Bleijie’s Track Record Does Not Inspire Confidence

Media Release.

SUNDAY 29 SEPTEMBER 2013 

Shadow Police Minister, Bill Byrne, says Queenslanders should be thankful Attorney-General, Jarrod Bleijie, did not carry out a threat to destroy one of the key legal weapons introduced by the former Labor Government he is now using to tackle outlaw bikie gangs.

“For years when he was in Opposition the Attorney-General was publicly telling anyone who would listen — including bikie gangs — that he would tear up the Criminal Organisation Act passed by the former Labor Government in 2009,” Mr Byrne said.

“Even as late as October 2011 in the lead-up to the March 2012 state election, Mr Bleijie was publicly dismissing the laws as a ‘wasted opportunity’ to go after organised crime gangs." (Courier-Mail 18 October 2011)

“Even after the LNP won the 2012 election Mr Bleijie was still saying he wanted to repeal the 2009 laws in favour of legislation covering unexplained wealth, the type of laws Labor already had on the books." (Brisbane Times 24 April 2012)

“Mr Bleijie justified his plans by saying the law ‘affects people's civil liberties’ and that the Newman government did ‘not think anti-association laws are the right way to deal with rogue bikie gangs and other organised crime syndicates’."

“But by March this year when Labor’s laws had withstood a High Court challenge by the Finks motorcycle gang, Mr Bleijie was suddenly saying how good they were." (Courier-Mail 14 March 2013)

“He even claimed them as the Newman Government’s own laws."

“In his rush to promote himself the Attorney-General has made some remarkable bungles and his handling of anti-gang laws is just one of them."

“Thankfully someone had the good sense to tell the Attorney-General he should put crime-fighting ahead of his own image-building."

“But his track record on tackling crime — bungling his boot camp plans and trying to scrap laws that he now relies upon, do not inspire confidence."

"The Attorney-General has run out of ideas and his recent comments about naming and shaming young offenders indicate he is getting increasingly desperate and clutching at straws in his attempts to tackle serious issues."

"This is the latest sound bite-policy on the run but thankfully he has something to work with thanks to Labor."
 

“Tearing up the laws he is now relying on to tackle gang-related crime would have drastically set back the fight against organised crime,” Mr Byrne said.