents of Canberra suburbs listening to assault rifles being fired meters from their homes.
I have met with some of the innocent victims that have come into my office. They do not want to be known. They are terrified. But what they have said is that they clearly support the introduction of anti-consorting laws because they know, as the victims of one of these attacks, that these are the sorts of laws necessary to keep them safe.
As I said, have been talking about this and calling for these laws since 2009. A couple of years ago the pressure finally bore down on the previous Attorney-General and he did start to act. The previous Attorney-General recognised the need for anti-consorting laws, finally. He came to the party later than he should have but he did eventually recognise that these laws were needed. He released a discussion paper. He released draft laws that were put out for discussion. Then that process was terminated. I note that that process was terminated at about the same time that his pre-selection was also—I am not sure of the word to use—terminated.
This process of anti-consorting laws was terminated within the Labor Party. Why is that? Why was that terminated? That is a question for the minister to answer. I assume that these draft laws were put through cabinet before they were released. There was a decision to go ahead and that was stopped within the Labor Party. Shame on the
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