May 11, 2025 • 6 mins
The Government is introducing tougher penalties for boy racers and other, what Chris Bishop called, "idiot drivers".
The changes include a crushed or forfeited car for fleeing drivers, boy racers, and those taking part in intimidating convoys.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I'd be lowering the threshold for crushing cars, hiking fines
from the noisy exhausts, and harsher penalties for those who
refuse to stop for police. So will these changes make
a difference? Police Minister Mark Mitchell joins me. Now, good afternoon, Hey.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Uster doing Tim, I didn't realize so many people were
listening to you. Made I apologize for being late, that
I was getting text messages and list pools and everyone's putting,
he told me, saying good on them. That's good.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
That's good to hear. Hey, I hope you had a
good day with family and things.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Now, well, I've been able to route a rout today
with I've been able to write a root today with
Chris Bishop announcing this policy that you want to talk about. Yes, yeah,
which is generating some good interest, which is great.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
How bad has the problem?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Got?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
What's your primary motivation?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Well, if you look at if you go back to
twenty thirteen, they were dealing with about fifteen hundred cases
of boy or people coming out and sort of misbehavior
on the streets in groups. If you fast forward to
twenty twenty three, it's now over three thousand, so it's doubled.
And I'm aware of the police are running operations all
(01:19):
over the country. We have these boy races and these
dirt bike riders that come out and think that they
can harass and terrorize the communities that they're in. It's
obvious that we need to take the police need to
have some better tools, and the courts as well, and
that's why we've we're going to introduce this legislation as.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I mean, look, it's always a bit of this and
a bit of that, but how much of this is
a response to the police saying perhaps, look, we need
some more tools for this rather because we all can
see the problem. But have the police requested this power
as well, or that.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
These contents so that no, so the police didn't come
and directly request that. We obviously saw it. We've got
feedback from the communities. We looked at it and could
see that although the legislation was passed originally was full
of good and tent, it requires three prosecutions before vehicles
are seized and destroyed. So what we've changed is that's
a three strike regime. We've changed it to one strike
(02:12):
regime where now you only need need to be convicted once.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
How has the law been failing until now? Is it
that actual warning part of it that means you know,
we never I mean Port Judith Collins got the nickname
Crush of Colins probably because they're really never any crushed
any cars.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
They did crush a few cars and there's still I
think there was twelve last year. But the real here
it is it's not a big enough to terrent because
you need those three convictions. So we've established a presuptive
court sentence now of destruction all forature of vehicles involved
in street racing, filling police, or involved in intimidating convoys
(02:49):
I sort of gain convoys and things like that.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So basically that means if you you tick the your
box with these offenders, but these offenses, your car is
going to get crushed unless you can convince us otherwise.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yes, exactly, unless it's unless it's absolutely in officially unjust
and you can prove that to the courts, then your
vehicles gone. It will be destroyed.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
That's the bit that sort of caught my attention, The
quote if it's manifestly unjust or causes extreme hardship to
the offender or undue hardship to any other person, and
of course everyone's going to have a sob story and
a lawyer are you Are you confident that people are
not just going to be wriggling off the hook with
this one.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, well, we'll be watching very closely and carefully to
make sure that doesn't happen. But we have to. We
felt that we have to give the judge the ability
to Every case is different, and you will get some
genuine cases where you know there will be a finding
of being manifestly unjust or unfair due to what the
circumstances may be. So you've just got to have that
(03:48):
in there. However, you know, our expectations of government is
that that would have to be that would have to
be a rare occasion and certainly not a standard approach.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
What do the police have the capacity to enforce these
laws and to really call people to count on the stuff.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
The police themselves? Yeah, well, I mean now they do
now because they're getting extra powers. They're able to close
public roads, they're able to now that they serious infringement
and finds that they can that they can issue immediately,
they can take them to court. The courts have got
a high threshold around the finds that they can apply.
