Crisafulli faces ‘adult crime, adult time’ moment of truth

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli faces the most consequential report card of his 10-month rule this week when he receives the victims of crime statistics for the first six months since the passage of his government’s signature Making Queensland Safer laws.

Crisafulli, who staked his premiership on reducing crime victim numbers in a pre-election leaders’ debate against then-premier Steven Miles last October, said he would meet with Queensland Police Commissioner Shane Chelepy on Monday morning to receive figures.

“You’ll see victim numbers, and then the year after, there’ll be less. And the year after, there’ll be less,” he said on Sunday morning in the Lockyer Valley, at an announcement of an early intervention program for the region.

During an election debate last year, then-opposition leader David Crisafulli pledged to resign as premier if he could not reduce victim-of-crime numbers.Credit: Dan Peled / Brisbane Times

“That’s my, my strong commitment to Queensland.”

Those victim figures would then be presented to cabinet, before being publicly released later in the week.

“I want to see fewer victims of crime and our population is increasing, but the number of victims have increased by, in some cases, 10 times population growth. In other cases, 30 times population growth,” Crisafulli said.

“That is unacceptable, and what I’m saying is victim numbers are going to come down, and that is a target that I’ve set, and I do believe it is possible.”

But if a firm target had been set, Crisafulli kept it close to his chest. The premier promised only a steady reduction in victims – not specific targets.

“The early signs are that things are tracking in the right direction, but it’s off such a high base that it’s going to be a long time before Queenslanders can take back that feeling of safety in their home,” he said.

Labor youth justice spokeswoman Di Farmer.Credit: Matt Dennien

“They should have that – that is a right of a person to feel safe in their home, in a business, and the vast majority of people I speak to say, look, we understand that crime is always going to be part of a modern world, but we just want to see the number of people who are being impacted.”

Opposition youth justice spokeswoman Di Farmer said Queenslanders needed to know what targets Crisafulli was setting, and what data he was using.

“Ten months in and he still cannot tell Queenslanders what his targets are,” she said.

“In two months’ time, someone’s going to be holding him to his promise that if we did not see a reduction in victim numbers year upon year, he would resign.”

Farmer said she expected Crisafulli to “cherry-pick” data to support his government’s adult crime, adult time legislation, which she said had not been a deterrent to youth offenders.

“We’ve seen heinous murders, most recently on the Sunshine Coast [and] in Clayfield, which were allegedly committed by teen offenders,” she said.

“These are not crimes which make Queenslanders feel any safer, but David Crisafulli promised that those laws would reduce victim numbers.”

Meanwhile, Crisafulli has revealed the location for the first of nine “boot camps” designed for at-risk children aged 12 to 17.

The Region Reset program will include activities to develop emotional, social, and physical skills, cultural learning, conventional education and “digital detoxes”.

The first boot camp on the Darling Downs, west of Brisbane, will be run by the Kokoda Youth Foundation. Children who are showing antisocial or criminal behaviour will attend three short-stay “resets” over 12 months.

with William Davis

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