Can we expect juvenile-caused deaths and maimings from now on, Premier?
I’m willing to bet this is not the Queensland you, the reader, want to live in - where attacks like this, the attack in North Lakes as well as the many maimings and ruined lives, make headlines daily.
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Dear Annastacia Palaszczuk,
Is this the sort of Queensland we can expect to see from now on?
Where an elderly man living with disabilities, waiting for a taxi on one of the busiest streets of Toowoomba in broad daylight during peak hour traffic, is allegedly attacked, robbed and left with injuries that have likely killed him.
I don’t think this issue is about finding a Labor solution or an LNP solution.
This is about finding a bipartisan, world-class expert-informed solution that leads to a Queensland where innocent, hardworking people aren’t afraid of being killed in their homes, or while shopping or walking their dog.
I know this is not the Toowoomba or Queensland I want to live in.
I know this is not the Queensland our Premier wants to live in.
And I’m willing to bet this is not the Queensland you want to live in, where attacks like this, the attack in North Lakes as well as the many maimings and ruined lives, make headlines daily.
The elderly man was innocent and had dignity.
A man who had every right to go shopping on Monday afternoon and continue living his life.
But he was allegedly attacked and is likely to die.
Premier, we can see the patterns here. We can see how often attacks are happening in once peaceful cities and towns across Queensland, and unfortunately the scourge of barbaric and senseless youth crime has gripped our beautiful Garden City too.
We can see the patterns of young and youth crime offenders in stolen cars causing mayhem, ruining lives and now taking lives.
The system is broken.
We, as the community, and our representatives of all political persuasions need to have a robust discussion around ensuring reforms are introduced into our legislation that meet community expectations, are not kneejerk Band-Aid fixes, have clear KPIs, targets and deadlines and are informed by world-class experts on correctional, rehabilitation and medical services.
Every Queenslander should not expect any less than locked in and agreed funding from both the ALP and LNP to ensure reforms and the long-term goal of reducing youth crime across all of Queensland transcends political parties and government terms to hold both the current Government and current Opposition to account.
We, as a community, cannot lose sight that the solution should not be solely enforcement and penalty based.
Only evidence-informed advice will ensure long-term rehabilitation of people, some of whom have clearly grown up in broken homes.
This cannot be solved solely through larger jails and longer sentences.
As long as we have a system that perpetuates this cycle and has no plans for the future of the people who commit horrendous crimes, we are guaranteed to see regular attacks, death and tragedy in our community forevermore.
Ms Palaszczuk, please make the hour and a half drive up the range to Toowoomba to do what the community expects of you, and show true leadership in a dark time.
Ms Palaszczuk, please meet with our community and reassure us face-to-face with your government’s reform announcements to prove to us concerned and exhausted Toowoomba residents and Queenslanders that your legislative youth crime changes are widespread and forged through a transparent contest of ideas.
Ms Palaszczuk, just as every hardworking Queenslander knows about meeting standards, KPIs and targets in our jobs, we need to see clear targets and milestones that the government and opposition cannot miss.
Ms Palaszczuk, enough is enough.
We deserve more.
What do you think is needed to reduce youth crime across Queensland? Let us know in the comments below.
Originally published as Can we expect juvenile-caused deaths and maimings from now on, Premier?
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