- Many gangland identities now free to appear trackside
- Move by Victoria Police has lost its effectiveness
A ban on Australian gangland figures attending spring racing carnival racing meets has reportedly been lifted, leaving some of the country’s most notorious criminals free to party at events like the Melbourne Cup.
Victoria Police were handed legal power to ban underworld figures from Crown Casino in Melbourne and all of the state’s racing venues from 2004.
The move came as part of Melbourne’s crackdown on underworld figures, with police given wide-reaching power to exclude those with criminal histories or other evidence against them that proved they had breached racing and gaming laws.
That resulted in around 600 suspected criminals and their associates being blocked from the venues.
Those exclusion orders, which are issued at the discretion of the Chief Commissioner of Police, reportedly included the likes of Tony Mokbel, Carl Williams and Mick Gatto along with bikie leaders Toby Mitchell, Mick Murray and Jay Malkoun.
Also reportedly banned were gangland boss Rocco Arico and former jockey Danny Nikolic, who rode Mummify to win the Caulfield Cup in 2003 but was banned from all racing venues after several convictions including recklessly causing injury to jockey Mark Pegus in 2011.
Nikolic unsuccessfully attempted to have his exclusion order removed in order to resurrect his racing career in 2015, 2017 and again in 2020.
However, News Corp has reported that a number of these exclusion orders have been revoked since 2020, allowing convicted criminals to attend the 2024 Spring Racing Carnival – including the Melbourne Cup.
Mick Gatto was one of the first figures to be issued an exclusion order by Victoria Police – but that was reportedly lifted earlier this year
Former Comanchero boss Amad ‘Jay’ Malkoun was another to be banned from Victorian racetracks and Crown Casino under the exclusion orders
Mick Gatto is a well-known Australian figure associated with Melbourne’s criminal underworld, particularly during the 1990s and 2000s.
He gained public attention for his involvement in organised crime and was famously acquitted of the 2004 shooting of Andrew Veniamin, claiming self-defence.
Gatto was one of the first people to be banned under the Victoria Police exclusion orders, but revealed to News Corp that he received a letter saying the ban had been revoked around May this year.
‘I think a lot of people did,’ Gatto said.
‘I was told 200 were allowed back. I’ve been going to the races but not the casino to be honest.
‘I find it incredible I was banned because I was charged with murder but when I was acquitted it should have been null and void.’
Former jockey Danny Nikolic (pictured left) was also excluded from racing and attending races after assaulting fellow jockey Mark Pegus
The excluded figures who have had their orders lifted were free to attend the 2024 Spring Racing Carnival, including the Melbourne Cup
Convicted drug trafficker Harry Mokbel, brother of Tony, has also previously had his exclusion order lifted after challenging its validity in court.
‘One exclusion order has recently been withdrawn as part of this review,’ a police spokeswoman said at the time.
‘It is important to note that just because an exclusion order has been withdrawn, it does not mean a new exclusion order cannot be issued to an individual.’
Daily Mail Australia has contacted Victoria Police for comment.
A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the orders were being reviewed in 2001 to determine their validity today.
‘We can confirm that as a matter of good practice, all exclusion orders are currently being examined to ensure they are still relevant and procedural fairness was applied to the individuals,’ the spokeswoman told The Age.
‘One exclusion order has recently been withdrawn as part of this review.
‘It is important to note that just because an exclusion order has been withdrawn, it does not mean a new exclusion order cannot be issued to an individual.’
