Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk finally sits down with crime victims campaigner Ben Cannon a month after no-show
The leader of a victims of crime advocacy group has met with the Premier for the first time after weeks of campaigning, including a protest at which she failed to appear.
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A vocal victims of crime advocacy group has met with Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk for the first time after weeks of campaigning for solutions to fix the youth crime crisis in the state.
The Voice for Victims have been asking to meet with the Premier for the past month after they protested outside parliament on August 23 and put forward recommendations to various ministers.
Since the protest the group have met with Police Minister Mark Ryan, Youth Justice Minister Di Farmer, Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll asking for an independent committee to be formed to curb the crisis.
On Tuesday, Voice for Victims founder Ben Cannon emailed the Premier again asking for a meeting and a day later, he met with Ms Palaszczuk in a step forward.
“I think we certainly were given adequate time to be heard and to listen,” Mr Cannon said.
“The Premier has given us an undertaking so what we asked for was some immediate changes for victims now, we understand that to change that, the whole system is going to take time and we’re willing to work through that time with them.
“But what we’ve asked for some immediate increases to funding to emotional financial, and just real support (for) the victims today, the government can do that with a swipe of a pen or given someone under some somebody some points that we want done there.
“She’s given us her undertaking that she now understands clearly what we’ve put forward.
“Our framework as to what we would see that independent committee would look like, and also the recommendations around immediate and urgent support for victims zero tolerance to crime.”
Mr Cannon said the Premier would go back and most likely give them a response within the week.
“We don’t need any more meetings. We don’t need any more appointments … we want actions and outcomes,” he said.
“From my point, today was good that she could hear directly from us.
“It is disappointing. It’s taking this long, but we can’t continue to look back. We’ve got to start to look forward.”
Mr Cannon said an event was scheduled in November but depending on what the Premier comes back with he hoped it wouldn’t lead to another protest but rather a celebration of the government actually listening.
The group would like an independent committee involving different stakeholders such as the Queensland police, magistrates, victims and Indigenous communities.
“They believe that we’re close with regards to what they’re forming,” he said.
“We believe that we are further apart than perhaps they think so what we’re looking for is clarity on that. We want it to be independent. We want it to be made up of lived experience and people that are directly attached to this issue.
“We’ve let the bureaucrats and the politicians handle it for long enough. And we haven’t gotten any further forward.
Since the protests the government has put forward a temporary committee chaired by independent Member for Noosa Sandy Bolton.
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