The state’s first law officer has unloaded on some of Western Australia’s most notorious bikies, voicing concerns about his own personal safety but gloating that the government’s suite of anti-bikie laws had gotten into their targets’ heads.
In the colourful tirade in parliament during an opposition matter of public interest about violent offenders, Attorney-General John Quigley said his government had “no better third-party endorsement” for its tough stance on bikies than from patched Mongols member Troy Mercanti.
Troy Mercanti sporting a message for Attorney General John Quigley on his way to a previous court appearance.Credit: Ezra Holt
He referenced Mercanti’s decision to wear a homemade shirt to an August court appearance with a picture depicting Quigley as children’s TV character Mr Squiggle with the message: “Mr Squigley Fcuk Your Laws”.
Mercanti was the first person in Western Australia slapped with an order under the laws, which banned him from socialising with 31 named people.
“One of the most dangerous outlaw motorcycle criminals is complaining about the laws that I introduced,” Quigley said.
“They are effective otherwise these tough nuts wouldn’t be walking around with T-shirts on saying ‘F you, Q’. They wouldn’t. We’ve got to them.
“Can you imagine these people sitting up at night in their houses making this T-shirt? We’re inside their head, and when they go out onto the street? I loved it.”
Bikies have been making frequent visits to WA courts ever since the state government introduced anti-consorting laws in 2021 aimed at stopping selected gang members from meeting with each other, and banning the display of gang insignia including tattoos and patches in public places.
During his speech, Quigley also targeted heavily tattooed former Hells Angels bikie Dayne Brajkovich, who wore a Las Vegas Raiders NFL jersey to court in August which he told media was a “shout-out to Troy” and for him to “keep punching”.
“Keep punching against what?” Quigley asked parliament.
“Keep punching against the laws that we’ve put in place to suppress outlaw motorcycle gangs who visit violence and purvey drugs in our community.”
Quigley also poked fun at Brajkovich’s admission during his successful court battle against the insignia law in January this year that his wife put makeup on him to hide his gang tattoos.
“Who would have thought the toughest bikies in town would be puckering up to their wives to get foundation cream put on their face,” Quigley said.
Quigley admitted he was “a little concerned” that heat for the laws was coming back on to him personally, but he remained defiant.
“I’m a little concerned that you’ve got one of the most violent criminals wearing a T-shirt around saying ‘Mr Squiggly, F U’,” he said.
“Do you think I like being the target of their angst? Not one bit. But I stood for election on the policy to take it up to these people and I don’t care how much they seek to intimidate me.
“And I don’t care how much they seek to intimidate Labor, we will not take a backward step in the face of this violence in the face of outlaw motorcycle gangs in the face of organised crime, which presents a direct threat to families in Western Australia.
“I’m not 25 anymore. I’m vulnerable, but I’m not scared of ’em.”
Mercanti was fined $1500 last week for wearing a Mongols club logo on a shirt and showing club tattoos when picking up dry cleaning for his mum in Northbridge earlier this year.
He received a further $1200 fine after he was caught having lunch with a fellow club member in March.
Under the new anti-consorting laws, a person can be jailed for up to 12 months and fined $12,000 for consorting contrary to a dispersal notice or displaying insignia of an identified organisation in a public place.
Since the laws were introduced, Perth’s outlaw gangs have bandied together in a legal fight to quash the laws, which also ban certain bikies from associating with each other.
Mercanti is leading the legal bid, taking the challenge to the High Court of Australia where he is being represented by one of the state’s top barristers, Steven Penglis, SC.
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