Stop new anti-bikie laws in NSW!

"PROPOSED laws in NSW will put the power to ban bikie gangs in the hands of a Supreme Court judge, Attorney-General John Hatzistergos says. Mr Hatzistergos and NSW Premier Nathan Rees on Sunday outlined tough new legislation calling for jail terms of two to five years for bikie gang members caught associating with one another after the gang is banned.

Mr Hatzistergos said a NSW Supreme Court judge would decide whether a bikie group should be banned after an application from the police commissioner.

"The judge will be the one who will make the orders, and those orders will be both in relation to the group and the individuals,'' he told reporters.

Mr Hatzistergos said the NSW approach would differ in several ways from the strategy adopted in South Australia's anti-bikie legislation.

"In South Australia the orders are different - the order is only made in relation to the group by the attorney-general, but individuals who then constitute the offence have to be the subject of an order by a magistrate.''

Bikies who continued to associate with each other would be given no warning before charges were laid, he said.

"We're not proposing to have a system of warning like they have in South Australia,'' he said.

Australian Federal Police Commissioner Mick Keelty said the proposed laws were "very appropriate'', noting that NSW had a particular problem with bikie gangs because half of the nation's 40 outlawed groups reside in the state.

NSW Opposition Leader Barry O'Farrell welcomed the laws, saying it was time to stop "pussyfooting around''.

He said the move could finally give the police the tough powers needed to smash outlaw motorcycle gangs and put an end to them.

"With parliament about to take a break until May, it's important it deal with any legislation this week so that police have the powers needed to shut down the criminal bikie gangs and their activities,'' he said.

"We have to stop pussyfooting around.

"The violent and criminal activities of these outlaw motorcycle gangs requires a strong response which is what the Liberal/Nationals have been urging for weeks.''

The new laws have been proposed following last Sunday's fatal brawl between the Hells Angels and rival gang the Comancheros at Sydney Airport."