Revealed: The chilling encounter between MP and hoon gang member in balaclava
A Gold Coast MP has opened up on harassment and stalking from a notorious hoon group which included a chilling encounter with a gang member wearing a balaclava.
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- Ros Bates and her fight with the Mexican Hoon Cartel
- Reporters answer your questions about the Gold Coast
A GOLD Coast MP has opened up on the harassment and stalking from the Mexican Hoon Cartel including a chilling encounter with a gang member wearing a balaclava.
Mudgeeraba MP Ros Bates, in a stunning speech in State Parliament, has thanked the young petrol head hoon gang for helping her improve her vote after the most emotionally exhausting and intimidating election campaign in her lengthy political career.
Videos posted to the gang’s Instagram account showed teens wearing hoodies or balaclavas kick, cut and vandalise her election signs but Ms Bates chose in the lead-up to the October poll to remain silent about some of the threats.
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In a speech in State Parliament, Ms Bates said: “I never thought I would say this, but I want to thank the Mexican Hoon Cartel. That is right: to the Mexican Hoon Cartel I say muchas gracias, amigos, for increasing my margin in Mudgeeraba after I ran a campaign to stamp out hooning.
“I thank them because it shows that, despite their destruction and intimidation tactics throughout the campaign, there is no love for hoons in our community. We do not want you here, and now I have a mandate to fight for the tough laws we need to dismantle these criminal hoon cartels.”
The LNP frontbencher reflected on how she and her staff were “stalked and harassed” because the LNP put forward policies to slam the brakes on hooning and “break up this lawless hooning cartel that has infested our suburbs”
“A hoon in a balaclava even targeted one of my community corners, but I am happy to say that the offenders will pay the price for their reckless behaviour, endangering the safety of others,” she said.
“Do you know who the hoons were supporting throughout the election? Labor. They were telling their fellow hoons to vote for Labor because Labor’s stance on hooning was a slap on the wrist compared to the LNP’s.
“In fact, I want the people of Mudgeeraba, Clagiraba, Gilston, Reedy Creek, Numinbah Valley, Tallai, Robina, Austinville, Carrara, Springbrook and Merrimac to know that every time they cannot get to sleep because the hoons are skidding in their suburbs again it is because of the Palaszczuk Labor government’s inaction.
“There is no doubt that hooning is spiralling out of control in our area. Up to 50 hoons have been known to congregate at the intersection of Pine Creek Road and Nerang Murwillumbah Road at a time.”
Ms Bates said her office received up to 50 complaints per month about hooning in hinterland streets.
“That is why I have been taking action. I have written to the Gold Coast mayor
with a list of hooning hot spots in the Mudgeeraba electorate, and he has begun investigations into the feasibility of cameras or anti-hooning strategies in these locations,” she said.
“As a result the council has committed to hundreds more covert CCTV cameras, but only if Labor amends the TO(RUM) Act.
“The Labor government needs to follow through on amending the TO(RUM) Act to put the onus of proof back on to the owners of the vehicles. But simply amending the TO(RUM) Act will not fix the issue. I will not give up the fight. Viva la Mudgeeraba and adios to the Mexican Hoon Cartel.”
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