Robbie Katter calls for considering the Petford approach as ‘third sentencing option’ in tackling youth offenders

A northern MP is calling on a government “that refuses to see” to consider the Petford approach in tackling juvenile crims.

The Katter’s Australian Party has come out in support of the Geoff Guest methodology as a “third sentencing option” with Traeger MP and party leader Robbie Katter saying it was a perfect complement to the party’s relocation sentencing policy to tackle the region’s youth crime crisis.

“Under the current arrangements, courts have only two options: sending offenders to Cleveland Youth Detention centre or setting them free with an undertaking, typically to an unsupervised community program which the offender has no obligation to go to,” Mr Katter said.

“A third sentencing option could be to send a young person to a facility like Petford.”

The Petford Youth Camp was a facility run by Old Man Geoff Guest and his “wife” Aunty Norma from the 70s to the late 90s where wayward youth were given a sense of purpose and skills through horsemanship.

Horse handler and bushman Geoff Guest has been running a successful on country program for juvenile delinquents since 1979. In 44 years, over 4,000 troubled youths have lived on Geoff's remote property between Petford and Herberton, learning healthy lifestyle habits, horsecraft and bush skills. Picture: Brendan Radke

Mr Guest, 96, continues to mentor at-risk families and as reported by the Cairns Post is working with volunteers at Petford Wellness Association in drafting a submission to state government to consider his approach in addressing youth crime.

Enabling judges and magistrates to sentence young offenders to a mandatory period of attendance at an “approved location” such as a cattle station, special school or training facility is one of the provisions being put forth by KAP as an amendment to the Youth Justice Act.

Mr Katter recommended policy makers speak to past participants and see where they are now, instead of constantly asking for evidence that such programs work.

“The number of times I’ve had someone come up to me and say ‘Geoff Guest turned my life around’ tells me there’s something in his approach that’s worth trying to bottle,” Mr Katter said.

“We have a government that refuses to see.”

Originally published as Robbie Katter calls for considering the Petford approach as ‘third sentencing option’ in tackling youth offenders