State Government ministers given copy of secret Crime and Corruption Commission submission

STATE Government ministers have received copies of a secret CCC submission — handed to the bike law taskforce — as they meet today to decide the fate of the laws.

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PALASZCZUK Government ministers have been given a copy of a secret Crime and Corruption Commission submission — handed to the bike law taskforce — as they meet today to decide the fate of the laws.

The Courier-Mail last week revealed CCC chair Alan MacSporran had penned a letter to taskforce chair Alan Wilson outlining bikie intelligence which warned several bikie gangs were seeking to gain or regain a foothold on the Gold Coast.

New CCC Chairman Alan MacSporran. Pic Jono Searle.

The letter was never made public and only partial access to its contents was granted under Right to Information, despite more than 70 other submissions being made public.

It is understood the letter is also not contained inside the taskforce’s final report, which was handed to Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath on Thursday by taskforce chair retired Justice Alan Wilson.

It is understood the CCC could also make the letter public today following the public release of the report this afternoon, with Mr MacSporran telling the taskforce in that letter that he would be content for the information to be contained within the final report or given to the government.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has been at pains to assure Queenslanders her government will not weaken its stance on bikie gangs, insisting there will be “no let up” on the gangs.

But she has hinted that Cabinet could consider changing parts of the laws that the Wilson Report deems will be unlikely to survive a future High Court challenge.

“What I want my cabinet to consider is tough legislation that covers the full ambit of serious organised crime in this state,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“We want workable laws that stand up to High Court challenges.”

The government has already committed to creating a new serious organised crime offence with the taskforce recommending the best way to do so.

Not every taskforce member is believed to be happy with the final report, however, potentially creating more problems for the government.

It is understood the final report may present some recommendations as unanimous when certain members had reservations.

The Wilson Report is expected to recommend the bikie laws be overhauled including the scrapping or renaming of the VLAD legislation and the ditching of the anti-association provisions which prevent bikie gang members hanging out in groups of three or more in public.

Instead, the Wilson Report is expected to recommend the anti-association provisions be scrapped in favour of a model similar to the New South Wales Government’s anti-consorting laws.

Those laws have survived a High Court challenge with bikies only banned from associating with each other if they have been convicted of an offence first.

Provisions designed to stop bikies and their associates from gaining a licence to work as plumbers, electricians or in other trades — which were yet to be enacted — could also be destined for the scrap heap along with the stricter bail conditions imposed on bikies, if the report’s recommendations are accepted by the government.

Ms Palaszczuk and her Attorney-General are expected to release an interim response today before further responses are released in coming months.