Townsville one of nine locations for Crisafulli government’s Regional Reset programs

Townsville is one of nine locations chosen by the Crisafulli government to be home to a Regional Reset program, aimed at curbing youth crime – but critics are calling for transparency on what the program entails.

Gracelyn Smallwood. Picture: Evan Morgan

Townsville is one of nine locations chosen by the Crisafulli government to be home to a Regional Reset program, aimed at curbing youth crime – but critics are calling for transparency on what the program entails.

Premier David Crisafulli, along with Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber, announced over the weekend the first early intervention program will be located in Thornton, west of Brisbane and run by Kokoda Youth Foundation.

The programs are part of the government’s $560 million investment into youth justice, in the areas of rehabilitation and early intervention.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli – The Crisafulli Government is delivering on a critical pillar of its Making Our Community Safer Plan, with the first early intervention Regional Reset program announced today. The new program, to be delivered by Kokoda Youth Foundation, will offer 12 months of support for at-risk youth showing early signs of disengagement, anti-social or criminal behaviour in the Ipswich-Darling Downs region. Picture Queensland Government

Tenders for the first two programs opened in March this year, encouraging service providers to apply to run the early intervention residential programs.

Details have not been yet released as to where the North Queensland program would be based or who would be running it.

A local critic of the program, retired nurse and midwife and Indigenous advocate Gracelyn Smallwood, called the programs “ridiculous”.

She asked what consultation was being done, ‘if any’, with First Nations people.

“They have to be transparent,” she said.

Indigenous leader Gracelyn Smallwood. Picture: Evan Morgan

Some up North are concerned the program is similar to the former Campbell Newman government’s youth boot camp plan, which was scrapped in 2015.

Katter’s Australian Party deputy leader Nick Dametto said the program would be the “true test” of the government, to prove through rehabilitation and a drop in repeat offending, that the Regional Reset program was different.

With the programs approach welcomed by the party, Mr Dametto said one of the key pillars that needed to be instilled was mandatory attendance and engagement.

Ms Smallwood said some working in the youth sector are worried about speaking out against the Regional Reset programs and issues with the youth crime crisis, due to fears of funding cuts.

“They want to talk out, but are frightened of losing their funding or losing their jobs,” she said.

“The Campbell Newman program, it failed before … When the research has been done around the world which shows it fails and they come out very hardened criminals.”

“There are programs that have been very effective, very culturally appropriate, from a bottoms up approach, rather than a top down approach.”

Bush Summit at the Ville. Gracelyn Smallwood. Picture: Evan Morgan

The Crisafulli government has billed the framework as a “one-to-three week ‘reset’ for youth demonstrating high-risk behaviours including substance use, aggression, or truancy, providing young people with the skills to divert from crime before they become serious repeat offenders.”

“Queenslanders don’t feel safe in their homes, and they don’t feel safe in the streets, and that’s why we have to continue doing the things we are doing and driving down the number of victims,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“That’s why we have to invest in early intervention.”

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto.

Mr Dametto said he was concerned if the program was not enforced, the state would be in “the same position” as before, and said he was hearing similar language as the former Labor government.

“The previous On Country programs failed to do so, one of the major failings was that there was no legal mechanism to force children to engage. Some weren’t turning up, some weren’t getting on the bus.”

He also said there needed to be full transparency on how long the youth were staying, what they would be doing and how the program was being enforced.

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto.

“We’ve had reports of kids picking up rubbish, smoking cigarettes as part of the other On country programs,” he said.

“We expect there to be quite a rigid framework around the Regional Resets if they have any chance of working.”

“If they are all just going to be sitting around singing Kumbaya and hoping that fixes and resets some of Queensland’s worst recidivism offenders, I think we’re all joking with each other.”

A spokesperson from the Youth Justice Minister’s office said “the Crisafulli Government has already delivered a Regional Reset program in the Ipswich-Darling Downs region, with eight more programs, including one in North Queensland, to be rolled out across the State soon.”

Originally published as Townsville one of nine locations for Crisafulli government’s Regional Reset programs