Former Supreme Court Judge, Alan Wilson will head the review of VLAD laws as part an extensive review of organised crime, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath announced today. The Qld bikie laws were rushed into parliament following the infamous “Broadbeach Brawl”. At the time there was considerable criticism that the laws were over-reaching and had not been subject to the usual scrutiny. This review is expected to recommend changes to a number of key elements of the legislation.
Justice Wilson, who retired in March 2015, has enjoyed a distinguished career over more than three decades, Justice Wilson was admitted as a barrister in 1982 and was appointed to the District Court bench in 1998, before rising to the Supreme Court in 2009. He also became the inaugural head of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal at that time.
The taskforce looking into the VLAD laws will include high-ranking representatives from the Queensland Law Society, the Bar Association of Queensland, the Public Interest Monitor, the Queensland Police Service, the Queensland Police Union, the Queensland Police Commissioned Officers’ Union of Employees, and senior public servants.
The VLAD enquiry will work in tandem with the Government’s Commission of Inquiry, headed by respected criminal barrister Michael Byrne QC, as part of a multi-faceted assault on organised crime.
The VLAD taskforce will report back to the government by the end this year, incorporating the findings of the commission of inquiry.