Police detain Richmond star Dustin Martin’s father Shane Martin
UPDATE: AUSTRALIA’s government has declared it is “at war’’ with outlaw motorcycle gangs, ordering 81 foreign-born bikies and cronies out of the country.
Law & Order
Don't miss out on the headlines from Law & Order. Followed categories will be added to My News.
AUSTRALIA’s government has declared it is “at war’’ with outlaw motorcycle gangs, ordering 81 foreign-born bikies and cronies out of the country.
The Herald Sun revealed yesterday that Tigers star Dustin Martin’s father had been locked up and ordered to return to New Zealand over his links to the Rebels bikie group.
Immigration minister Peter Dutton confirmed he had decided to revoke Shane Martin’s visa on the basis of advice, but would give no further details.
The minister’s powers to expel those who fail a character test was strengthened by legal changes in December 2014.
Mr Dutton said he had since revoked or refused to renew the residency visas of 81 members, or associates, of outlaw motorcycle gangs.
Of these, 31 were in prison, 23 more were in immigration detention pending their removal, and another 27 had either been deported or were already overseas when their visas were revoked.
“Our government is very happy to declare war on outlaw motorcycle gang members, because they are peddling drugs,” Mr Dutton said.
“They are causing misery to mums and dads who have teenage children who are buying drugs from outlaw motorcycle gang members,’’ he said.
The residencies of a total of 1052 foreign-born undesirables, including bikies, have so far been revoked.
Mr Dutton said deportation orders had been issued for people to return to Britain, Albania, Iraq, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Denmark.
But he said most had been issued to New Zealanders.
Justice minister Michael Keenan said bikie gangs were “the public face of organised crime in Australia’’.
He said police and other law enforcement agencies were tracking 38 outlaw motorcycle gangs. About 4500 people were directly involved with those gangs and another 2500 were supporters of them.
Mr Keenan said the Australian Crime Commission’s gangs intelligence co-ordination centre compiled intelligence from state and federal police forces, the Border Force, the tax office, the Immigration and Human Services departments, and the ACC itself.
“The brief is to make sure we have a list — a current list — of people who are involved in outlaw motorcycle gangs,” Mr Keenan said.
“But also, importantly, to have a current list of their associates — the people who help facilitate their crimes, such as their lawyers and accountants.’’
Richmond Football Club said yesterday that Dustin Martin had alerted it to “the potential of something happening’’ before he took to the field for Thursday night’s game at Etihad Stadium
“We have no information in regards to (his father) ... it is a police matter,” said the club’s football boss, Dan Richardson.
“We’ll support Dustin, as we would all our players.
“He’ll be OK, and hopefully with our support he’ll be fine. It’ll be tough on him.
“He seems to be fine, albeit obviously, it’s (about) his dad.’’
Shane Martin is thought to have been taken in to custody at his trucking business in Camden, which is to the southwest of Sydney, on Thursday morning.
He is believed to be being held in jail.
Mr Martin has the right to lodge a court appeal against his deportation order.