We've now gone to a first strike presumptive system, whereby
(04:29):
they lose it on the first strike rather than the
third strike. So I think when you combine all these together,
it is a very clear signal being sent out to
these boy racers and these dirt bike riders that as
a country, we're not tolerating this anymore. You want to
be engaged in a noxious, dangerous behavior, then there's going
to be serious consequences around it.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
What's your time frame for getting this and all passed
and into action.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, good question. So we'll definitely get the legislation into
the House this year, but it probably won't be an
effect be passed and until early next year.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Okay, any examples from overseas you've borrowed?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
No, No, just sort of we've taken the legislation that
was sort of that was there originally, and we've just
strengthened it.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Do you think people will get the message because I
actually I didn't realize it was a dozen cars last year.
You'd think word would get around. But do the people
who are doing this, you know, breaking these laws, will
they get the message? Or it'll just be oh bad luck.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, I hope they do. I hope that, and I
hope that people that lend their vehicles will give their
peoples to vehicles to people to go out and use
at night that are a bit more prudent about who
they give them to and what they're going to be
used for. I think that that. I think it will
have an impact when these boy racers realize that the
vehicles are gone and there's no chance of getting them back,
and it's not a third strike, it's a first strike,
(05:43):
so that the police have got more powers. I do
think that I do think that'll have a serious deterrent effect.
You know, with the sort of.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Behavior, how will you judge success.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Well, if there's a reduction in the amount of these
events that are that are occurring that you know, the
impacting the community negatively and obviously tying up police resource.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I think Jinnie Anderson must love this law because when
it comes to criticism, she's the only thing she's mentioned
is it's a distraction. You're throwing in there to distract
from a year equal pay legislation. So what's your response
to that.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
I'm focused on public safety, and we went backwards rapidly
under the previous government, and we're starting to regain ground there.
The police are doing outstanding work. The Labor and Green
Party are voted against just a bit every messure that
we've tried to introduced around public safety, and a lot
of it is proven to be very effective.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
And I guess it doesn't matter what gender you are
when it comes to these laws, it'll be enforced equally.
Nothing say that's me being mischievous. Hey Mark, I really
appreciate your time this afternoon, Thanks so much. Here we
go than probably that is a Minister of Police, Mark Mitchell.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to news
Talks it'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Collective podcast from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:09):
I'd be lowering the threshold for crushing cars, hiking fines
from the noisy exhausts, and harsher penalties for those who
refuse to stop for police. So will these changes make
a difference? Police Minister Mark Mitchell joins me. Now, good afternoon, Hey.
Speaker 3 (00:24):
Uster doing Tim, I didn't realize so many people were
listening to you. Made I apologize for being late, that
I was getting text messages and list pools and everyone's putting,
he told me, saying good on them. That's good.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
That's good to hear. Hey, I hope you had a
good day with family and things.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Now, well, I've been able to route a rout today
with I've been able to write a root today with
Chris Bishop announcing this policy that you want to talk about. Yes, yeah,
which is generating some good interest, which is great.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
How bad has the problem?
Speaker 3 (00:55):
Got?
Speaker 2 (00:55):
What's your primary motivation?
Speaker 3 (00:58):
Well, if you look at if you go back to
twenty thirteen, they were dealing with about fifteen hundred cases
of boy or people coming out and sort of misbehavior
on the streets in groups. If you fast forward to
twenty twenty three, it's now over three thousand, so it's doubled.
And I'm aware of the police are running operations all
(01:19):
over the country. We have these boy races and these
dirt bike riders that come out and think that they
can harass and terrorize the communities that they're in. It's
obvious that we need to take the police need to
have some better tools, and the courts as well, and
that's why we've we're going to introduce this legislation as.
Speaker 2 (01:37):
I mean, look, it's always a bit of this and
a bit of that, but how much of this is
a response to the police saying perhaps, look, we need
some more tools for this rather because we all can
see the problem. But have the police requested this power
as well, or that.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
These contents so that no, so the police didn't come
and directly request that. We obviously saw it. We've got
feedback from the communities. We looked at it and could
see that although the legislation was passed originally was full
of good and tent, it requires three prosecutions before vehicles
are seized and destroyed. So what we've changed is that's
a three strike regime. We've changed it to one strike
(02:12):
regime where now you only need need to be convicted once.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
How has the law been failing until now? Is it
that actual warning part of it that means you know,
we never I mean Port Judith Collins got the nickname
Crush of Colins probably because they're really never any crushed
any cars.
