Steven Miles has revealed the government is planning to propose relocating juvenile First Nation offenders to regional communities to “to take them away from the triggers of that offending”.
A glimpse into the policy was unveiled during Question Time in response to a question from Katter’s Australia Party MP Nick Dametto who asked if the government would consider relocation sentencing as a response to youth crime fears.
The minor party has long advocated for the measure, which proposes sending offenders to remote properties to “work on the land to learn life skills and become better society members”.
Mr Miles said the government is broadly considering the proposal but, from the brief details provided in the Chamber, it appears its strategy would be more specific for Indigenous youths to reconnect with elders and their community.
“We've certainly taken that contribution on board – it’s informed a program that we are in the process of putting the finishing touches on because we've heard from not only the Katters but also from elders (and) from community leaders,” the Premier said.
“They believe they can deliver better on-country programs that can help young people to connect to country, to change the context that's causing their offending, to take them away from the triggers of that offending and to give them intensive support to break that cycle.
“I understand that's what you're seeking and certainly what we're seeking and, as I say, it's something that we've done a lot of work on.”
Question Time live: Premier Steven Miles reveals proposal to tackle juvenile First Nation offenders
Steven Miles has revealed a proposal to tackle juvenile First Nation offenders “to take them away from the triggers of that offending”. QUESTION TIME BLOG
Steven Miles has revealed the government is planning to propose on-country programs for juvenile First Nation offenders “to take them away from the triggers of that offending”.
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Updates
Relocation sentencing on the cards for youth crims
RTI argy bargy: Premier rejects health data was hidden
The LNP is again hitting the Premier with questions on an RTI which has been released which shows slides from Queensland Health about "reviewing the existing narrative" with regards to the state's health data.
LNP spokesman Brent Mickelberg quotes Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, saying she said last May "There are no plans to change how these measures are reported".
"New documents obtained on RTI show less than two months later, the Labor government launched a plan to change how these Hospital Health performance measures were reported. What action will the Premier take given the Health Minister's decision to remove historical data which was previously released?" Mr Mickelberg asks.
Those documents referenced by the LNP include Queensland Health slide state the intent to "set new parameters for graphs/data displayed from Dec 2020 only" and a "review of existing narrative".
But the Premier has rejected there was any deleting or removing or data, and says of the LNP "they might be slick, they might have their carefully crafted lines that they grabbed for the news each night, but they are not smart".
"Our Health Minister held a press conference on Saturday where she released more data than ever," he said.
"And instead of coming in here and asking a question about the record number of elective surgeries that were in that data, you've got (health spokeswoman Ros Bates) twisting the truth to try to make claims that are completely without foundation."
'Changing the narrative': Question Time swaps crime for health as LNP goes for damaging RTI
Premier Steven Miles is being grilled on a damaging health-related RTI which shows Queensland Health sought to “change the narrative” around hospital data and remove historical comparisons when establishing a new performance website.
Opposition health spokeswoman Ros Bates asks Mr Miles why the government chose to “fix the narrative instead of using all their resources to fix the health crisis?”
Mr Miles defended the breadth of Queensland Health performance data that is released.
Emails texts and slides obtained through Right to Information reveal instructions to “remove historical graphs tab” and insert new parameters to ensure “graphs/data displayed from Dec 2020 only”.
One Queensland Health slide contained in an email about two weeks before Ms Fentiman’s budget estimates appearance noted one of the changes would be a “review of existing narrative”.
There were also concerns that the launch of the website coinciding with Ms Fentiman’s budget estimates appearance on August 4 – where she announced the new website was up and running – was problematic.
A briefing note signed by Ms Fentiman states “if the website is published on the day of the public announcement there is a risk that there will be insufficient time to rectify technical issues which may occur as a result of publication”.
Another internal note stated risks with the website’s capabilities including “limited capability to allow extension revisions to be made within a short time frame, risk the information will not be fully understood by consumers”.
Question over D'Ath's reappointment to Attorney-General
Shadow Attorney-General Tim Nicholls noted Yvette D'Ath's April 2016 comments when she said evidence revealed increasing the severity of punishment does not reduce offending, nor does it reduce reoffending.
Mr Nicholls asked Mr Miles why he decided to reappoint Ms D'Ath as Attorney-General?
Mr Miles said he would not apologise for putting "more young people in detention than ever before".
"We will not apologise for delivering those laws and enforcing those laws because it's all inspired by a desire to keep Queenslanders safe and make sure Queenslanders feel safe," he said.
"It's why we're exploring the expansion of electronic monitoring, so that those co-responder teams can use their time to intervene deeply to help young people to break the cycle of offending, to give them strategies to avoid the gains that are corrupting their opportunity.
"That's the kind of evidence informed intervention that on this side of the house, we support."
'They love me': Mander snaps back at compassion claim
The LNP's housing spokesman Tim Mander insists social housing residents "love me" after State Development Minister Grace Grace claimed he had "no compassion".
