MOTORCYCLE GANGS

The Hon. L. STEVENS (Little Para) (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Police: is he aware of any fractures in the recent announcement that South Australian criminal bikie gangs have united to protest against the government's serious and organised crime legislation?

The Hon. M.J. WRIGHT (Lee—Minister for Police, Minister for Emergency Services, Minister for Recreation, Sport and Racing) (15:01): It was just two weeks ago that we were being told that criminal bikie gangs had joined forces in an unprecedented display of solidarity against the government's serious and organised crime legislation. We were told that the Freedom of Association Protest Poker Run on 14 March was going to unite opposing club members in their fight against our anti-gang legislation.

The so-called Freedom Run had nothing to do with freedom or democracy. It had everything to do with criminal bikie gangs and those misguided few who support them in trying to preserve their crime-condoning lifestyle. The aim of the run was to try to convince the public that criminal bikie gangs are merely motorcycle enthusiasts being unfairly targeted by this government. For these criminal bikie gangs, freedom means freedom to manufacture and sell drugs to our kids, freedom to be involved in violence, freedom to use illegal firearms and freedom to extort.

Police Superintendent Des Bray accurately summed up the poker run when he declared, 'Nowhere else in the history of the state would you ever have so many criminals gathered together for any event.' It took just 72 hours for the so-called unity to end when an ex-president of the Gypsy Jokers and an ex-member of the Hells Angels (who is currently a member of the recently formed street gang New Boys), were involved in a shoot-out at Blair Athol.

The Premier said before the run, 'This is nothing more than a public relations stunt and it wouldn't be long before the bikies reverted to their old ways.' The Premier was correct. With the brazen shooting just 72 hours later the honeymoon was over. Then, last Sunday, we saw what can only be described as an appalling incident when a violent brawl broke out between the Hells Angels City Crew and the Comancheros, in front of many innocent bystanders at Sydney Airport, resulting in a Hells Angels associate being bashed to death.

I am told that the Hells Angels City Crew was established in New South Wales by a member of the South Australian based Hells Angels outlaw motorcycle gang and some of his Adelaide associates about three years ago.

While some lawyers, who are paid highly by bikie gangs, want us to believe that motorcycle club members are misunderstood fathers, grandfathers, unionists and churchgoers who happen to like riding Harley-Davidsons, the reality is quite different. We know that most, if not all, are dangerous and serious criminals involved in organising, planning, facilitating, supporting and engaging in serious criminal activity. They have little regard for public safety. Shootings, bombings and violent brawls in public places have become the public persona of these gangs.

I welcome the interest from New South Wales in our groundbreaking, anti-criminal bikie gang laws. The Premier yesterday briefed the New South Wales Premier (Nathan Rees) on the finer details of those laws.

I also welcome Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's declaration from Washington earlier today that there be a zero tolerance approach towards bikies. The Prime Minister also announced that the country's top law officers, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General, will meet to launch a national crackdown. Clearly, what we saw at Sydney's airport was an outrage, and we must all work together to stamp out this gang violence.

The Rann government has faced some criticism in recent times for our tough approach towards criminal bikie gangs. However, we will not now or ever apologise for giving the police the powers and resources they need to combat organised crime. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to keep the South Australian public as safe as possible.