The former outlaw motorcycle gang member used by the government to help justify its decision not to support proposed anti-consorting laws for the ACT has credited tougher laws in NSW with turning his life around.
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In an Assembly debate on Wednesday, Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury said the proposed legislation would do nothing to deter criminals and claimed this view was supported by the Nomads life member and now-retired bikie Mouhamed "Moudi" Tajjour, an unashamed social media self-promoter who now runs his own clothing line.
Mr Rattenbury also said that it was useful to take into account the views of someone with "lived experience" inside an outlaw motorcycle gang.
However, Mr Tajjour has gone on the record through his well-followed Instagram account, stating definitively: "... best thing [to] happen was the consorting laws cause that was the start for me to change my life style and my friends witch (sic) lead me to reflect on life on boring nights and I realised a lot and knew this was a blessing in disguise this new laws preventing me seein (sic) my crew ..."
In the same post, Mr Tajjour goes on to state that "if you take anything from me please take advice and stay clear from the gangs life style".
Liberal MP Jeremy Hanson, who proposed the anti-consorting laws through a private members' bill, said it was ironic that the government would not only use a former bikie to help justify their opposition to the legislation, but importantly fail to accurately capture that same ex-bikie's views.
"Mr Tajjour’s comments clearly illustrate how effective these laws can be and he is now advocating people ‘stay clear from the gangs’," Mr Hanson said.
"Mr Rattenbury previously quoted Mr Tajjour when arguing against anti-consorting laws, saying of Mr Tajjour that 'I think it is actually relevant to reflect on people who have got some, I guess, lived experience in this space on the likely impacts of these laws'.
"The very person that Mr Rattenbury said we should listen to about anti-consorting laws is now saying they turned his life around and made him leave gang life behind.
"I call on Mr Rattenbury to acknowledge that based on Mr Tajjour’s ‘lived experience’, anti-consorting laws are effective and ask that he reconsider his position to support these laws.
"Mr Rattenbury’s failure to now support anti-consorting laws would be contradicting his own arguments, and make a mockery of the Greens' opposition to these laws."
"Moudi" Tajjour and his brother Sleiman spent four years in prison for the 2006 manslaughter of Robin Nassour, the brother of Fat Pizza actor George Nassour. He is also the cousin of convicted killer Michael Ibrahim, who was brazenly shot in a busy Sydney street four years ago.
He has more than 38,000 Instagram followers under the username handle "cant_fight_fate". It is linked to a Youtube channel with 4700 subscribers.
