Qld’s cohort of serious young offenders is shrinking Premier Steven Miles has claimed

Premier Steven Miles has made a bold claim in Townsville, saying Labor’s community safety plan is working in a targeted pitch to sway voters.

Premier Steven Miles was flanked with Townsville MPs, including Scott Stewart this morning.

Queensland’s cohort of serious young offenders is shrinking Premier Steven Miles has declared, using his first campaign pit stop in Townsville to spruik the government’s record on crime.

Labor has also pledged $3m for early intervention programs run by locally-based CommunityGro, in a targeted pitch designed to sway voters in the North Queensland city where anger over youth crime and community safety have hit fever pitch in recent months.

Mr Miles, flanked by his three at-risk Townsville MPs, pointed to Townsville’s strong economy, low unemployment and a wash-list of government backed infrastructure projects as proof the northern capital was prospering under a Labor government.

All three of the cities Labor MPs - Minister Scott Stewart in Townsville, Mundingburra’s Les Walker and Thuringowa MP Aaron Harper - hold their seats with a margin of between 3 and 4 per cent.

“Our community safety plan is working,” Mr Miles said.

Logan Crime Reduction Unit target youth offenders in property crime blitz Picture Queensland Police

“Our community safety plan invests into programs that we know are working, and many of those programs have been piloted here in Townsville, and we are either expanding them or taking them elsewhere around the state.

“In fact, we can now report that in the last nine months, we’ve seen an 18 per cent reduction in serious repeat offenders across the state.”

The Premier’s office confirmed there had been 497 serious repeat offenders in October 2023 and according to the Department of Youth Justice this had dipped to 405 in July 2024.

Deputy Premier Cameron Dick, hammering home the importance of areas like Townsville, said regional Queensland was “fundamental” to the election campaign.

“When our regions are strong, Queensland is strong… we have been the jobs powerhouse of the country and regional Queensland, including Townsville and the north, have delivered that stunning economic recovery,” he said.

“We shouldn’t put that at risk.”

Mr Dick then claimed the LNP and Opposition Leader David Crisafulli would be a risk for Townsville and the north.

Labor has increasingly used Mr Crisafulli’s single term as Mundingburra MP and local government minister under Campbell Newman to frame the LNP as having a “devastating impact” on the north.

Originally published as Qld’s cohort of serious young offenders is shrinking Premier Steven Miles has claimed