Canberra is the only mainland jurisdiction, apart from the Northern Territory, which has not adopted anti-consorting laws to give the police the power to crack down on the illegal motorcycle gangs.

It has also, according to media reports, been declared a "free-for-all" area, meaning any bikie gang can operate here without the consent of existing gangs.

Current active gangs include the Rebels, the Comancheros and the Nomads.

Conflict between rival Comanchero and Nomads chapters has been blamed for the small number of high profile and alarming incidents that have put the spotlight on the outlaw bikie gangs in recent months.

At least three houses have been shot up this year; one by attackers allegedly armed with a military-style assault rifle.

Given the ACT is a landlocked city state bounded on every side by NSW it would appear to make excellent sense to have laws which are similar to, if not necessarily identical to, those that apply across the border.

To do otherwise, given Canberra's close proximity to the Western Suburbs of Sydney, is to create the potential for a safe haven for interstate criminals who want to avoid the attention of the NSW police.

Earlier attempts to draft anti-consorting legislation in 2016 were dropped as a result of human rights concerns.

Similar issues have also dogged Mr Hanson's first attempt at drafting his own anti-consorting bill.

This is separate from the anti-fortification laws being worked on by the Barr Government.

Canberrans have long been known for their commitment to "small l" liberal values. It is a given they would be strongly opposed to anything that smacked of a "police state" mentality or laws that would allow people to be detained or have their property seized without very good reason.

As a result ACT residents are unlikely to be easily stampeded into accepting draconian legislation fraught with the risk of unintended consequences on the basis of scare mongering or undue panic.

While it is good to learn Mr Hanson has been open to constructive criticism from the ACT Human Rights Commission and has agreed to incorporate its suggestions into his bill, some of the issues the HRC raised about his first draft were of concern.

One was the apparent potential for a "star chamber" involving closed hearings and "secret criminal intelligence" which would deny individuals the opportunity to defend themselves.

Another was the potential to take action against individuals who had no record of previous or current criminal activity.

It is important to remember the rule of law, and the belief all individuals are equal before it, should never be sacrificed in the name of law and order.