Queensland parliament passes tough new laws to battle rising youth crime

The Queensland parliament has passed new laws the Palaszczuk government says will contain the growing youth crime issue in the state.

New laws to crack down on the growing problem of youth crime in Queensland have passed state parliament.

The Palaszczuk government was forced into introducing the laws after public outrage over youth crime across the state, including the stabbing death of Brisbane woman Emma Lovell just after Christmas and the death of Toowoomba photographer Robert Brown.

Under the legislative changes, which include some $332m of investments, a young offender who breaches bail conditions will be charged with an offence in Queensland.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk introduced the new laws after a public backlash following several high profile incidents. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

The Youth Justice Act will also be amended to allow a declaration for “serious repeat offenders” to be made.

This means tougher sentencing principles will be applied against those particular youth offenders.

People who are passengers in stolen vehicles, commit burglary or enter a premise to commit an indictable offence will also have a presumption against bail.

“We have listened to the community. This action is all about putting community safety first,” Ms Palaszczuk said, when introducing the legislation.
The previous LNP government, led by Campbell Newman, had previously amended legislation in 2014 to include breach of bail as a criminal offence for children.

The legislation passed with the LNP opposition supporting it after three days of heated debate.

Originally published as Queensland parliament passes tough new laws to battle rising youth crime