Greens leader Adam Bandt asked for senator’s resignation as the party’s deputy leader in the Senate after what he called a “significant error of judgement”.
Outlaw motorcycle gangs have been the prime target in Australia’s fight against organised crime in recent years. But the idea all members of bikie gangs are criminals is incorrect.
Queensland’s new anti-bikie laws propose to ban the wearing of all gang colours in public.
AAP/Dan Peled
A report by a taskforce reviewing Queensland’s anti-bikie laws is a step in the right direction for dealing with organised crime as a whole, rather than just focusing on one small sub-group.
Annastacia Palaszczuk’s key priorities now revolve around diversifying Queensland’s economy and boosting foreign investment to create jobs.
AAP/Dave Hunt
The Palaszczuk government has been successful in maintaining parliamentary stability, restoring relationships with the judiciary and police, and ending the perceived policy inertia in job creation.
Consorting laws have been introduced under the pretext of combating organised crime – including that committed by bikie gangs.
AAP/Joe Castro
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia have introduced restrictive “consorting” laws. But are the laws justified? Are they an efficient and effective way to combat organised crime?
The Turnbull government’s package of measures to respond to domestic violence is a step in the right direction, but much more needs to be done.
AAP/Julian Smith
How can we judge success in Australia’s crackdown on bikie gang? And what lessons can we take away from this type of law enforcement campaign?
South Australia’s proposed anti-bikie laws criminalise the wearing of anything that indicates association with a declared ‘criminal organisation’ on licensed premises.
AAP/Eric Sands
While South Australia’s proposed anti-bikie laws may be constitutional, there are clear reasons why introducing them is at best premature – and at worst a very bad idea.
Are authorities too focused on the usual suspects and missing the new and emerging markets in organised crime?
AAP/Adam Marsters
Today’s organised crime occurs through loose and undefined networks made up of criminal entrepreneurs and freelancers with little concern for group branding or loyalty.
Methylamphetamine, in particular crystal meth or ‘ice’, has been the subject of much scrutiny in Australia in recent times.
AAP/David Crosling
How does the ACC report help inform the debate around methylamphetamine, and what practical lessons can Australian society and law enforcement draw from it?
Public pressure to be ‘tough’ on crime can lead governments to neglect some of our deadliest problems, such as family violence.
Paul Miller/AAP
Queensland has a new Labor minority government, led by Annastacia Palaszczuk, after the shock defeat of the Liberal National Party. Labor’s pre-election promises were “modest”, leaving many now wondering…
A spate of shootings and public brawls prompted a Queensland government crackdown on bikie gangs – but there is much more to the state’s falling crime rates than just getting bikies off the streets.
AAP Image/Dan Peled
Queensland’s Liberal National government has made law and order – particularly its anti-bikie laws – a key part of its re-election pitch. The government recently claimed that “Criminal Gang laws (are…
In a 6:1 decision, the High Court upheld the validity of two offences created under Queensland’s anti-bikie measures.
AAP/Dan Peled
Last Friday, the High Court handed down its decision in a constitutional challenge to Queensland’s controversial suite of anti-bikie laws. This decision is as interesting for what it does not decide as…
NSW consorting laws mean a group of dog owners who regularly meet at Sydney’s Leichhardt Pioneers Memorial Park might want to run criminal record checks on anyone joining their social gathering.
AAP/Britt Smith
Next time you strike up a conversation at your local coffee shop, have a chat in the pub after work, or have a natter with fellow dog lovers as you follow your pooch around the park, you may want to get…
How was the anti-bikie strategy in Queensland framed, and what has it achieved so far?
AAP/Dean Lewins
Queensland’s bikie crackdown and its associated legislative measures have polarised public opinion on the necessity and success of this approach. So with a High Court challenge to the new laws due to be…
The Queensland government is playing brinkmanship with the state’s legal fraternity over the appointment of Tim Carmody (centre) to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
AAP/Dan Peled
The Queensland government’s appointment of Tim Carmody as Chief Justice of that state’s Supreme Court is, without doubt, the most controversial judicial appointment in the nation’s history. This is because…
The first legal challenge to Queensland’s hardline anti-bikie laws is set to hit the High Court. But what are its chances of success?
AAP/Dan Peled
Hells Angel Stefan Kuczborski has launched a constitutional challenge to more than a dozen sections of the Newman government’s notorious anti-bikie laws in Queensland. These include the Vicious Lawless…
In the face of rising opposition to its anti-bikie measures, the Queensland government must find a way to cut through the rhetoric with facts and stop inflaming the debate.
AAP/Dan Peled
One fascinating aspect of the Newman government’s “war on bikies” in Queensland has been the battle for the hearts and minds of average citizens. In an attempt to convince the public of the threat – and…
Sally Kuether has no right of access to any secret evidence against her but faces a mandatory six months’ jail if convicted under Queensland anti-bikie laws.
AAP/Miranda Forster
In a courtroom crowded with supporters, Queensland woman Sally Kuether was released on bail late last month. Kuether, a librarian, had been arrested and held in custody for six days under the state’s notorious…