Tough legislation that could land bikers in jail for associating with one another sailed through an Australian state parliament yesterday, following a series of bloody clashes between warring gangs.

Public anxiety over the long-simmering problem of biker gang violence escalated recently after a member of the Hells Angels was killed in a brawl at Sydney's airport last month in front of terrified travelers. Those fears were compounded when the victim's brother was seriously wounded last week in what police suspect was a retaliatory shooting.

The new laws will enable police to ask the state Supreme Court to declare a motorcycle gang a criminal organization. If the petition is approved, it becomes a crime for members of that gang to associate with one another. The maximum penalty is imprisonment for up to five years.