New laws have been introduced targeting the illegal activities of criminal gangs in Queensland. The reforms introduce new offences, increased penalties, enhanced powers for Police and the Crime and Misconduct Commission, and stricter bail laws.

Changes have been made to the Liquor Act 1992 to prohibit people from entering or remaining on premises, subject to a licence or permit under the Liquor Act, if they are wearing or carrying certain prohibited items (outlined below) which are associated with a declared criminal organisation. It also places obligations on licensees/permittees, approved managers, employees and agents of licensees/permittees that they not knowingly allow anyone wearing or carrying the prohibited items to enter or remain on the premises.

The Liquor Act provides for authorised persons, which include the licensee/permittee, employees or agents of the licensee/permittee, and police officers, to tell a person wearing or carrying prohibited items to immediately leave the premises.

Penalties apply and the maximum penalty for the licensee/permittee, approved manager or employee/agent of the licensee/permittee for knowingly allowing a person wearing or carrying prohibited items to enter or remain on the premises is $11,000.

Significant penalties also apply if the person refuses to leave when required, or resists an authorised person who is removing them from the premises (maximum penalty for first offence $41,250, second offence $57,750 or 6 months imprisonment and third or later offences $82,500 or 18 months imprisonment).

Prohibited item is defined in the Liquor Act as meaning:
an item of clothing or jewellery or an accessory that displays—

(a)       the name of a declared criminal organisation; or

(b)       the club patch, insignia or logo of a declared criminal

organisation; or

Note—
The things mentioned in paragraph (b) are also known as the ‘colours’ of the organisation.

(c)        any image, symbol, abbreviation, acronym or other form

of writing that indicates membership of, or an association with, a declared criminal organisation,

including—

(i)         the symbol ‘1%’; and

(ii)        the symbol ‘1%er’; and

(iii)       any other image, symbol, abbreviation, acronym or other form of writing prescribed under a regulation for this paragraph.

A declared criminal organisation is an entity declared to be a criminal organisation under the Criminal Code, section 1, definition criminal organisation, paragraph (c). A list of these organisations as at 17 October 2013 is provided below.

the motorcycle club know as the Bandidos
the motorcycle club know as the Black Uhlans
the motorcycle club know as the Coffin Cheaters
the motorcycle club know as the Comancheros
the motorcycle club know as the Finks
the motorcycle club know as the Fourth Reich
the motorcycle club know as the Gladiators
the motorcycle club know as the Gypsy Jokers
the motorcycle club know as the Hells Angels
the motorcycle club know as the Highway 61
the motorcycle club know as the Iron Horsemen
the motorcycle club know as the Life and Death
the motorcycle club know as the Lone Wolf
the motorcycle club know as the Mobshitters
the motorcycle club know as the Mongols
the motorcycle club know as the Muslin Brotherhood Movement
the motorcycle club know as the Nomads
the motorcycle club know as the Notorious
the motorcycle club know as the Odins Warriors
the motorcycle club know as the Outcasts
the motorcycle club know as the Outlaws
the motorcycle club know as the Pheonix
the motorcycle club know as the Rebels
the motorcycle club know as the Red Devils
the motorcycle club know as the Renegades
the motorcycle club know as the Scorpions
The patches of these declared criminal organisations are:

Criminal organisations patches

Last reviewed 18 October 2013