LNP to crack down on drug-driving after Ezra Mam’s ‘slap on the wrist’

The news

Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has flagged an increase to the state’s drug-driving penalty after acknowledging that Broncos star Ezra Mam’s sentence this week “doesn’t pass the pub test”.

Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has also criticised the sentence handed to the Brisbane five-eighth on Monday for his role in a drug-driving crash in which three people were injured.

Bleijie described the $850 fine and six-month licence suspension as “disgraceful” and a “slap on the wrist” that “does not pass the pub test”.

Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington pointed to the $1209 fine for using a mobile phone while driving, in a statement suggesting the government would boost drug-driving penalties.Credit: Matt Dennien

Why it matters

Mam, 21, collided with an Uber in Bardon on October 18 while driving his ute in Brisbane’s west.

The Uber driver, a female passenger and her four-year-old daughter were taken to hospital with injuries – the latter with a fractured hip.

The Broncos star, who signed a five-year deal worth about $4 million in February, pleaded guilty to drug-driving and driving without a licence in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Monday.

The current maximum penalty for a driver found to have drugs in their system is a $2258 fine or three months’ jail. The LNP has not ruled out introducing minimum mandatory sentences.

What they said

In a statement, Frecklington did not say whether she would appeal the sentence but said she understood that “for many Queenslanders, this outcome doesn’t pass the pub test”.

“Most Queenslanders would expect that the penalty for a driver who’s found to have drugs in their system would be more severe than the penalty for using a mobile phone behind the wheel,” she said.

“I will be consulting with my colleagues, in particular the transport minister [Brent Mickelberg], and considering what changes can be made to our laws.”

Asked at an earlier media conference whether Mam’s sentence “passed the pub test”, Bleijie said it did not, and noted he had not yet spoken to Frecklington.

“When many Queenslanders are ... for lesser offences, fined far greater than what Ezra did, I don’t think it passes the pub test at all,” he said.

“And I think it’s disgraceful that someone on drugs, driving a car dangerously, [who] injures a four-year-old has a slap on the wrist … The LNP government takes a zero-tolerance approach to drugs”.

Another perspective

Mam has been contacted for comment via his manager. Speaking to the media outside Monday’s court appearance, the young Bronco made a brief statement.

“Today is an important step in owning my actions and starting to make things right. To all the people involved in this accident, I’m truly sorry,” Mam said.

“This incident isn’t a reflection of who I want to be, or what’s expected of me as a role model. To the NRL, the Brisbane Broncos, the fans and my family, I’m sorry.

“I promise to work on being a better person and representative of the club and the game that I love.”

What you need to know

The attorney-general can appeal against a Magistrates Court sentence to a District Court judge or the Court of Appeal in certain circumstances.

In such cases, the judge will only ask the court to reconsider or change a sentence if it is “plainly too harsh or too lenient”.

As attorney-general in the Newman government, Bleijie faced criticism for his forays beyond the separation of powers between parliament, the executive and courts.

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