New SA anti-bikie laws set to pass

South Australia is set to pass new anti-bikie laws after a compromise between the state government and the opposition.

South Australia's new anti-bikie laws could be in force within a week after the government agreed to cut the number of gangs to be outlawed.

Amendments to the legislation before parliament have dropped 17 groups from the original list of 27 to be declared criminal organisations.

Attorney-General John Rau says the government agreed to the changes so as not to "throw the baby out with the bath water".

He says the groups dropped from the list are not currently active in SA so the amendments represent no major shift from a policing perspective.

Mr Rau says the 10 groups left on the list, including the Mongols, Hells Angels and Rebels, represent a "clear and present danger" to community safety.

"Police regard the declaration of those groups as an absolute priority," he said.

"The ones who are left off do not exist here at all."

The legislation is now likely to pass the parliament this week although some opposition MPs continue to express concern.

If passed, the new laws could be in force by Thursday of next week.

They allow police to crack down on bikie activities, preventing gang members from displaying colours or patches and from gathering together.

An offence related to recruiting new members has also been created.

The new provisions were drafted after the High Court struck down previous attempts in SA to act against bikie and other gangs.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world