Secrecy shrouds new additions to adult time, adult crime laws

Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber has refused to detail what seven serious charges will be included in the second round of the government’s flagship crime laws this week.

Premier David Crisafulli said the new additions were “straight up and down”. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

The state government is refusing to detail what seven serious charges will be included in the second round of its flagship crime laws when they’re brought before parliament this week.

Five charges – rape, aggravated attempted robbery, attempted murder, arson and torture – will be among at least one dozen new offences added by the state government.

The remaining seven charges were not revealed on Sunday, with a coy Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber instead telling Queenslanders to “wait and see”.

Adding at least one dozen new offences to the Making Queensland Safer Laws was a recommendation from the government’s one-month-old Expert Legal Panel.

“We’re flagging this five for you today because ultimately the panel has considered these a serious harm and we’re flagging them today, but the Bill will be introduced this week and you’ll get to see the full list then,” Ms Gerber said.

Minister for Youth Justice Laura Gerber was tight-lipped on Sunday. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen/Courier Mail

Asked if drip-feeding the new offences was aimed at playing politics, the youth justice minister said “absolutely not”.

“We have a Cabinet meeting tomorrow but these are the offences that we’re signposting today that will be included in adult crime, adult time,” she said.

The Expert Legal Panel, chaired by experienced Kings Council April Freeman, conducted extensive stakeholder engagement before recommending the new charges, Ms Gerber said.

It will allow the judiciary to treat a child as an adult.

Shadow Attorney-General Meaghan Scanlon called on Ms Gerber to release the advice provided by the Expert Legal Panel used to inform the changes.

The inclusion of attempted murder in the second tranche follows criticism aimed at the state government for not including it in the first round of tougher laws introduced in December.

In January a 13-year-old boy was charged with attempted murder after a Coles worker at Yamanto Central was stabbed in the back with a large knife while she stocked shelves.

A 13-year-old boy was been charged after allegedly stabbing a female Coles supermarket worker at Yamanto Central in January. Picture 7News

Ms Gerber continued to defend not including attempted murder in the first round of the Making Queensland Safer Laws.

She said the original charges – including murder and wounding – were what the LNP took to the state election.

“Those were the five categories of offending that Queenslanders were begging, demanding, standing up in the streets and calling for us to have harsher consequences for,” she said.

Premier David Crisafulli declared the five charges announced by Ms Gerber on Sunday were “pretty straight up and down”.

He said a parliamentary committee would now scrutinise the proposal and flagged further changes.

“If you’re asking me if I’m satisfied where things are on youth crime at the moment I’ll tell you we’re a million miles from where we need to be – we’ve got a long way to go because it’s been 10 years of one-way traffic the other direction,” he said.

Police minister Dan Purdie wants to see amn increased punishment for youths who ram emergency vehicles. Picture: Annette Dew

On Monday Queensland police minister Dan Purdie said he would advocate for youth offenders who rammed a police or emergency service car to face 14 years in prison.

“It is rare to see this sort of crime committed anywhere else in Australia,” Mr Purdie said.

“There’s been 50 street instances in the last year of people, young offenders chasing and ramming police.

“And this is totally unacceptable. That’s why I’ll be advocating strongly in cabinet this afternoon to ensure that the ramming of police and emergency service vehicles will be part of that adult crime, adult time and young offenders who commit that offence will face 14 years in prison.”

He said when he was a cop they used to chase young offenders, now they are chasing police.

Mr Purdie refused to answer questions on whether he had seen the full list of the serious charges that will be included in the second round.

Shadow Attorney-General Meaghan Scanlon said the Adult Crime Adult Time legislation had not worked since legislation passed in December, accusing the police minister of “cherry picking” data to suggest crime was decreasing.

Ms Scanlon said the Opposition would also like to see the advice given by an independent expert panel justifying further legislative changes, before voting for or against them in parliament.

“I think that’s a reasonable thing for you to expect an opposition to see before we make our decision on what are very significant changes,” Ms Scanlon said.

“Labor made it very clear that rushing through those original rules would likely result in unintended consequences.”