❓ Mr. Lilburne asks about the effectiveness of measures against organised crime and bikie gangs. The Minister details the positive impact of border closures on meth use and crime rates, and outlines new legislation targeting OMCGs, while also criticising the opposition's stance.
AnsweredQoN 719Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ORGANISED CRIME AND OUTLAW MOTORCYCLE GANGS
719. Mr P. LILBURNE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan government's
unprecedented efforts to crack down on organised crime and outlaw motorcycle
gangs.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how the measures introduced by this government are
disrupting organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs in Western Australia and
outline why these measures continue to be needed?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who believes that the
government is wasting its time cracking down on bikies?
719. Mr P. LILBURNE to the Minister for Police:
I refer to the McGowan government's
unprecedented efforts to crack down on organised crime and outlaw motorcycle
gangs.
(1) Can the
minister update the house on how the measures introduced by this government are
disrupting organised crime and outlaw motorcycle gangs in Western Australia and
outline why these measures continue to be needed?
(2) Can the
minister advise the house whether he is aware of anyone who believes that the
government is wasting its time cracking down on bikies?
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for his question
and his personal zero tolerance for organised crime in Western Australia.
(1)–(2) The
reason we needed legislation and a focus on organised crime and OMCGs in
particular is that during a meeting that the Attorney General, Premier and I attended
with the then Commissioner of Police and Deputy
Commissioner of Police in March last year immediately after the state election,
it was brought to our attention that in 2020 in particular, during the
height of border closures, it was proven that there was a direct correlation, a
relationship, between meth use in Western Australia, meth availability in Western Australia and the border powers that were
available to police during that time. There was a massive reduction in
meth use, as proven by sewage testing, and a correlating reduction in crime.
There was about a 53 per cent reduction in meth use and about a 41 per cent
reduction in crime, the likes of which the then commissioner had never seen in
his entire career.
The police asked us whether we could
provide powers to replicate that as much as possible, and to do that we would
focus on bikies—OMCGs—because they are the distribution
technique; the meth comes into the state and they distribute it around the
state and do harm to people. We have complied and are in the process of
delivering those powers to try to replicate as much as possible what happened
in 2020.
The Attorney General delivered on
consorting powers with the best legislation in the country. I imagine that everyone in this chamber would have noticed
the difference; we do not see OMCG members wandering around in their
colours anymore. We see them regularly confronted by police when they are
reported for revealing insignia that is now banned. There are several very key
players in the OMCGs, leaders in those organisations, who cannot consort with
their own gang members anymore because of the legislation that the AG brought
in.
We passed an amendment to the
Firearms Act 1973, which created firearm prohibition orders, and some of them
will be handed out very soon. As soon as the regulations pass into law, they
will be employed by the relevant police to further curtail the activities of
OMCGs.
We are working on a number of other
laws such as amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act, which will create designated border search areas; the Criminal
Investigation Act, which will enable data access orders ; and the
Surveillance Devices Act, which will also create model laws. All those things
are happening and they are needed because we have not disrupted the OMCGs to
the extent that we desire and that the police have asked us to. We will
continue to provide the powers the police require.
Member
for Carine, I am aware of somebody who does not agree with the focus on OMCGs
and who s eems to be advocating for
bikies. I cannot say that I hang on every word of this individual, but it has
been brought to my attention that the opposition police spokesperson
recently penned an opinion piece in The West Australian in which he made
the observation —
�
the Minister for Police spends an exorbitant amount of his time devoted to
beating up on the bikies �
I am not sure whether that was
supposed to hurt me, whether I was supposed to feel slighted in some way,
because I have that focus on bikies, but I can assure the member in the other
place that that is not how I feel. I am
quite comfortable with that criticism if that is what he wants to level at me.
But I offer this advice : if only the opposition spokesman for police did
not spend an exorbitant amount of time on WhatsApp undermining his colleagues, perhaps we might have a far more functional
opposition who might contribute to the effort to curtail the activities
of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Visitors — Bob Hawke
College Social Justice Club
The
SPEAKER : Before I give you the call, member for Vasse, I would like
to acknowledge some guests in the public
gallery from the social justice club of Bob Hawke College. I acknowledge them
on behalf of the members for Nedlands, Churchlands and Perth. On behalf
of everyone, welcome; I hope you enjoy being here for question time.
and his personal zero tolerance for organised crime in Western Australia.
(1)–(2) The
reason we needed legislation and a focus on organised crime and OMCGs in
particular is that during a meeting that the Attorney General, Premier and I attended
with the then Commissioner of Police and Deputy
Commissioner of Police in March last year immediately after the state election,
it was brought to our attention that in 2020 in particular, during the
height of border closures, it was proven that there was a direct correlation, a
relationship, between meth use in Western Australia, meth availability in Western Australia and the border powers that were
available to police during that time. There was a massive reduction in
meth use, as proven by sewage testing, and a correlating reduction in crime.
There was about a 53 per cent reduction in meth use and about a 41 per cent
reduction in crime, the likes of which the then commissioner had never seen in
his entire career.
The police asked us whether we could
provide powers to replicate that as much as possible, and to do that we would
focus on bikies—OMCGs—because they are the distribution
technique; the meth comes into the state and they distribute it around the
state and do harm to people. We have complied and are in the process of
delivering those powers to try to replicate as much as possible what happened
in 2020.
The Attorney General delivered on
consorting powers with the best legislation in the country. I imagine that everyone in this chamber would have noticed
the difference; we do not see OMCG members wandering around in their
colours anymore. We see them regularly confronted by police when they are
reported for revealing insignia that is now banned. There are several very key
players in the OMCGs, leaders in those organisations, who cannot consort with
their own gang members anymore because of the legislation that the AG brought
in.
We passed an amendment to the
Firearms Act 1973, which created firearm prohibition orders, and some of them
will be handed out very soon. As soon as the regulations pass into law, they
will be employed by the relevant police to further curtail the activities of
OMCGs.
We are working on a number of other
laws such as amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Act, which will create designated border search areas; the Criminal
Investigation Act, which will enable data access orders ; and the
Surveillance Devices Act, which will also create model laws. All those things
are happening and they are needed because we have not disrupted the OMCGs to
the extent that we desire and that the police have asked us to. We will
continue to provide the powers the police require.
Member
for Carine, I am aware of somebody who does not agree with the focus on OMCGs
and who s eems to be advocating for
bikies. I cannot say that I hang on every word of this individual, but it has
been brought to my attention that the opposition police spokesperson
recently penned an opinion piece in The West Australian in which he made
the observation —
�
the Minister for Police spends an exorbitant amount of his time devoted to
beating up on the bikies �
I am not sure whether that was
supposed to hurt me, whether I was supposed to feel slighted in some way,
because I have that focus on bikies, but I can assure the member in the other
place that that is not how I feel. I am
quite comfortable with that criticism if that is what he wants to level at me.
But I offer this advice : if only the opposition spokesman for police did
not spend an exorbitant amount of time on WhatsApp undermining his colleagues, perhaps we might have a far more functional
opposition who might contribute to the effort to curtail the activities
of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Visitors — Bob Hawke
College Social Justice Club
The
SPEAKER : Before I give you the call, member for Vasse, I would like
to acknowledge some guests in the public
gallery from the social justice club of Bob Hawke College. I acknowledge them
on behalf of the members for Nedlands, Churchlands and Perth. On behalf
of everyone, welcome; I hope you enjoy being here for question time.
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