Editorial: Labor overdue but finally at the table

After nine wasted years by the Labor government, new premier Steven Miles has taken an approach to youth crime that could be a game-changer, writes the editor.

New premier Steven Miles could succeed where Annastacia Palaszczuk failed.

That a majority of people who live in regional Queensland no longer feel safe in their homes and their communities is a blight on the go-soft approach to youth crime that was an unfortunate hallmark of the Labor government through its early years in power.

It was nine years ago that Labor retook power in Queensland after an electoral cycle in the wilderness. With a newly minted caucus that was packed with candidates picked by left-leaning unions, the new government set to work watering down the tough approach to youth crime that had been taken by Campbell Newman’s LNP government.

The direct result is where we are today. The common wisdom is that preventing youth crime requires an early intervention approach that identifies those five-year-olds who have had a dud start to life, and so are regular truants from prep.

But Annastacia Palaszczuk’s previous government was not interested in that approach.The immediate political benefit was missing. Now here we are, nine years down the track, and those five-year-olds are now the young teens holding our communities hostage.

Sadly it has taken the deaths of multiple innocents to force this government to act. But the genie is out of the bottle. And so while it is critical to rein in the revolving door approach to youth justice taken in recent years by a judiciary led by go-soft legislation, the politicians must also spend as much time and focus on getting early intervention right. There will be no direct pay-off for that in youth crime rates before the October election, but the role of any elected leader should be to do everything possible to make a positive difference. This is an example of that possibility.

This is why the decision by new Premier Steven Miles – himself a Left-faction MP – to combine the portfolios of education and youth justice could perhaps turn out to be his greatest legacy. Having one minister to ensure the education system and youth justice workers are joined up where they need to be is a game-changer.

We saw that even yesterday, when that very minister – Di Farmer – announced the details of funding for case workers to work closely with students who had high levels of suspension or exclusion from school. This is significant.

It was also welcome to hear Ms Farmer concede what this Labor government seemed so reticent to do in its first few years – that of the proven link between truancy and delinquency that her predecessors had put in the too-hard basket.

“We know that the strongest indicator a young person will end up with the youth justice system is if they are disengaged from education by the time they are seven years old,” she said. “Not every child who is disengaged ends up in the youth justice system, but every child who is in the youth justice system is disengaged from education.” Touche.

Voters do pay attention to things they care about, and with youth crime such a huge concern, they will take note of this shift in focus.

The next step should be for the minister to take the advice of Opposition Leader David Crisafulli and capture “the best and brightest ideas from throughout the globe ... to nip in the bud the pipeline of youth criminals”.

One-third of Labor’s own voters now think the party has been too soft on youth crime, according to the polling we publish today.

Two-thirds of all voters feel that way, including 70 per cent of people aged over 50 – the very cohort that in the heart of Covid delivered Labor its victory in 2020.

Its re-election chances this year rely on getting on top of this issue. Ms Farmer’s early intervention initiative is a good building block.

STATE SCHOOL EXODUS A WORRYING TREND

It is not only in youth justice that Di Farmer has her work cut out for her. As Queensland’s Education Minister, she should be seriously concerned by startling new figures that show thousands of parents are opting to reject state schooling for their kids.

As we report today, Australian Bureau of Statistics figures reveal that in the two years before the pandemic, state school enrolments were increasing on average by 10,000 a year. They have gone backwards since 2022, while enrolments at independent and Catholic schools have grown.

The data does not reveal the reasons behind the trend, but it is a significant enough shift that the minister is to be formally briefed on it – to “see if there’s anything more that we need to do”.

The minister is right to say parents have a choice, and that they always should. But when state enrolments are going backwards as the population grows, families are clearly voting with their feet.

Who knows if this trend will change a single vote. But it is another spotfire for Labor in what should be an area of strength.

After nine years in power and the past three wasted as a stagnant government was held hostage by a premier with the wrong priorities, the chickens are home to roost.

Responsibility for election comment is taken by Chris Jones, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND (ACN 009 661 778). Contact details here

Originally published as Editorial: Labor overdue but finally at the table