Cairns crime: What FNQ demands are ahead of Perri Conti’s meeting with Minister Leanne Linard

An anti-crime campaigner will ride a tidal wave of support for change when she meets face-to-face with the Youth Justice Minister. What she wants to say.

A SHOWDOWN looms as a local Far North anti-crime campaigner prepares to meet with Minister for Children and Youth Justice Leanne Linard in Cairns.

Whitfield resident and organiser of a parliamentary petition, Perri Conti will meet Ms Linard and Cairns MP Michael Healy on Wednesday, September 7, after the Minister’s response to her petition was met with fury.

Queensland Minister for Children and Youth Justice Leanne Linard will arrive in Cairns on Wednesday, September, 7 for a meeting with Perri Conti and Cairns MP Michael Healy. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

Ms Linard offered to meet with Ms Conti after the outcry was published in the Cairns Post.

The youth crime epidemic has sparked an incredible response from the wider Far North community with Cairns Post readers vocal about what should happen to kid offenders as well as voicing their demands for change.

Ms Conti said some of the readers’ responses on the Cairns Post Facebook page disregarded the root issues and promoted detention over rehabilitation.

“I’ve never been about locking (the kids) up, you need to start with the parents,” Ms Conti said.

Ms Conti will be focusing on the key initiatives outlined in her petition; legislate responsibility for parents and offer support, key youth justice law reform such as criminalising breach of bail and a public inquiry in the Far North into the current child safety and juvenile justice system.

Perri Conti, with partner Phil Conti, is fed up with the city's juvenile crime rate and the sheer number of youth stealing cars in Far North Queensland. Picture: Brendan Radke

“We have to start small and grow from there,” she said.

“I’m going into the meeting positive.”

Some Far Northerners approved of diversionary programs as a fix to divert young offenders away from detention.

“Community elders program, where the youth not only go in front of a magistrate but then onto the community of elders who can administer what they feel the punishment needs,”

Veronica Fitzgerald said.

Youth crime has risen dramatically in the past two years from 345 in June 2020 to 901 in June 2022. A graph put together by Dale Last and team using data sourced from LGA Reported Offenders Number at www.police.qld.gov.au/maps-and-statistics. Picture: Supplied

“Then onto an on-country station for some education and work.”

“Start by raising the age of criminal responsibility. This drops the number of children engaged with the justice system and allows diversionary programs with at risk youth to be started and to work,” Daniel Winters-McAppion said.

“Punishment does not work.”

“I think the Geoff Guest model is the way to go,” Peter Green said.

Others demanded stricter punishments and rules.

“Harsher sentences. The police need to be backed by the courts,” Colin Knight said.

“Suburban terrorism continues to grow in our once beautiful part of the world, a curfew would surely be a start,” Terry Doyle said.

“Make breach of bail an offence,” Mark Ellison said.

Originally published as Cairns crime: What FNQ demands are ahead of Perri Conti’s meeting with Minister Leanne Linard