Speaker 3 (02:29):
They did crush a few cars and there's still I
think there was twelve last year. But the real here
it is it's not a big enough to terrent because
you need those three convictions. So we've established a presuptive
court sentence now of destruction all forature of vehicles involved
in street racing, filling police, or involved in intimidating convoys
(02:49):
I sort of gain convoys and things like that.
Speaker 2 (02:52):
So basically that means if you you tick the your
box with these offenders, but these offenses, your car is
going to get crushed unless you can convince us otherwise.
Speaker 3 (03:01):
Yes, exactly, unless it's unless it's absolutely in officially unjust
and you can prove that to the courts, then your
vehicles gone. It will be destroyed.
Speaker 2 (03:11):
That's the bit that sort of caught my attention, The
quote if it's manifestly unjust or causes extreme hardship to
the offender or undue hardship to any other person, and
of course everyone's going to have a sob story and
a lawyer are you Are you confident that people are
not just going to be wriggling off the hook with
this one.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
No, well, we'll be watching very closely and carefully to
make sure that doesn't happen. But we have to. We
felt that we have to give the judge the ability
to Every case is different, and you will get some
genuine cases where you know there will be a finding
of being manifestly unjust or unfair due to what the
circumstances may be. So you've just got to have that
(03:48):
in there. However, you know, our expectations of government is
that that would have to be that would have to
be a rare occasion and certainly not a standard approach.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
What do the police have the capacity to enforce these
laws and to really call people to count on the stuff.
Speaker 3 (04:06):
The police themselves? Yeah, well, I mean now they do
now because they're getting extra powers. They're able to close
public roads, they're able to now that they serious infringement
and finds that they can that they can issue immediately,
they can take them to court. The courts have got
a high threshold around the finds that they can apply.
We've now gone to a first strike presumptive system, whereby
(04:29):
they lose it on the first strike rather than the
third strike. So I think when you combine all these together,
it is a very clear signal being sent out to
these boy racers and these dirt bike riders that as
a country, we're not tolerating this anymore. You want to
be engaged in a noxious, dangerous behavior, then there's going
to be serious consequences around it.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
What's your time frame for getting this and all passed
and into action.
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Yeah, good question. So we'll definitely get the legislation into
the House this year, but it probably won't be an
effect be passed and until early next year.
Speaker 2 (05:00):
Okay, any examples from overseas you've borrowed?
Speaker 3 (05:04):
No, No, just sort of we've taken the legislation that
was sort of that was there originally, and we've just
strengthened it.
Speaker 2 (05:10):
Do you think people will get the message because I
actually I didn't realize it was a dozen cars last year.
You'd think word would get around. But do the people
who are doing this, you know, breaking these laws, will
they get the message? Or it'll just be oh bad luck.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
Yeah, I hope they do. I hope that, and I
hope that people that lend their vehicles will give their
peoples to vehicles to people to go out and use
at night that are a bit more prudent about who
they give them to and what they're going to be
used for. I think that that. I think it will
have an impact when these boy racers realize that the
vehicles are gone and there's no chance of getting them back,
and it's not a third strike, it's a first strike,
(05:43):
so that the police have got more powers. I do
think that I do think that'll have a serious deterrent effect.
You know, with the sort of.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
Behavior, how will you judge success.
Speaker 3 (05:55):
Well, if there's a reduction in the amount of these
events that are that are occurring that you know, the
impacting the community negatively and obviously tying up police resource.
Speaker 2 (06:04):
I think Jinnie Anderson must love this law because when
it comes to criticism, she's the only thing she's mentioned
is it's a distraction. You're throwing in there to distract
from a year equal pay legislation. So what's your response
to that.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
I'm focused on public safety, and we went backwards rapidly
under the previous government, and we're starting to regain ground there.
The police are doing outstanding work. The Labor and Green
Party are voted against just a bit every messure that
we've tried to introduced around public safety, and a lot
of it is proven to be very effective.
Speaker 2 (06:36):
And I guess it doesn't matter what gender you are
when it comes to these laws, it'll be enforced equally.
Nothing say that's me being mischievous. Hey Mark, I really
appreciate your time this afternoon, Thanks so much. Here we
go than probably that is a Minister of Police, Mark Mitchell.
Speaker 1 (06:53):
For more from the Weekend Collective, listen live to news
Talks it'd be weekends from three pm, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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