‘Can’t look Queenslanders in the face’: Govt’s youth crime plan slammed

The Palaszczuk government has been accused of failing to have a plan to address the youth crime crisis after it was revealed a review of a major strategy was nearly six months overdue.

The Palaszczuk government has been accused of failing to have a plan to address the youth crime crisis after it was revealed a review of a major strategy for the troubled issue was nearly six months overdue.

The government’s Youth Justice Strategy was unfurled in 2019, with comprehensive analysis and details setting out how the government will tackle youth crime over the following years.

It includes forecast stages for the strategy, culminating in a review of the action plan in mid-2023.

But Queensland Council of Social Service boss Aimee McVeigh, whose peak body will jointly host a youth justice roundtable on Friday, said the slow update of the plan was alarming given the intense spotlight on the crisis.

QCOSS chief Aimee McVeigh urged the government to create a comprehensive plan for youth crime. Picture; Liam Kidston

“In order to keep the community safe, one of the foundational principles of the current youth justice strategy is maintaining community confidence – that has to be a core focus of any justice-related strategy,” she said.

“When the government is facing a youth crime crisis and cannot look Queenslanders in the face and say we have a plan in place, it is obviously very difficult to understand.”

But Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer said the government was holding off finalising its updated action plan until recommendations surface from the newly formed Youth Justice Reform Select Committee and an impending report from the Auditor-General.

“Keeping the community safe is our top priority,” she said.

“We are working with all levels of government, community and stakeholders to tackle the complex causes of crimes, targeting serious repeat offenders and providing support to victims.

“As part of a wide-ranging review, significant work has been done to develop a new Strategy and Action Plan.

“We have brought QCOSS and other stakeholders along with us on this journey.”

Maggie Munn, the national director of Indigenous advocacy group Change the Record, called on the government to “not play politics with the lives of children”.

“The Queensland government has an opportunity on their hands as they approach an election,” she said ahead of the roundtable.

“They can either continue doing the same punitive thing when it comes to youth justice, or they can listen to First Nations communities, experts, and advocates and start addressing the root causes of youth crime and divert children away from the legal system.”