The youth crime committee’s report LNP refused to endorse

Members of the now disbanded Youth Justice Reform Select Committee wanted to gag the media from reporting on youth crime, it can be revealed, an accusation rejected by a Labor MP.

Several Labor government MPs tried to use a parliamentary inquiry into youth crime to muzzle journalism.

The push to regulate the media’s ability to report on youth crime was a key factor in the extraordinary collapse of the Youth Justice Select Reform Committee, with a recommendation to investigate the issues dumped at the eleventh hour.

A report released on Thursday featured no specific recommendation on media or social media reform in relation to the reporting of youth crime – but detailed examples claiming media reporting of youth crime could affect “public confidence”.

However, an earlier report seen by The Courier-Mail contained a specific recommendation urging the government to “further investigate the impacts of media and social media”.

That was scrapped, and the released report contains “examining the impact of social media and traditional news media on youth offending and community perceptions of safety” as a “priority area for community consultation”.

The bipartisan committee was chaired by Noosa MP Sandy Bolton. Picture: David Clark

It also details the divide between the Labor MPs – who wanted regulations considered – and LNP members who opposed limiting the publication of youth crimes.

“Some members consider that greater regulation of traditional news media could assist in preventing the glorification of young offenders, which can encourage their peers to offend,” the report states.

“Other members of the committee consider that traditional and social media provide a means for communities to inform themselves of local issues, and for victims to find support networks. As such, they take the view that greater regulation of these platforms is not desirable.”

Other comments within the report include that “communities have the right to feel safe and media reporting on young people committing crimes while on bail compromises public confidence”.

Jonty Bush rejected the accusation that Labor members of the Youth Justice Committee had sought to gag the media. Picture: Liam Kidston

Opposition youth justice spokeswoman Laura Gerber – one of the committee members – said the LNP had wanted to keep the inquiry going “before this government decided to shut it down”.

“This report is damning. It talks about gagging the media, and the LNP members were warning the state government against that,” she said.

Ms Bush – whose sister and father were murdered – said the committee had heard from victims of serious and violent crimes, and “there are times when media reporting has caused secondary trauma”.

“In my sister’s case, the local TV network had captured footage of my sister’s body being wheeled out of the hotel and into the back of an ambulance,” she said.

“The network ran that footage for over a week as part of their advertising package to demonstrate how responsive they were at reporting on the issues that matter to locals.”

Ms Bush faced a media grilling on Friday, two days after the shock sacking of the bipartisan committee which was created to hear from victims of crime, police and stakeholders about how the government could resolve the youth crime crisis.

Ms Bush said she was “disappointed” the committee was “unable to put politics aside,” but claimed she was unaware that fellow Minister Mick de Brenni would move to dissolve the committee until it happened in parliament late Wednesday night.

“I wouldn’t expect to be part of those conversations,” she said.

“It’s not a matter for me it’s a matter for parliament to determine the next steps forward, obviously, the leader of the house can raise motions like that, and parliament has to consider that at that time.

“But it was something that you know, I stood up and gave that sentiment in my speech that I couldn’t see a path forward for the committee given that we couldn’t agree on a set on an interim report.”

Premier Steven Miles has indicated the government may introduced new youth justice laws based off the recommendations in the next two weeks.