Daily motorbike news, views & reviews
Riders are being asked to protest today against the state’s anti-bikie “fashion law” that prohibits the wearing of “colours” associated with outlawed “bikie” clubs. UPDATE: Not many riders attended, but there was a sizeable crowd as these photos show. They also launched a parliamentary petition to scrap the laws. Click here to sign. The law …
An army veteran rider who claimed he was assaulted by police at a March 2018 charity ride feels exonerated knowing the officer has been placed on restricted duties. Michael “Magic” Parr faced a charge of not obeying the direction of police for this incident caught on video, but the charges were dropped in April, 2019. Exonerated When told …
Police claiming all bikies are criminals is vilifying them in a similar way as saying prostitutes cannot be rape victims, says former detective and now Bond Uni criminology lecturer Terry Goldsworthy. His comments follow the discovery of the body of Comanchero member Shane Ross at a Gold Coast park. Terry says police commentary over Ross’s alleged …
While Australian states are ramping up their anti-association laws that profile riders as potential outlaws, the US Senate has unanimously passed a motorcyclist anti-profiling resolution. This follows an American Motorcyclist Association survey finding that half of American motorcyclists say they have been profiled by police pulling them over. There is no such survey in Australia, …
Tasmania is planning to follow other states with consorting laws that specify motorcycle clubs as outlaw organisations and their clothing, badges, patches and jewellery as illegal. The Liberal Government’s Police Offences Amendment (Prohibited Insignia) Bill being debated in Parliament today (20 September 2018) would ban outlaw motorcycle gang “colours”. It is a similar ban to …
Bikies have long been fighting police discrimination and resultant public vilification as the above 1970s Brisbane bikie protest photo shows, but in recent years they have faced tougher laws including even associating with them. Now the vilification is stepping up as Tasmania and Victoria appear set to toughen anti-association laws. Longtime motorcycle campaigner, Motorcycle Riders …
The tough, so-called anti-bikie VLAD laws in Queensland have not been the success the police claim they are, according to a crime expert. Queensland Police formed the anti-bikie unit, Task Force Maxima, after the VLAD laws were introduced, giving them greater powers. The Task Force has so far seized $13 million in drugs. That sounds like …
A new Bill replacing Queensland’s so-called VLAD “anti-bikie” laws indicates there is less chance of innocent riders accidentally consorting at a Toy Run, charity event or shop ride. These new laws were passed on Tuesday night with support from members of the Katter’s Australian Party who were concerned about law-abiding riders being targeted by police. The …
Queensland riders are still living in a police state where they could be harassed, detained, charged and imprisoned for looking like a bikie and/or associating with them. When elected in January 2015, the new Labor Government promised a Queensland Crime and Corruption Commission review of the controversial so-called VLAD (Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment) Laws by …
South Australia is set to introduce anti-bikie laws similar to Queensland’s Vicious Lawless Associates Disestablishment (VLAD) laws, despite those laws failing. The only person so far convicted under the former Queensland Government’s VLAD laws is Joshua Robin Rohl who smuggled $16m worth of cannabis on commercial flights between Melbourne and Brisbane. In 18 months of …