Gillard seeks state backing for gang fight

6 Mar 2013, 5:35 pm   -   Source: AAP

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New national laws to tackle organised crime across state borders will be considered at April's Council of Australian Governments meeting.

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Prime Minister Julia Gillard faces a battle with at least three states to put in place anti-gang laws, but says a national approach is the only way forward.

Organised crime costs Australia up to $15 billion a year, with illicit drugs being the most common activity, but tax evasion, money laundering, fraud, identity crime and high-tech crime also proving a challenge for law enforcers.

Ms Gillard addressed a community safety forum in western Sydney on Wednesday, during her week-long visit to the region ahead of the federal election, and later announced a plan to bolster organised crime fighting.

"Organised criminals move from state to state," she said.

"National anti-gang and asset seizure laws will help ensure police have the powers they need and there are no safe havens."

Ms Gillard will ask the premiers and chief ministers at April's Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting to refer some of their powers to the commonwealth.

The planned laws would give courts the power to declare that a body, such as a bikie gang, is a criminal organisation and then impose control orders on designated members.

The orders, which would take effect nationally, would prevent members from liaising with other club members, holding a liquor licence, visiting clubhouses or holding gun licences.

COAG will also be asked to endorse national unexplained wealth laws, which would give police more power to seize cash, cars and houses of alleged organised criminals.

Proceeds of criminal asset seizures would be shared between states.

The premiers and chief ministers will also be asked to toughen gun controls, including a new national ballistics database, extra search powers for police, and an "interface" to bring together the more than 30 different firearm registers.

Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said his state would not be handing over its powers.

"This is just another attack by the federal government on states' right to manage and deal with these things appropriately," Mr Bleijie said.

Anti-bikie legislation in NSW and South Australia has already been successfully challenged in the High Court, and the result of a challenge to Queensland's laws is expected within weeks.

WA Premier Colin Barnett, who goes to the polls on Saturday, said he would support parallel laws but wouldn't hand over powers.

"Let us have ... more national policies that actually deal with the issue, rather than this grab for power that we have seen in disability and in education," Mr Barnett said.

NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell, who has previously supported national laws, said he looked forward to the COAG talks.

"But I have learned enough about the federal government, particularly this week, to know that the devil will always be in the detail," Mr O'Farrell said.

The Labor states of South Australia and Tasmania have expressed their conditional support.

Australian Civil Liberties Council president Terry O'Gorman said it was "cynical, survival politics" and federal authorities already had strong powers to deal with cross-border organised crime.

He predicted that redistributing the seized wealth to the states would stir up a similar debate to the GST distribution.

Opposition justice spokesman Michael Keenan said Labor should restore funding to federal agencies and ensure bodies such as Customs were working properly.

"Since coming to office Labor has systematically made cuts to critical areas of our law enforcement agencies," Mr Keenan said.

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Your Comments

Action against all sorts of crimes

Tom - from Goldtown, 3 months ago

This is overdue for at least 10 years. Why is this (or previous) government(s) sooo slow with realising that something needs to done??? I just simply can't believe this level of slackness, indecisiveness, lazyness?, tunnelvision- don't know anymore..? Is this because we are linked to the commonwealth? No good corrective measures can be put in place in this country effectively there and then- decisions + implementation after take a bloody lifetime. This hits the ceiling of frustration.

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