Premier announces scope of new youth jail planned for Far North
Frustrated victims of crime arriving on buses from Mareeba are expected to pack the public gallery for regional parliament this week to hear first-hand about juvenile crime and child safety policy.
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Frustrated victims of crime arriving on coaches from Mareeba are expected to pack the public gallery for regional parliament question time this week to hear ministerial responses to juvenile crime and child safety policy.
Kicking off on Tuesday, the Cairns Convention Centre will host the first regional sitting of state parliament in Cairns since 2008.
Bus loads of voters will arrive from the Tablelands on Tuesday, while one community worker has made a pitch to build a new youth jail at a sprawling state held property outside Mareeba, in response to an announcement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that funds for the controversial facility would be allocated in the upcoming state budget.
Parked off Airport Ave on Sunday a protest car welcomed MPs to the “crime capital of Queensland” and police permission has been sought by Cairns youth advocate Perri Conti to park a beat-up effigy of a stolen car at the corner of Grafton and Sheridan streets in the city on Tuesday.
Cairns group, Campaign for Justice has also organised a protest for Wednesday outside the Convention Centre.
Since MPs began arriving in Cairns at the weekend a woman has been charged with armed robbery of a Manunda bottle shop, the new Cairns West Police station was targeted by vandals, four juveniles have been arrested on 53 property related offences and six have been charged with the horrific bashing of two blokes enjoying a night out in Mareeba.
And 25 vehicles have been stolen in the past eight days.
Tablelands youth worker Ken Harley said the brutal alleged assault last week brought into focus a need to make Far North communities safe.
Slashing a significant government spend flying youth inmates to Townsville’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and making it easier for families to visit, Mr Harley presented a case for a huge 902ha state-held property near the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre to be used as a site for the proposed youth jail.
“Everyone has to agree that there is a percentage of these kids that need to be locked up,” he said.
“They need to be taken out of the community. They are dangerous but they are not hardcore criminals.
“We need to have the facility to be reasonably close to Cairns so we can attract the specialist medical professions if you move that further out you make that difficult for them.
“With other communities nearby (to the Arriga site) it’s a chance for them to integrate into sport and work.
“You don’t have to have a uni degree to work this out, you need compassion and to be at ground level so you see where these kids come from.”
Ms Palaszczuk on Monday declined to state exactly where the facility would be built but said a number of sites were being looked at, and further announcements would be made this week.
“This is not a huge detention centre, this is a very modest size we are talking about, around 35 or 40 beds, it will be a therapeutic centre,” she said.
“It will be wraparound services as well, working with the local community and looking very clearly how to get young people engaged with work and also to be closer to home.”
Question time on Tuesday will start at 10.15am, a later session outside office hours will be held at 6pm on Wednesday and Thursday’s session will kick off at 10.15am.
A LNP private members bill focusing on crime is expected to be introduced on Thursday.
As part of a broader program of events during the week, the Premier, Ministers and MPs will participate in events including Regional Cabinet, State Reception, an Advance Cairns business and industry luncheon, parliament reception, an afternoon tea with seniors, Path to Treaty breakfast and a Women on Boards event.
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