UNIONISTS, church figures, Aboriginal tent embassy activists and forest campaigners have joined with biker groups to denounce Western Australia’s proposed anti-association laws.
Under the Barnett government’s Criminal Organisation Control Bill, groups involved in criminal activity or that “pose a risk to the public safety and order” would be declared to be criminal organisations.
Members of that group could then be subject to control orders banning them from associating, under penalty of up to two years’ jail for a first offence and up to five years for subsequent offences.
Announcing the legislation last year, WA Attorney-General Christian Porter said they would be the toughest organised crime laws in the nation and would “shatter the core operations of outlaw motorcycle gangs and other criminal groups”.
The United Motorcycle Clubs of WA, which has been fighting the laws since, has organised a meeting tonight of disparate groups, which is expected to call for a parliamentary inquiry into the laws.
Rec Coverage 28 Day pass
UMC spokesman Peter “Fuzzy” Godfrey said the laws hinged on police perceptions of possible crimes in the future with no regard to basic legal rights.
The Uniting Church’s Reverend George Davies, from the Perth Inner City Youth Service, will attend. He compared the bill to the notorious Section 54b law brought in under the late Liberal premier Charles Court’s government in the early 1980s, which prevented more than three people meeting in public without police permission.
Mr Davies said the new law was just as discriminatory. “It gives police carte blanche to act against anyone they don’t like,” he said. “It’s dishonest.”
Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union state secretary Mick Buchan, Maritime Union of Australia state secretary Chris Cain and other unionists are also due to attend the meeting.
Aboriginal protester Marianne Mackay, who called on activists to converge on Canberra’s The Lobby restaurant where Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott were on Australia Day, is going.
Seamus Doherty, from the Forest Rescue Service, who was subject to a control order during last year’s Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Perth, said the anti-association law undermined basic freedoms.
“The right-to-associate control orders damage democracy and give control to police and unknown judges,” he said.
Mr Porter has repeatedly stressed the laws would be used only to fight organised crime.
The opposition has said it would support the laws, with amendments to ensure they take into account High Court rulings regarding NSW and South Australian laws.
The Veterans Motorcycle Club WA has joined a campaign against proposed anti-bikie laws, saying they threaten everything they fought for.
Club spokesman Jason Buchanan said the State Government’s anti-association laws, which are due to be debated in the Upper House next week, were repressive and threatened the democratic right of freedom of association.
“It’s a kick in the teeth to the 110,000 service personnel who have lost their lives defending simple freedoms such as gathering and associating,” he said.
“It’s very embarrassing to sit there and watch politicians talk about freedom and respect and the memory of our fallen soldiers and for them to be involved in radical legislation like this.”
The VMCWA, which has about 25 members, is a social group for former members of the Australian Defence Force.
“We do a lot more than just ride bikes – we’re active in the community, do community service work and fundraising events,” said Mr Buchanan, who has served in the Royal Australian Navy and as a reservist.
He said the laws would do little to curb the activities of criminal organisations and he feared some groups and organisations could be unfairly hit by the legislation.
“Will it stop organisations such as ourselves from meeting? That’s the intention of these laws and that’s the end result of what they want to do,” he said.
“It’s law and order propaganda by the WA Government, it’s what it can turn into and evolve into that’s the biggest concern.
“These laws are wide sweeping, they’re not just for bikies.”
Attorney-General Christian Porter said the Criminal Organisation Control Bill aimed to destroy the core operations of outlaw motorcycle gangs and other criminal organisations in WA.
He said there was “no conceivable way” the laws would affect groups which did not engage in criminal activity.
“This legislation provides the right balance in terms of giving our police and justice system the tools they need to fight organised crime, as well as ensuring groups who do not engage in criminal activity are not caught by the anti-association provisions,” he said.
Under the legislation, members of a group could be banned from associating once a court had declared the group a criminal organisation.
Lobby group Search for Your Rights spokeswoman Pearl Lim described the laws as draconian and said they did not contain enough checks and balances to prevent an abuse of power.
“These types of laws have not been proven to work in any other jurisdiction, including NSW and Queensland,” she said.
“They are overly restrictive and harsh and when association can even include the sending of a Christmas card, it should be a concern.”
The legislation passed the Lower House last month and will go before the Upper House, which is expected to debate the Bill when Parliament resumes next week.
