Fed: Degrees of separation - Rudd used in bikie law debate

AAP General News (Australia)
08-05-2009
Fed: Degrees of separation - Rudd used in bikie law debate

By Karlis Salna

CANBERRA, Aug 5 AAP - It has been revealed that the prime minister has links with the
notorious Finks bikie gang.

Or has he?

In a rare public relations exercise aimed at countering plans by governments to introduce
anti-biker laws, two gang members addressed the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday.

Finks member and United Motorcycle Council of NSW spokesman "Ferret" criticised media
reporting which put bikies at the centre of various incidents in which they weren't involved.

For instance, he said, Kevin Rudd was as much as a Finks member as the man found in
a Sydney apartment with Home and Away star Jodi Gordon was a member of the Rebels motorcycle
club.

"I'm pretty sure that if I tried hard enough, I could find, from within my friends,
relatives, people I've met once at the gym, a chain of people that would lead me to some
very interesting and influential people," Ferrett said.

"But does that mean I know them?"

"... someone who works with me now, has an associate who is a former employee to Kevin Rudd."

Therefore, he said, there is a direct Fink link with the prime minister's office.

"Of course, do I know Kevin Rudd? No. Have I met Kevin Rudd? No. Do I have any influence
over Kevin Rudd? No."

The United Motorcycle Council of NSW represents various clubs, including those involved
in the deadly Sydney Airport brawl, and has slammed the media over its reporting of bikie-related
incidents.

Bikies have been unfairly targeted in media reports since the Sydney Airport brawl
in March which left one man dead and has resulted in numerous arrests, Ferret said.

That includes reporting of the incident in June involving Gordon and a man alleged
to be associated with the Rebels, he said.

Gordon and the man she was with were found by police holed up in an apartment in Sydney's
Bellevue Hill after reports armed gunmen were trying to break in.

Police found no evidence of anyone trying to enter the apartment and the man later
admitted he had been hallucinating.

Media reports at the time, and since, have linked the man with the Rebels.

"The fact is, the guy in this story is not a biker. He never has been a member of the
Rebels or any other club," Ferret said.

The United Motorcycle Council of NSW says anti-association laws proposed by various
state governments strip away fundamental rights such as freedom of association and the
presumption of innocence.

AAP kms/sb/mo

KEYWORD: BIKIES MEDIA (PIX AVAILABLE)

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