On 1 July 2006, new noise laws were introduced into the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Qld) (PPRA) to target nuisance motorbike riders who create excessive noise when riding in off-road areas. These new laws sought to provide a balance between the community’s ability to enjoy public and private areas and a person’s right to ride a motorbike in lawful areas.
The new noise laws introduced a three-stage enforcement strategy that built on the existing powers that police had to respond to off-road motorbike noise complaints. The first stage temporarily stops the noise (for a period of 48 hours) by the issuing of a noise abatement direction by the police. The second stage restricts the riding of the motorbike for a period of up to two years by a noise abatement order obtained from the Magistrates Court. The third stage removes the motorbike from the rider either for a three-month impoundment period or permanently through forfeiture.
With the introduction of the new noise laws also came a legal requirement that the Crime and Misconduct Commission (CMC) review the laws’ effectiveness in mitigating excessive noise from motorbikes being ridden off-road.
We sought to determine whether the new noise laws, and the role police play in enacting them, have been effective in achieving their primary objective of reducing excessive noise from off-road motorbikes.
This report was tabled in Parliament on 15 April 2010.
