Mareeba Shire Council’s proposal to send youth offenders to very remote properties gets LGAQ’s nod

A proposal to send young offenders to be detained and rehabilitated on very remote properties has prompted fierce debate at a key meeting in the Far North. Read what happened here.

Youth who’ve had their first run-ins with the justice system could one day be performing labour on very remote Queensland properties if a proposal supported by a majority of Queensland’s councils is adopted by the State Government.

Mareeba Shire Council submitted a motion to the Local Government Association of Queensland, an advocacy body, which its members voted on at the LGAQ conference in Cairns on Wednesday.

The proposal called on the State Government to introduce diversionary facilities on remote state-owned properties in Queensland where youth offenders, who are yet to become repeat offenders, would be sent so they can “gain both social and vocational skills and accreditation so they can pursue employment opportunities”.

Mareeba mayor Angela Toppin. Picture: Nuno Avendano

“Every Queensland community deserves to be a liveable one … currently there are many communities in our state that are not liveable because of youth crime,” Mareeba councillor Mario Mlikota said when introducing the motion to the conference, which passed with overwhelming endorsement.

Mareeba mayor Angela Toppin said she’s delighted the motion passed.

“Some (offenders) are in the early parts of their criminal offences. If they are placed in detention centres with recidivists and hardened criminals, there really is no hope in changing their pathway. We’re offering an alternative pathway and alternative sentencing,” Cr Toppin said.

The motion was not without criticism and dissenting views in the Cairns Convention Centre’s auditorium.

Fraser Coast councillor John Lewis raised concerns with the state government’s ability to attract skilled workers to very remote locations to work within, what would effectively be, augmented youth detention centres.

Mareeba councillor Mario Mlikota. Picture: Bronwyn Wheatcroft

“I’m not entirely sure I see how this is going to work satisfactorily,” Cr Lewis said.

“I’m not sure what’s meant by remote although I assume the mover intends it to be even more remote than Mareeba.

“One of the difficulties with one of these programs is the more remote you get the more difficult it is going to be to achieve objectives which the motion seeks, like vocational training. It’s going to be more difficult to get the appropriate trainers and support staff to remote locations.”

Cr Toppin said required skills could be attracted to remote locations.

“We haven’t heard there are problems attracting the right staff … I guess people that want to work in that space are people very dedicated to working with youth.”

Cairns’ mayor Bob Manning supported the motion.

“I just don’t know what the right answer is for these kids,” Cr Manning said.

“I know there’s kids brought up in homes that right from the very beginning there’s disorder, dysfunction, alcohol, fights, bashings, rapes … we’ve got a plethora of reports that have been done by state governments to correct some of this stuff – nothing happens.

“It’s probably good to get these kids somewhere they can feel like they’re doing something that’s worthwhile, but at some point you’ve got to bring them back into the system.

“You can’t have an equitable society where some kids are not getting the help they need.”

Originally published as Mareeba Shire Council’s proposal to send youth offenders to very remote properties gets LGAQ’s nod