Knife detection laws inspired by the stabbing murder of a Gold Coast teenager are set to pass parliament.
Knife detection laws inspired by the stabbing murder of a Gold Coast teenager are set to pass parliament on Thursday, with Police Minister Mark Ryan affirming police were “ready” to implement them.
The laws would allow police officers to use metal detection wands to search people for weapons at safe night precincts, public transport stations and in vehicles.
The amendment to the police powers and responsibilities bill was inspired by the horrific stabbing death of 17-year-old Jack Beasley on the Gold Coast in 2019.
Police Minister Mark Ryan, speaking in parliament as the Beasley family watched on Wednesday, said police were already “procuring metal detection devices”.
“And there is sufficient funding and resources to support the expansion of the trial to all safe night precincts and relevant public transport vehicles and stations,” he said.
While the laws have garnered support from the Opposition, Greens MP Michael Berkman noted his concerns generally about expanding police powers to “derail more people’s lives for nonviolent offences”.
Mr Berkman said the laws would give the police more powers without “actually achieving the very worthy aim of reducing knife crime to prevent further tragedy”.
Mr Ryan paid homage to the Beasley family and said it was “not often that something so overwhelmingly positive for the broader community can follow something so terrible as the loss of someone’s life”.
Debate on the bill will continue on Thursday, with the laws set to pass in the afternoon.
And that's a wrap for Question Time. Topics mentioned through the blog today, for those joining us late include:
Greens MP Michael Berkman has asked Police Minister Mark Ryan about an independent civilian-led integrity body looking into the actions of Queensland Police, considering the context of the shooting death of Aubrey Donahue in Mareeba.
This is the first time all week that the death of Mr Donahue has at all been mentioned in parliament.
Mr Donahue died following a four-hour siege at a Love Street address on Saturday after police attended following reports the man threatened self-harm.
When specialist officers entered the house at 3.30pm, they fatally shot Mr Donahue after police alleged he was armed with a knife and advanced on the officers.
There is no footage of the actual shooting because specialist officers were not wearing body cameras.
Mr Ryan, noting the need for sensitivity particularly legally amid an ongoing coroner’s investigation, confirmed the Crime and Corruption Commission was “actively” working on how to implement oversight of police discipline matters.
A quick update from federal parliament, because there simply cannot be too much democracy.
Australia’s preparedness to host the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be investigated by a Senate inquiry.
Nationals Senator Bridget McKenzie on Thursday moved a motion to launch an inquiry into the “adequacy of Australia’s preparedness to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Victoria and the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Brisbane”.
This was supported by the Greens.
Queensland Greens Senator Penny Allman-Payne said the state government was “allergic to transparency and accountability” and this would be an opportunity to “pull back the curtain”.
Opposition frontbencher Brent Mickelberg has asked about a local constituent who was facing a long wait for a mouth operation relating to missing teeth.
Mr Mickelberg said the constituent was told this morning that he would no longer need to wait after the MP put enquiries to Queensland Health.
He asked Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk why it was necessary for MPs to intervene in such cases to get action.
Ms Palaszczuk responded by pointing out that it was quite normal for constituents to ask MPs for help.
“I’m not going to talk about individual cases,” the Premier said.
“If you have any further enquiries about that matter, you can take it up with the Health Minister.”
– Jack McKay
The Health Minister was pressed again on wait times but this time it related to dental treatment.
Opposition MP John-Paul Langbroek said the number of patients waiting longer than clinically recommended to see a dentist had been cut from more than 60,000 to zero by 2015.
He asked the Health Minister what the figure was today, but Yvette D’Ath informed the house she didn’t have the figure available.
“We have continued to invest in dental services and we are partnered with the private sector as well to get people that treatment as quickly as possible,” the Health Minister said.
“We know that dental care is just as important as all other outpatient appointments and care because often it is linked with chronic and complex illnesses.”
– James Hall
There has been a stoush in parliament over bed numbers in the hospital system.
Opposition frontbencher Christian Rowan pointed out how Health Minister Yvette D’Ath was last year able to specify how many beds were available in the health system.
He asked her if she could do the same today.
Ms D’Ath did not directly answer the question, but she accused the opposition of playing politics over bed numbers.
“I will go back to look at the latest data,” she said. “Our bed numbers change on a regular basis.”
She said the numbers fluctuated, and insisted the government was increasing bed numbers – pointing to the opening of mental health units, saying they would add beds to the system.
– Jack McKay
Opposition shadow health spokeswoman Ros Bates pressed the Premier over the supposed promise to seek a 50/50 health funding split with the federal government.
Ms Palaszczuk said she regularly speaks with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and insists the state government has a productive relationship with the Commonwealth government.
“We are getting more out of the Labor federal government than we ever got out of the former LNP governments,” she said.
“We’re investing in thousands of new beds, that’s what we’re doing."
No update on that call for a 50/50 funding split, however.
– James Hall
In case you missed it, here's our coverage on Queensland's ongoing health system issues:
Qld health crisis: 10,000 patients forced to wait 24 hours for a bed in emergency departments
Deputy LNP leader Jarrod Bleijie has kicked of his question pointing to the 50/50 funding split between the state and the Commonwealth on the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
He questioned Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as to why she had been unable to secure the same with the federal government on health funding.
The state government has long called on the Commonwealth to jointly fund health services with a 50/50 split.
And it was particularly vocal with this request when the former Coalition Morrison government was in power.
Ms Palaszczuk didn't really address the question, but she maintained she was still calling for a 50/50 split.
"We had to deal with some LNP Prime Ministers over many, many years … that actually took Queenslanders for granted," she said.
"I actually do talk to the Prime Minister (Anthony Albanese) quite a bit.
"We will continue to work with the federal government. They actually recognise we need extra GPs."
– Jack McKay
Question Time is off and the Opposition has launched into health system issues.
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli lists the various issues in the state’s health sector, including ambulance ramping, emergency department delays, and increasing elective surgery wait times.
He asked Annastacia Palaszczuk when she would admit Queensland Health is in crisis and invest in empowering health care professionals.
And the Premier’s response was as predictable as the focus of the question, as Ms Palaszczuk yet again launched into a response based on the Newman government cutting critical services.
To follow, Mr Crisafulli pressed the Premier on ambulance ramping and asked when the rate of paramedics waiting to discharge patients at emergency departments within a particular time would return to 15 per cent, which it was when the Palaszczuk government came into power in 2015.
According to recent performance data, more than 30 per cent of category-two patients with life-threatening injuries were not seen within clinically recommended times in the final three months of 2022.
The rate of ramping – patients waiting on a stretcher for more than half an hour – improved from 44 per cent to 41 per cent in the last quarter, but this overall figure rose steadily over the decade.
Ms Palaszczuk declared “we are working very hard” to improve ambulance performance and cited recent investments to boost ambulance personnel.
As tempers rose in the parliament, the Premier repeated a phrase she’s commonly used this week, accusing the Opposition of “whinging”.
“All we hear over there is just this whinging,” she said.
The pleas from the Speaker for a more civilised Question Time appears to be going swimmingly.
– James Hall
That attempted murder was not included in the LNP’s overhaul of the Youth Justice Act has cost it some of its crime-fighting credibility, writes the editor.
Queensland’s health system is facing a new challenge – how it can be solved remains a riddle.