Petition creator says 150,000 reasons for State Government to act on youth crime
A Queensland grandmother whose petition to overhaul youth crime laws has reached almost 150,000 signatures has slammed the state government as “arrogant” and “out of touch”.
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A Queensland grandmother whose petition to overhaul youth crime laws has reached almost 150,000 signatures has slammed the state government as “arrogant” and “out of touch” over a lack of consultation.
Julie West launched a petition calling on the government to create “Emma’s Law” – which would include mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent crimes – in the wake of the alleged murder of mum-of-two Emma Lovell on Boxing Day last year.
But with the Palaszczuk government set to introduce new youth crime laws as soon as next week, Ms West said she was angry that no one from the government had “picked up the phone” to discuss the views of thousands of Queenslanders.
“We have had close to 150,000 signatures – I would have thought sitting down with people who have been through this experience would have been a minimum courtesy,” she said.
The petition also called for the age of youth offenders to be reduced back to 16 and under, breach of bail reintroduced, and for repeat violent offenders to be denied bail.
Among the more than 7000 comments on the petition were hundreds of Queenslanders describing their own experiences of violent home invasions, with many urging the state government to take a harder line.
“If you read through the thousands of comments, these are the comments of a state which has had enough,” Ms West said.
She said she felt the government was “out of touch” with community sentiment.
“The fact they (the government) are ignoring it speaks volumes of their arrogance. This is an issue that’s not going to go away. In fact, it will be ongoing, because the Premier is not doing it the right way in the first place.”
One Queenslander “Maree” wrote that as a victim of a home invasion, she wanted to see the government be “proactive … instead of just being reactive”.
Another commented they had “had enough of feeling unsafe in my home”, and they “no longer feel protected by the government”.
On Tuesday, after The Courier-Mail asked the government why Ms West had not been approached, a spokesman said Police Minister Mark Ryan’s office “will reach out to Ms West to ensure her feedback is received and considered along with submissions received through the online portal”.
“The government recognises that Ms West is very passionate about advocating for change in this area,” the spokesman said.
The online portal for submissions was set up shortly after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced a raft of harsher punishments in late December, days after Ms Lovell’s death, saying “my government is listening and we are acting”.
Among the changes – expected to be presented when state parliament returns for the first time this year next week – was an increase to the maximum penalty for stealing cars, increased penalties for criminals who boast of their crimes on social media, and amending the Youth Justice to require courts to take into account previous bail history, criminal activity and track record when sentencing.
But the LNP and a number of key stakeholders, including the Queensland Law Society and PeakCare Queensland, expressed their concern over the website as the main vehicle of consultation on the upcoming changes to the Youth Justice Act.
The government has not revealed how many submissions it has received, but said it was a “significant number”.
“The government is very keen to hear community feedback about Queensland’s response to youth offending,” a spokesman said.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has repeatedly called for the release of the legislation ahead of it being presented to parliament, and told The Courier-Mail “every Queenslander deserves a say”.
“How can a government become so out of touch that it has no interest in listening to the voices of 150,000 people?,” he said.
“Good governments consult and listen. This government does neither.
“Julie has given Queenslanders a voice where this government chose not to.
“We all have to live with the consequences of a failing Youth Justice Act, so every Queenslanders deserves a right to be heard.”
Ms Lovell’s husband Lee has previously backed the proposal, saying via a statement “I urge the politicians who can make changes to do so and not just talk about it to gain votes for the next election, you need to act and follow the talking through”.
On Tuesday, Transport Minister Mark Bailey was forced to respond to questions over whether he supported Deputy Premier Steven Miles’ attack on the judiciary over the youth crime crisis.
It comes after Treasurer Cameron Dick and Attorney-General Shannon Fentiman both distanced themselves from Mr Miles’ stunning rebuke of the courts.
At a media event last Friday, Mr Miles unleashed on Townsville Magistrate Viviana Keegan’s decision to release 13 alleged youth offenders on bail in a single day – branding the move a “media stunt”.
When asked on Tuesday if he supported Mr Miles’ comments, Mr Bailey did not directly answer the question, but he said everyone was entitled to their view on the issue.
“I don’t have anything in particular to add to it,” Mr Bailey said.
“Everyone is entitled to their point of view, whether it’s government ministers, Bar Association. Free speech and democracy – that’s a part of our culture and our society.”
Mr Miles’ comments have been criticised by the legal community, with the Queensland Law Society saying they were “offensive to the doctrine of the separation of powers”.
Mr Bailey, who is one of the most senior members of cabinet, also would not say if he had seen draft legislation of the youth crime laws to be introduced by the government to parliament next week.
“I’m a member of the cabinet. I’m not at liberty to discuss cabinet matters under my charge and no minister is,” Mr Bailey said.
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Originally published as Petition creator says 150,000 reasons for State Government to act on youth crime
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