DECEMBER 2, 20154:11PM
AAP
A FORMER Rebels bikie boss jailed for trafficking
methamphetamine is fighting deportation to New Zealand because he
wants to go riding with his mates.
Colin David Picard, 69, faces being deported once he has served his
18-month prison sentence.
He is one of more than 200 convicted criminals whose visas were
cancelled after changes to the Migration Act gave the immigration
minister more powers to turf out people on “character” grounds.
The immigration department decided there was a low risk of Picard
reoffending but he was still an unacceptable risk to the community
because of his affiliation with outlaw motorcycle gang members.
His lawyer James Forsaith argued in the Federal Court that Picard’s
links with the Rebels were not made clear to him when the
immigration minister denied his application to stop his mandatory
deportation.
“He wasn’t aware that his riding with his mates affected his chances
of rehabilitation,” Mr Forsaith said today.
He argued the former Tasmanian Rebels president and Launceston
chapter boss should have been given a right of reply.
More information from Picard could have changed the outcome of his
appeal, Mr Forsaith said.
“It might have been that the mates are part of branches that there
are no criminal links,” he said.
Picard plans to ride Harley Davidson motorcycles with his Rebels
“mates” once he is released because he doesn’t have friends outside
the club.
The court heard he is still in regular contact with Rebels members,
with telephone calls and prison visits.
Picard arrived from New Zealand in 1980. He was a Rebels member for
27 years and their president for more than a decade.
He was jailed in Tasmania in 2014.
Counsel assisting the Commonwealth, Graeme Hill, said the department
did not need to specifically ask Picard about his affiliation with
the Rebels.
“If the matter is in the public domain, not controversial or is
blindingly obvious – it [procedural fairness] is not necessary,” Mr
Hill said.
Justice Richard Tracey has reserved his judgment but will hand down
his decision before the Christmas break.
Originally published as Tasmanian bikie fights deportation to NZ