Pollies blast LNP’s attempted youth crime crackdown as Premier assembles expert panel

Far North MPs have attacked the LNP for failing to include serious offences, including attempted murder, as part of its “adult crime, adult time” policy in the wake of a near-fatal stabbing.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has defended the LNP’s efforts to cut youth crime at a press conference in Cairns. Picture: Supplied

Far North MPs have attacked the LNP for failing to include serious offences, including attempted murder, as part of its first wave of “adult crime, adult time” reforms in the wake of a near-fatal stabbing earlier this week.

Aimed at toughening up the state’s youth crime laws, the Making Queensland Safer Bill was passed last month but failed to include stronger penalties for a number of felonies, including attempted murder and rape.

A 13-year-old boy has been charged after allegedly stabbing a female Coles supermarket worker in Queensland on Monday, leaving her in critical condition. The teen allegedly approached a staff member at the Yamanto Central Shopping Centre on Warwick Rd, Yomanto about 5.25pm and attacked her with a knife. Picture 7News

While in Cairns, Premier David Crisafulli conceded the teenage boy who allegedly knifed a woman inside an Ipswich supermarket on Monday couldn’t be tried under the new laws or any future amendments.

“It wouldn’t be applicable to this person,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“The offence has already occurred.”

Instead, further changes will be made in consultation with a yet-to-be finalised expert panel, Mr Crisafulli said.

Katter’s Australia Party MP Nick Dametto says the new laws don’t go far enough. Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

Member for Hinchinbrook, Nick Dametto, who called for the offences to be included prior to the Bill being passed, said the alleged Ipswich incident had exposed glaring flaws in the Coalition’s reforms.

“Attempted murder is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable,” the Katter’s Australian Party deputy leader said.

“Yet for reasons known only to the LNP, it wasn’t included in their list of adult offences under the new laws.

“It beggars belief why certain crimes such as rape and attempted murder would be left out of the LNP’s bill.”

Member for Cairrns Michael Healy has blasted the LNP’s youth crime policies. Picture: Brian Cassey - ©pic by Brian Cassey Images by Brian Cassey

Member for Cairns Michael Healy said the city had suffered through a sustained crime wave since the state election.

“David Crisafulli got in based on ensuring that we would see a decline in crime rates,” he said.

“We need a detailed program and the LNP has failed to deliver that. These (crime) numbers are unbelievable.

“The community’s expectations aren’t being met. Throwing around slogans are frustrating our residents.”

But the Premier argued that he had honoured the LNP’s pre-election promises on crime, with more changes to come.

“We identified the first tranche of the Making Queensland Safer Laws and said they’d be laws by Christmas. Tick,” Mr Crisafulli said.

“We said we’d put in place an expert panel by 2025 and that’s under way. Then we said there’d be future tranches of that legislation.

“We didn’t wake up one day in a youth crime crisis by accident. It was a decision a decade ago to water down the Youth Justice Act, to not back up police and do early intervention.

“We’ve done the hard work to turn it around.”

Opposition Leader Steven Miles says the Premier David Crisafulli ignored experts before passing Making Queensland Safer Bill in December. Picture Lachie Millard

Opposition Leader Steven Miles said the LNP had ignored expert advice before pushing through the bill.

“David Crisafulli rushed his adult crime, adult time laws through parliament despite every expert, community group, stakeholder and the Opposition warning they were not given enough time to properly consider the ramifications of the legislation,” Mr Miles said.

“But David Crisafulli pushed these laws through regardless, promising crimes like this would stop once the laws were introduced before Christmas.

“The horrendous incident this week (in Ipswich) has shown that David Crisafulli is running a government on slogans without substance.”

The Premier doubled down on his pre-election promise to resign if he couldn’t cut crime rates by the end of his first term but acknowledged the task would be challenging.

“We have a mountain to turn around,” he said.

“This state is broken and we’re not taking a backward step in driving the change that’s needed.”

Originally published as Pollies blast LNP’s attempted youth crime crackdown as Premier assembles expert panel