From the Herald-Sun Newspaper, Melbourne, Australia – 7th August 2013.
CONCERNED owners at a business estate in Dandenong are fighting to have a bikie clubhouse evicted following a fire bomb attack that left their businesses uninsured.
The upset owners are calling on the Premier to act as a flood of outlaw motorcycle clubs cross the border into Victoria.
CHU Insurance have refused to renew the $30 million policy covering 81 businesses in the estate in Dunn Crescent, Dandenong South, thanks to the resident Bandido’s chapter at number 42, citing ‘moral risk’ as the reason.
Moral risk is attracted by the likes of brothels, firework manufacturers and gun clubs.
Owners have appealed to Greater Dandenong Council – and the State Government – for help to boot the bikies from their estate and the strata management has written several letters to the outlaws asking them to leave.
So far their pleas have fallen flat, with owners telling the Herald Sun the council had told them it was powerless and could only evict based on building code violations.
“We have spoken to the Mayor of Dandenong, there’s nothing council can do but look at building codes and fire code violations,” one owner, who did not want to be named for fear of retribution, said.
The owner said he wanted anti-bikie laws enforced more strongly.
“They are a law unto themselves, you’ve got to give the police the tools to do the job,” he said.
Another owner said something needs to be done, but he is too afraid to speak out.
“They would just walk in here and shoot me,” he said.
An owner said it was a horrible situation to be in.
“If my factory blows up and I lose $200k who will do anything?” he said.
The man said properties for sale in the estate were frozen because no one wanted to buy after the bikie bombing on July 24, when a bomb went off outside the clubhouse damaging surrounding buildings.
Strata manager for the estate, James Parnell from Binks and Associates, said they were informed by insurer CHU that the entire estate’s incorporated policy would not be renewed at the end of the month due to the bikie clubhouse.
Mr Parnell said the firebomb attack at the club late last month alerted insurers to the bikies presence in the body corporate.
“The reality is they have been extraordinarily quiet as tenants…(the bomb) certainly highlighted they were a tenant,” he said.
“CHU have advised that if the club left they would reinsure, we wrote to the club last week, but have had no reply,” he said.
The City of Greater Dandenong said they would not comment on individual properties or their owners/occupiers.
CHU refused to comment today.
The State Government said it had equipped the police with strong new powers. No clubs have yet been made the target of anti-association laws in Victoria.
Victoria Police said they would not comment on the Dandenong Bandidos as it was an insurance matter.
“This is a matter between the residents and the insurers and not for Vic Pol to be commenting on,” said Sgt Jo Stafford of the media unit.
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