AUSTRAILIA - AGs renew push for uniform anti-bikie law

OFF THE WIRE
JOHN FERGUSON,
VICTORIAN POLITICAL EDITOR
 the australian
THE push for uniform anti-bikie gang laws will be resurrected today by the nation's attorneys-general to deal with cross-border criminality.
Chief law officers from the states and territories will discuss a united front on the bikie war, modelled on planned laws by the Baillieu government.
Consensus also will be sought to defeat commonwealth attempts to gain control of state powers over the confiscation of illegally gained cash and assets.
Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark will outline to the meeting his plans to enable crime fighting bodies to apply to the Supreme Court to have criminal bikie gangs dealt with in a similar fashion to intervention orders.
NSW's Criminal Organisation Control Bill enabled bikie gangs to be declared illegal organisations and members to be jailed for associating with each other and banned from some jobs.
But the High Court found the NSW laws invalid because they undermined the institutional integrity of the Supreme Court.
Mr Clark said he would raise the bikie gangs issue and the need for co-ordination of state and territory legislation to tackle the gangs. "The Victorian government is working with other states and territories to seek a common approach to legislation wherever possible, as well as continuing collaboration under the National Organised Crime Response Plan," he said.
"The Victorian Coalition government (also) will be recommending that states and territories do not support the commonwealth's request to refer general power to the commonwealth over unexplained wealth laws.
"Such a referral to the commonwealth would open the way to challenges to the constitutional validity of state-based asset confiscation laws and thus risk disrupting the states' work in tackling drug trafficking and other serious crime."
The State and Territory Attorneys-General forum in Melbourne excludes federal minister Nicola Roxon and is seen by the members as a vehicle for policy formation and driving reform at a national level.
Police complain that criminal bikie gangs have flourished in NSW, Victoria and South Australia in recent years and have been associated with some high-profile crimes that have increased the pressure on governments to act.
Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie yesterday backed Victoria's opposition to the commonwealth gaining the states' unexplained wealth powers. "Once again the Labor Party continues its campaign to remove power and money from the states," he said. "I will not be signing up to any such agreement."
The Victorian government believes it will be a matter for the states and territories to get the right model in place to prevent High Court challenges succeeding. This was after NSW and South Australian attempts to deal with criminal bikie gangs were thwarted by successful High Court challenges.