VLAD impaled

There's nothing quite so reinvigorating as a protest rally and march on the seat of government, in this case Queensland's Parliament House in Brisbane. The rally was to protest against the VLAD laws - Vicious Lawless Association Disestablishment Bill 2013 - which mean that members of 26 motorcycle clubs deemed as criminal organisations by the Queensland Government are not allowed to associate with one another. In one infamous case, three brothers were imprisoned for fraternising together. The freedom to associate is also denied in prison, and those jailed under the laws can be held in solitary confinement for up to 22 hours a day.
If a member of one of the 26 clubs is arrested and charged with a criminal offence - even a minor one such as speeding (pun intended) - judges must hand down a mandatory jail sentence of 15 years. If the person is an office-bearer at the club - president, sergeant at arms, treasurer etc - a further 10 years is mandatory. So numerous people face the prospect of 15 or 25 years in prison without the prosecution needing to provide a shred of evidence of wrongdoing. An unbelievable situation in a "progressive" "democracy".