Annastacia Palaszczuk says youth crime laws won’t work immediately

Annastacia Palaszczuk has defended her government’s record on youth crime and sidestepped questions about greater media scrutiny of court cases involving young people.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has said ”no-one is going to stop youth crime” as she defended her government’s record on the problem and sidestepped questions over secrecy surrounding court appearances by alleged juvenile criminals.

Ms Palaszczuk pleaded for more time for “the toughest laws in Australia” to have an impact and also put the blame back on bad parents, saying: “I think every young person deserves to be brought up in a safe and caring home.”

Updating construction on a new satellite hospital on the Gold Coast, Ms Palaszczuk was peppered with questions from the media about the youth crime scourge in the wake of Sunday’s triple fatal crash in Maryborough allegedly involving a 13-year-old driver.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk faces the media on the Gold Coast after an announcement about a satellite hospital. Picture: David Clark

The parents of Matthew Field, who was killed along with pregnant fiancée Kate Leadbetter by a drunk and high juvenile in a stolen car on Australia Day in 2021, said on Tuesday that the Palaszczuk Governent had “blood on their hands”.

Ms Palaszczuk said the Maryborough crash was “an absolute tragedy” and “there is not anybody in this state that will not be touched by this”.

She said her government was “throwing a lot of money” at the youth crime problem but new laws introduced last month were “not just going to come into effect overnight”.

“Both sides of politics voted for these stronger laws – they are the strongest laws in Australia that have been put in place,” she said.

“They will take time to come into effect, but we have to do more in terms of early intervention programs. GPS trackers are being rolled out

“There is a case to be said too for more parental responsibility as well and where we can we are assisting families. A lot of these young people are coming from broken homes.

“There’s nothing more important than these young people having safe and secure and loving families and unfortunately some of these young people do not have that.

“The LNP and my government voted for these (new youth crime) laws – these are the toughest laws in Australia and they’re not just going to come into effect overnight.

Matt Field’s parents Russell and Ann outside Brisbane’s Supreme Court on Tuesday. Picture: Steve Pohlner

“They are going to take time and we are throwing a lot of money at this as well – over $1.3 billion dollars.

“We’re building more youth detention centres across the state, we are putting more money into early intervention and prevention.

“No-one is going to stop youth crime but we can do everything we possibly can to curb the incidence of youth crime.”

Ms Palaszczuk refused to be drawn on secrecy surrounding court appearances by alleged juvenile criminals, saying the judiciary was independent of government.

Media were barred from covering the appearance of the 13-year-old charged following the Maryborough crash, despite applications from multiple outlets to be allowed inside when the teenager appeared.

The accident near Maryborough claimed the life of three people and left another critically injured in hospital. Picture: 7 News

Magistrate John Milburn said media coverage could prejudice the boy, who faced three counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and one of unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

The Premier was asked about a perceived lack of transparency in children’s courts preventing journalists and victims of crime from entering and getting information.

“I think they’re matters that you should put to the courts,” she said.

Reminded that she could change laws, Ms Palaszczuk said: “There are separation of powers (between the government and the judiciary) … they’re questions you should put to the courts.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she and other Queenslanders “want answers” about what happened in Maryborough but the police needed to do their investigation.

“There is going to be a court case and that is why I am prevented from saying anything further in relation to that matter,” she said.

“I do not want to jeopardise that court case.”

Magistrates have discretion to allow media into children’s courts but access is rarely granted.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli. Picture: Dan Peled / NCA NewsWire

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said every Queenslander had the right to feel angry about another fatal tragedy involving youth offenders, after travelling to Maryborough on Tuesday in the wake of the horrific crash.

The LNP leader also said he would push for detention as a last resort to be removed, and said he would “listen” to Police Union boss Ian Leavers’ calls for serious youth criminals to be given adult punishments.

“I listened to the pastor at the (Maryborough) local church, a strong man who is just feeling a sense of disbelief,” he said.

“Local councillors who knew every one of them, and they’re wondering when this will end? I think that’s justifiable. To feel how much those women were part of that community yesterday was evident.

“Anger is a real and a normal emotion … and so is a sense of helplessness, but that’s got to lead to change.

“It has to – we can’t have this constant expression of sorrow without real change coming. Because we’re seeing it in every part of the state, it’s no longer isolated incidents.”

Accusing the government of being soft on youth crime, the Opposition Leader said now the state had implemented the LNP’s longstanding policy of breach of bail, he would push to remove detention as a last resort.

“This matters to Queensland. They want to see consequences for actions,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“They want to see the unshackling of the judiciary to remove attention as a last resort. And they want to know that early intervention is a priority and we can turn kids around.

“Right now what is happening in Queensland is not working on both ends of the spectrum.”

Asked on Mr Leavers’ comments that “(any person who commits) an adult crime deserves to be dealt with like an adult and the penalty should be accordingly so”, Mr Crisafulli said the union boss should be listened to.

“Everybody at the moment has the right to be listened to,” he said, but clarified the LNP did not have a position on that exact policy.