Kylie Lang: State should pay more attention to vulnerable than to chasing spectacles

Youth crime and homelessness are soaring, yet all the Palaszczuk government cares about is football finals and Hollywood films, writes Kylie Lang. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Imagine if the Palaszczuk government spent even a pinch of the time and energy it lavishes on big-league football and blockbuster films on genuine crises that are shredding the fabric of our society.

What if, aside from dropping $10m on unsuccessfully wresting the NRL grand final from NSW and rolling out red carpets for Hollywood celebrities, it threw its muscle – and our money – behind fixing the housing shortage and curbing youth crime?

Oh, but wait, the latter two aren’t sexy. They’re not glamorous. They’re complex and messy, and the photo opportunities are few.

You won’t see Deputy Premier Steven Miles blowing a gasket over these issues as he did on Thursday night after Queensland lost its grand final bid. Miles accused the Australian Rugby League Commission of treating Queenslanders like second-class citizens. Has he looked in the mirror lately?

Queensland is now the car theft capital of Australia.

Everyday Queenslanders are suffering while this government increasingly shows itself to be more about glitz than grassroots.

I’m not against football or film – both are boosts for the economy and great entertainment – but due attention must be given to ensuring people have roofs over their heads and our communities are safer.

Figures confirm what neighbours are complaining about daily. In my ’hood, it’s car theft and break-ins, including by teen perpetrators wielding box cutters and all not caring about getting caught or the terror they inflict on homeowners.

Why would they? The consequences are nil and they’re back on the streets in a blink. Magistrates go easy because of rough upbringings; meanwhile, the Youth Justice Act is a joke.

According to the Legal Aid Queensland handbook, its “basic premise is that children who commit offences should be brought to account in a way that recognises children are prone to impulsive acts and at a vulnerable point in their development. Most youth offending is opportunistic and transitory, i.e. unplanned and not repeated.”

Tell that to the police officers who continually collar the same kids.

Homelessness in the state has become a huge concern. Picture: iStock

Elsewhere, the pressing issue is homelessness.

I donated to the Salvos recently and several parked cars had windows blocked with quilts and sheets. People were sitting nearby on crates, talking as they might around a campfire. Volunteers told me they were “now looking after many families” living in their cars. And this was, for want of a better description, a middle-class suburb.

So much for the Sunshine State. The light is fading on the vulnerable as it shines ever brighter on spectacles the government truly cares about.

This week we learned Queensland was the car theft capital of Australia.

According to a Budget Direct study, there were almost 16,000 motor vehicle thefts reported here last year. Brisbane took the crown as the most dangerous city, followed by the Gold Coast, Townsville, Cairns and Toowoomba.

This gels with RACQ data showing an “upward trend” in car theft claims of 20 per cent.

Great. So decent folk are slugged with increased insurance premiums for doing nothing wrong.

We also learned this week the housing shortage is getting even worse.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch. Picture: NewsWire/Sarah Marshall

One example: a Brisbane-based social and affordable housing provider – partly owned by the state government and Brisbane City Council – has decided to sell a large inner-city apartment block. The Brisbane Housing Company said it would use sale proceeds of the Kelvin Grove complex to build new units elsewhere, with final completion in 2024.

Housing Minister Leeanne Enoch, who appears to have been blindsided by the sale, said she was “very disappointed” and she and council would review their engagement with BHC in the future. That helps no one now.

Sharpen governance, tighten and enforce youth crime laws, and deliver a better Queensland for all.

Instead of obsessing over sporting events and celebrities, the Premier and her lot should remember the battlers for which the Labor Party has always professed to stand.

Not only is this the right thing to do, but the battlers are growing in number and the 2024 election will be here tomorrow.

Kylie Lang is associate editor of The Courier-Mail

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Deputy Premier Steven Miles. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Dan Peled

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