Bike alliance takes centre stage at Press Club

The motorcycle fraternity has taken its fight against recently introduced anti-bikie laws such as the Crimes (Criminal Organisations Control) Act in NSW to the conservative surrounds of the National Press Club in Canberra.

“Ferret”, who spoke on behalf of the United Motorcycle Council of New South Wales, an 18-club alliance, said laws in several Australian states that erode the freedom of association are unjust.

"I'm not trying to say all bikers are saints, just like not all politicians or police are squeaky clean," Ferret said from the dais of the National Press Club.

"But I would say that there is more organised criminal activity every day in Australia's governments and police services than you would find at your local biker clubhouse.

"The behaviour of the few does not justify punishing or taking away the rights of the whole.

"Think about it this way - if the behaviour of a few was enough to justify a criminal tag being applied to all then Anna Bligh up in Queensland should be declaring her own party a criminal organisation.”

"The Finks Motorcycle Club in South Australia (which Ferret is a member of) has had a control order placed on it. Nine of our members have control orders placed on them," continued Ferret. "Two of those members have no criminal record. How many people in New South Wales have no criminal record who can also have a control order placed on them?

"Under secret police intelligence, that's what it's come to.”

In opposition to these tough new anti-bikie laws, a group in South Australia has now registered itself as a political party with a view towards contesting the SA state election in March 2010, where it wants to ultimately change the association laws.

Another speaker at the National Press Club in Canberra was Paul Wilson from Bond University, a criminology expert, who said bikie-related crime was not a major issue.

"Gang-related violence represents just 0.6 percent of all crime in Australia and biker groups represent probably half of that - about 0.3 percent," Wilson said.

"Okay, it's significant, some of it (the bikie crime) is horrific, but it's a very small proportion.”

Nicholas Cowdery, who is the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in NSW, recently condemned the Crimes (Criminal Organisations Control) Act in NSW, describing it as "very troubling legislation" and "another giant leap backward for human rights and the separation of powers - in short, the rule of law in NSW".

Click on the following link to read Cowdery’s full text.