‘It’s a kick in the teeth to the 110,000 service personnel that have lost their lives defending simple freedoms like to gather and associate.’” Veterans Motorcycle Club WA spokesman *Jason Buchanan *
It must have been the warmest temperature I can remember for the Dawn Service this year which was a pleasant surprise after freezing my nuts off over previous years. After the service the boys all headed back to the club house for a full days entertainment. By lunch time the place was rocking, BBQ’s were blazing, the two up pennies were getting tossed and the beer was flowing. The crowds were up on last year and every one there had a great time. ANZAC at the clubhouse is one of the best days of the year, you always run into someone you haven’t seen for years and meet heaps of new people who turn up. Big thanks to the bands that preformed, the lads from the other clubs who dropped in and everyone who made the effort to come down and celebrate the most important day on the calendar with us.
There are photos on the site now, click here to view and keep an eye out for coming events.
Stay Safe
VFFV
As we stop and pay our respects for the 110,000 service personal who made the ultimate sacrifice for this country in the name of freedom and democracy, all Australians must show their disgust at the proposed anti association laws which if passed will fly in the face of the values these people lost their lives in protecting. Our founding fathers built , fought and died to established a country in which all people are equal and afforded the same level of civil rights and freedoms. Now however our current governments are attempting to remove these rights, these corner stones of our democratic society. The citizens of Western Australia have been vigilant and acted as one previously to ensure that unreasonable and unlawful legislation such as the “stop and search laws” were not allowed into the fabric of this land . Once again we are required to unite, this time to ensure that all Australians have the right to associate with who ever and when ever they wish, a basic civil liberty our present government wishes to remove. A basic civil liberty 110,000 Australian died for trying to protect. We can not allow these 110,000 Australians to have died in vain.
Veterans MC
Just got back from spending the day with the boys up at Bindoon Dirt Drags. Another top day of entertainment for everyone who made the effort to support the day. As we have come to expect we were greeted with our normal breath test and vehicle inspection from the boys in blue. When 80% of the crowd are kids and family’s you have to wonder how they justify their actions. Once we were in we were treated to some top class racing with a couple of outfits from the East Coast coming over and running quality V8 bikes. Thanks to the boys from CC for their hospitality and putting on a great day.
Don’t forget this Wednesday is ANZAC day and if you are near the clubhouse drop in for a coldie. We will be kicking off about 11am with bands on most of the day so I hope to see you there.
VFFV
Lashay L’Ercole was injured in the fatal police chase that cost her mother Sharon’s life.
A police officer involved in a fatal crash while pursuing a stolen vehicle last week has been stood aside from operational duties.
Sharon D’Ercole, 50, was killed last Thursday after the car she was driving was struck by a police vehicle in Dianella.
Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan told ABC this morning that the officer who was driving the vehicle that collided with Mrs D’Ercole’s had been stood down pending separate inquiries.
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Mr O’Callaghan said that the officer could face serious charges if found to have run a red light at the intersection of Morley and Alexander drives, but said he did not want to pre-empt the outcome of the inquiries.
“Nobody can go through an intersection under any conditions unless they take some caution,” he said.
“That’s part of the inquiry that Major Crash is conducting, so they’ll be asking questions about whether they saw the red light, what speed they were travelling.
“When all that comes together, there will be a decision made about whether any charges lie against the driver of that vehicle.”
This morning, the family of Mrs D’Ercole released a statement that said her daughter Lashay, 16, who was also in the vehicle when it was struck, had been released form hospital and was recovering well.
Overnight, police arrested and charged a second man believed to be inside the stolen vehicle that police were pursuing.
Paul Homer Kenney, 41, was arrested in the early hours of the morning at a Mindarie home, after Mirrabooka detectives and tactical response group officers stormed the Tauranga Retreat property.
The 41-year-old was charged with a string of offences related to the stolen vehicle and fraud offences.
Mr Kenney was not believed to be the driver of the stolen vehicle.
Police have also charged a 21-year-old Maylands man, also a passenger in the Audi, over his role in the incident.
It is still not clear who was driving the stolen vehicle, or how many people were in the car at the time.
Premier Colin Barnett defended the use of police pursuits this morning, saying they were essential to maintain law and order.
“It’s the first chance I’ve had to extend my sympathy to the family, but the police must retain the right to maintain law and order in our community, including on the streets, and if we had a policy of not having police chases you would have absolute pandemonium and extremely dangerous situations on our roads,” he said.
“So while this dreadful tragedy occurred, again, I support the right of police to make those decisions, to pursue people who are speeding, driving dangerously and putting the public at risk.”
Never needing an excuse to head up into Asia there was no way we were going to knock back an invitation from the Bali boys to head up to their show, especially after the top effort they put on last year. Despite it falling on the same weekend as our clubs bike show we still managed to send up half a dozen boys who were treated to great live bands, top class food and ice cold piss, got to be happy with that.
