MP Don Brown describes Qld youth crime crisis as ‘media beat up’

Inflammatory comments by a Labor MP describing the youth crime crisis as a “media beat up” were “disappointing” and a “stupid thing to say”, Acting Premier Steven Miles has said.

Inflammatory comments by a Labor MP describing the youth crime crisis as a “media beat up” were “disappointing” and a “stupid thing to say”, Acting Premier Steven Miles has said.

But Capalaba MP Don Brown will likely keep his job as chief government whip, and the $90,000 extra a year that comes with the position, with Mr Miles backing him in despite the transgression.

“If everyone who’s said something stupid once got sacked, then there wouldn’t be many of us at this press conference,” Mr Miles said on Tuesday.

Mr Brown, in a since deleted Facebook post, claimed Queensland’s youth crime crisis was a “media beat-up”, less than a week after victims protested parliament demanding action.

The Capalaba MP – who is also the Chief Government Whip – also made a post on Monday morning about the Howard-era baby bonus payment, seemingly putting the blame on that decision for a rise in criminal activity.

“Howard & Costello’s Baby Bonus generation are aged 14-19 years old”, he posted.

Mr Miles said he was disappointed by what Mr Brown had said.

“It was a stupid thing to say, a dumb thing to post, he’s taken it down and that’s appropriate,” Mr Miles.

“He can, of course, continue in his role as whip but I’ve said to him, you should be much more careful what he puts on (social media).”

On the Howard-era Facebook post Mr Brown responded to comments, saying “it is definitely not a coincidence”.

One commenter asked “and?” to which Mr Brown wrote “and we get a massive social experiment failure”.

But he followed up that with a post saying “want proof that youth crime is a media beat-up? Channel 9’s 2nd lead story was about a guy not getting robbed”.

State Member for Capalaba Don Brown. Picture: Richard Walker

On Monday Mr Miles said he hadn’t seen the posts from Don Brown dismissing youth justice concerns but he insisted he doesn’t share the views expressed by his Labor colleague.

“Don hasn’t said that to me,” he said Monday morning.

“You will have all seen me repeatedly acknowledge how real the community’s concern is.”

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman on Monday said she hadn’t seen the posts either and declared youth crime was a “huge issue” for the community.

“We need people to feel safe,” the former Attorney-General said.

“I've met with many victims of crime in my previous role, and that’s why we’re committed to doing everything we cannot just to see consequences for young people who do the wrong thing – of course, there needs to be consequences.

“But we also know the best way to keep the community safe is to take that evidence based approach with early intervention and prevention.”

It comes as Queensland Council of Social Service CEO Aimee McVeigh penned a scathing letter to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli in the wake of amendments that will allow police watch-houses to be declared official youth prisons, overriding human rights laws to protect children.

“Amendments to legislation validating detaining children as young as 10 in adult watch-houses is a clear indicator of policy failure,” the letter reads.

“Queenslanders know that imprisoning children as young as 10 will only make communities less safe over time.

“Queensland should be able to design and implement policies that keep the community safe, treat children humanely and act in accordance with established democratic processes.

Queensland Council of Social Service CEO Aimee McVeigh

“It is clear that the younger children are, when they have contact with the justice system, the more likely they are to go on to commit crimes as they get older.”

QCOSS implored the two leaders to provide safe and appropriate places to take children under 14 who come into contact with police and to come up with case plans for those children to get to the root cause of their behaviours.

Ms McVeigh told The Courier-Mail the state deserved better.

“The Queensland government’s horrific decision to legalise the detention of children in adult watch-houses, children as young as 10, is a desperate measure to paper over significant policy failure,” she said.

“Queenslanders absolutely deserve a government that can both keep the community safe and also treat children humanely, as well as act in accordance with democratic principles around lawmaking.

“So what we’re saying to the government and the Opposition Leader is we’re calling on them to develop a competent and evidence based response to community safety.”

“I don’t know of any credible person who has claimed that watch-houses are a suitable place to detain children.”