QUEENSLAND'S NEW LEGAL REALITY: FOUR WAYS IN WHICH WE ARE NO LONGER EQUAL UNDER THE LAW

Abstract

The Queensland Government recently amended and enacted legislation directed at criminalising membership in a number of motorcycle clubs. The impact of these new laws on civil liberties in Queensland is critically examined. This article explores the ways in which people may no longer be equal before the law at the discretion of the Queensland Government, including selective mandatory sentencing and exclusion from particular lawful occupations; the criminalisation of behaviours which would otherwise be unobjectionable; and how the amendments have potential for a far-reaching and damaging impact on people for whom the laws were not necessarily intended.