LNP seeks mandate to pass youth crime laws this year

The news

Queensland LNP leader David Crisafulli says he would push a wide-ranging new toughening of youth justice laws through parliament with at most two weeks of public scrutiny if elected in October.

Crisafulli has told journalists his party’s “making Queenslander safer laws”, promised by year’s end and including “adult time for adult crimes”, would go through proper parliamentary process.

“I think it’s a very fair balance,” LNP leader David Crisafulli said of the short period any laws would be open for public and parliamentary scrutiny if his party formed government.Credit: Matt Dennien

But with just two sitting weeks – two weeks apart – scheduled after the October 26 election, Crisafulli’s commitment to that schedule leaves an unusually limited window for that to occur.

Why it matters

Queensland’s sole house of parliament means majority governments can wield their numbers to all but control what, how and when legislation is considered by committee inquiries open to public submissions, debated by MPs, and passed into law.

The LNP has often joined crossbench MPs this term to criticise Labor for allowing committees insufficient time to consider legislation or last-minute amendments, or bypassing committees altogether.

The laws that the LNP is promising to introduce and pass this year, should they win the election, include the “adult time” pitch, a rewriting of sentencing principles to remove detention as a last resort, and to “open” the Children’s Court.

Experts and advocates have argued there is evidence these “tough” measures do not deter crime, are likely to drag more young people into the criminal justice system, and harm community safety long-term.

What they said

Asked by Brisbane Times at a media conference on Tuesday if the brief timeline for public and parliamentary consideration was appropriate, Crisafulli said he thought it was.

“We are still going to allow the committee process to be able to do its job to make sure that the legislation is as good as it can be,” Crisafulli said.

“I think it’s a very fair balance between having sought the mandate from the public and needing laws for a state that is in the grip of a youth crime crisis.

“And I think that is a respectful way of doing it, and, yes, there will be two sittings, and we will stay to that schedule.”

Perspectives

The LNP has made crime a key plank of their attacks on the Labor government, with Premier Steven Miles telling Guardian Australia at the weekend that TV media was also “addicted to CCTV footage of crime” which made it hard to talk about responses beyond punishment.

Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes said for the LNP’s laws to make the community safer, they had to ensure kids in lengthy police watchhouse stays and capacity-strained detention centres were rehabilitated.

“We haven’t heard how this … will take place,” she said. “The last thing Queensland needs is another expensive and ill-thought-out youth justice strategy that doesn’t work.”

Greens Maiwar MP Michael Berkman said: “On the same day that the LNP’s banging on about Labor’s abuses of process in parliament, they’re committing to do the same thing if elected.”

What you need to know

While child offender rates have been declining for years, those of “serious repeat offenders” have risen, along with rates of some high-visibility and disproportionately youth-committed crimes.

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