"Let me go back to the future about with the Leader of the Opposition and the Member for Everton did when they were in government, because they had no compassion in social housing, none whatsoever," Ms Grace said.
"I witnessed residents in my electorate more upset that ever in social housing, by the policy."
It prompted Mr Mander to hit back to declare "they love me", sending parliament into an uproar.
‘You want to talk about voting records?’ Focus on youth crime laws
The Opposition has attempted to catch the new Premier off guard for his parliamentary voting record relating to youth crime laws.
The line of questioning is a clear strategy to dismiss Steven Miles’ bid to convince voters he is leading a new agenda since replacing Annastacia Palaszczuk as state leader.
Deputy Opposition Leader Jarrod Bleijie said legislative reforms brought in by Labor after it came to government in 2015 had led to a surge in criminal data, which Mr Miles supported as an MP.
“Serious repeat youth offenders have doubled, car theft has jumped 116 per cent and break ins have risen by 54 per cent,” he said.
“Why did the premier vote to change criminal laws?”
Mr Miles snapped back to remind Mr Bleijie the LNP, including the deputy Opposition leader, voted against an amendment to remove detention as a last resort.
“So if you want to talk about voting records,” the Premier said.
Mr Miles insists the “tough laws” brought in by the Labor government has led to a fall in the number of nonviolent offenders currently in detention.
“Our tough laws result in less bail and in more sentences and that was the intention but we will not adopt mandatory detention as those opposite propose,” he said.
The Premier said this LNP policy would “see thousands of low level offenders exposed to hardened criminals (and) exposed to gangs when the evidence tells us (and) when the experts tell us that the best thing for those first offenders is intervention programs”.
"Bad Policy": Miles pushed on 2015 law changes
LNP youth justice spokeswoman Laura Gerber's turn to lob one to the Premier, and she too brings the house back to Labor's law changes in 2015. (This is Ms Gerber's first Question Time since she was elevated to the role in December, as part of David Crisafulli's shuffling of the shadow ministry).
She asks Mr Miles "when introducing the government's changes to the Youth Justice Act, the Attorney-General said a 'penalty that allows for the person to remain in the community is preferable'. Given the rate of serious repeat offenders has doubled, does the Premier now acknowledge this was a bad policy?"
Unsurprisingly Mr Miles doesn't really answer the second part, and instead uses another question on youth crime to give the government's spiel on what changes they were considering.
"It provides me another opportunity to highlight the efforts we are going to to deliver the laws and the resources that the police tell us they need to keep our community safe, and we will continue to back them," he says.
"You know there would be 1000 less police if those opposite had their way, 1000 less blue uniforms and police cars patrolling our streets making sure Queenslanders are safe."
This comment prompts an outrage from the LNP, who yell across the chamber their claim there are about 220 less cops now than when Labor took government.
Courts to be opened for cases involving juveniles Premier confirms
Laws allowing reporters into court cases involving young offenders will be introduced by the state government Premier Steven Miles has revealed.
And the families of victims could also be allowed in.
“We believe that kind of transparency, that kind of scrutiny is important and is appropriate,” Mr Miles said.
Mr Miles said the government would consult with stakeholders before writing the laws and putting it through the full scrutiny process.
The move comes in the aftermath of the stabbing of Vyleen White at her local shops the Redbank Town Centre on February 3.
Five teens – three aged 16 and two just 15 – were charged in relation to the incident. Four of them, including the accused killer, appeared in courts across the South East on February 6.
The Courier-Mail and other media outlets applied for access to the courtrooms so details of all four cases could be made public amid community anger and frustration over Ms White’s senseless death.
But just one – Richlands Magistrate Aaron Simpson – was willing to use his discretion to open his courtroom, so the details of the case against one of the 16-year-olds charged with one count of unlawful use of a motor vehicle could be reported on.
In 2016 the state government overturned laws put in place by the Newman government allowing repeat young offenders going through the court system to be named. Youth justice matters were also closed to the public in the lower courts.
New Premier's first question: Will you reintroduce detention as a last resort?
Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has used his first question to new Premier Steven Miles to note Mr Miles's 2016 vote to remove detention as a last resort, and asked whether he would vote today to reintroduce it.
"What I know is that this government has and will continue to act on the basis of the advice provided to us by police," the premier said.
He noted Police Commissioner Kartarina Carroll had briefed cabinet and was given the opportunity to put forward "what additional measures she needs" to combat youth crime.
Shadow Attorney-General Tim Nicholls interjected to ask: What's the police minister been doing… turns up in Cabinet, doesn't say anything?"
Mr Miles said the government "will not introduce mandatory detention as those opposite propose".
Confiscated weapons come to parliament
Queensland Police will bring a haul of weapons to Queensland Parliament this week to show MPs "some examples of the types of weapons they have confiscated".
"Members can see for themselves what police are dealing with," Premier Steven Miles said.
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