Lately there has been a lot made in the media about a war on bikies and the implementation of other new laws, ostensibly designed to meet the expectations of Queenslanders that the government is getting tough on crime. Lawyers across the board have condemned the Queensland laws as illconceived, rash, hurried, irresponsible, self-serving and dangerous, consistently mentioning attacks on the rule of law, our system of government, and the separation of powers. In response to the critique, Premier Campbell Newman has alleged that lawyers should 'step out of their ivory towers'. While the legal principles at stake may seem overly technical or abstract, history reveals their importance in protecting rights and freedoms of citizens.