Outlaw bikie blitz: Peter Dutton’s visa laws deport 158 bikies
The drive to deport bikies has been led by newly appointed Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton.
It involves state and federal police working with intelligence agencies.
Being an outlaw motorcycle gang (OMCG) member or associate of an organisation reasonably suspected of being involved in crime is sufficient for a visa cancellation on character grounds.
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“There’s no room in Australia for foreigners who involve themselves in criminal bikie gangs,” Mr Dutton told the Sunday Herald Sun.
“These gangs are heavily involved in all sorts of criminal activity.”
Laws were amended in December 2014 to give the government greater powers to revoke residency for those who failed to meet minimum character standards.
Appeals are lodged against about 80 per cent of deportation orders.
“They (bikies) run standover and extortion rackets, manufacture and distribute deadly drugs, and are, in large part, responsible for the ice scourge, which directly results in home and business robberies to pay for the addiction,” Mr Dutton said.
“If non-citizens lead that life then I’ll cancel their visas and rid our country of them.”
Several high-profile bikies have been deported, including Rebels-linked Shane Martin, the father of Richmond AFL star Dustin.
Others linked to bikie gangs to have been given the boot include Rebels bikies A.J. Graham, Danny Mousley, Ko Haapu and Colin Picard.
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Last month the Sunday Herald Sun revealed Indonesian customs officers at Bali’s Denpasar airport told Shane Martin he could not come through because Australia had requested he be refused entry.
His lawyers have been arguing for his return to Australia.
Mr Dutton has the power to refuse Mr Martin entry to Australia because he would have to apply for a 444 visa to get back.
Rebels bikie A.J. Graham was deported to New Zealand in October last year.
Graham, 50, was the founding member of the Rebels bikie gang’s Tasmanian chapter.
Graham’s convictions include him being jailed for 15 months in 2009 over a vicious attack on a teenage insurance fraud investigator.
The terrified 19-year-old was made to sit on a chair in front of Graham’s suburban Hobart home and told by Graham to look at the Rebels flag flying on top of the unit.
As he did so, Graham punched him twice in the face, knocking him off the chair, and then continued punching and kicking the teenager before poking him in the eye with a radio aerial.