As always it’s great to catch up with guys from other countries and discuss issues, it never ceases to amaze me how guys in bike clubs, no matter where they are from are all the same.
Big thanks to Hammer and Danny from the Bali Chapter for the invite and hospitality while we were up there. Great to catch up with the boys from over the East Coast of Australia again and the guys from Sin City in Singapore.
Keep an eye out for next year’s event and if you happen to be up that way drop in, check out there show and have a beer with us, we will be up there for sure.
There are a few photos on the web to have a look out at, not as many as I would like but the bloke with the camera got a bit pissed, sorry about that…..
VFFV
The ride was a great success for the Club on Saturday 14th April and saw many great bikes and cars come along for a great day. After waiting for the 20 bikes to arrive from Bunbury we left the Rockingham Foreshore and made our way around the Coast going via Palm Beach, Shoalwater, Safety Bay & Warnbro Sound with some Great Views of this Coastline. I have since spoken to people who were in the area, and they say the sound was fantastic as 150 Bikes rumbled along the Coast Road and could be heard long before any were seen.
After we left the Coast we headed out through Baldivis, Serpentine and Mundijong which was our only stop, at the Mundy Hotel. I think the Boys in Blue with the speed trap set up at Port Kennedy got a big shock when all the bikes came thundering past. After having a few refreshments at the Mundy we headed back up to Byford then cut across to the Kwinana Fwy via Anketell and onto the Mitchell Fwy to the Clubhouse at Nollamara. Luck was against us at this time with an accident just being cleared in front of us and with our late departure we also caught all the Footy crowd heading to Subiaco to watch the Dockers play. Most seemed to manage the heavy traffic and said it was the best part of the day (Won’t be going that way next year).
Once we arrived at the Clubhouse and with 99% of people making it back there after the traffic chaos, it was great to hear some fantastic music with Kontraband playing so thanks to Dave and the boys for putting on a great show. We had the Trophy presentations at 4pm and it was great to see the amount of Lady riders participating more and more at these events.
Click here to have a look at some of the photos. There were some great bikes at show and even better to see these fantastic machines on the road and not arriving on the back of a trailer for a bike show. Special mention to the JCS Memorial Bike which will hopefully feature in the Live to Ride Magazine in the coming months with its own spread which is a credit to the owner, I will be interested in the story behind your bike, which I am sure has a lot of meaning to yourself and family. EH Yellow Sedan also took out a couple of categories and well done to Pagey and all the car owners that had their cars at the show, it was much appreciated. Hopefully we can build on that side of things next year and not clash with the Nostalgia Drags at the Motorplex again.
A couple of the Trophy winners didn’t make it to the end and I will catch up with you both soon to give you your Trophy and prizes (Annie on the 2011 Harley Trike – Cool Pearl Blue BEST TRIKE & the FJ Ute Gunmetal Grey, Rego: Dadsute, Runner up for PEOPLES CHOICE) If you could make contact with the club via the website that would be great.
April must be the busiest month in the biker calendar by far in West Australia, there is just shit going on every where.
Firstly, due to Easter the club house will be opening on Thursday the 5th April 2012 instead of the Friday because of it being Good Friday. So that leads me into the Easter break, on Easter Saturday and Sunday there is a show on down in Donnybrook which is a couple of hundred kilometres South of Perth. A good supporter of our club “Full Throttle Apparel” will be down there selling a great range of biker clothes for guys and chicks so if you are down that way over the break drop in and check out some of their cool stuff.
The following weekend will see some of our crew head over once again to the Bali bike week while the boys back home will be gearing up for the 3rd Annual Bike and Hotrod show that will run on Saturday 14th April. This run and show has grown every year and is a top day out so make sure you make the effort and turn up or you will be kicking yourself if you miss it. Click here to see more details.
Saturday the 21st April sees one of Perth’s longest running sand drag meets up at Bindoon. This is a great family day out and well worth the short run out there so we hope to see you out there.
The following Wednesday is ANZAC Day, one of, if not the most important day on the calendar. Once again a full day of entertainment is organised at our clubhouse so grab as many friends as you can and come down and be part of the festivities with all the guys from the club. Again there is more info regarding bands and times available on the events page.
Lastly we have just got in some new supporter muscle T-Shirts for the guys. Check these out and they are available for purchase from the club or online.
Well that’s about it for April, get out and support as many as these events as you can.
Stay safe and see you soon.
Veterans MC.
V.F.F.V.