The High Court has reached its first decision in the
current wars between outlaw bikie gangs and State governments. The
majority held that NSW laws designed to prevent people associating
with criminals (specifically, bikies), are constitutionally
valid.
Criminal bikie gangs are a hot topic in State governments at the
moment. Queensland and New South Wales have both had a crack at
bringing in a rather extraordinary suite of laws which stop bikies
from meeting and conspiring to commit crimes.
NSW did it by prohibiting a person from 'habitually
consorting' with a convicted criminal, where that person had
been given a warning by police that the 'criminal', well,
was a criminal. The legislation doesn't go into much further
detail than that. The effect is that once you've been given a
warning in relation to communicating with a particular
'criminal', you can be charged even if only texting each
other about The Bachelor.
