Labor’s Don Brown on backlash after youth crime comment

Labor backbencher Don Brown remains positive about retaining the seat he has held since 2015 despite a backlash after he said youth crime was ‘a media beat up’.

Labor backbencher Don Brown remains positive about retaining the seat he has held since 2015 despite a backlash after he said youth crime was “a media beat up”.

Mr Brown won Capalaba at the 2020 election with a 9.81 per cent margin.

At this year’s election, it is one of 10 electorates with four candidates. Mr Brown’s rivals are Donna Weston (Greens); David Schmid (One Nation) and Russell Field (LNP)

The outspoken MP made headlines with a Facebook post in August 2023 claiming that youth crime was a media beat up.

Don Brown came under fire after this post.

His statement prompted the LNP’s “Adult Crime, Adult Time” slogan and for the party to endorse Russell Field, the father of Matthew Field who was killed along with his wife and unborn child, by a teen in a stolen car in 2021.

Both Mr Brown and Mr Field were handing out how-to-vote cards on polling day in the electorate, less than 1km from where the 2021 tragedy took place.

Mr Brown said he was waiting for the results before commenting while Mr Field said he was aware of a swing away from Labor.

LNP candidate for Capalaba Russell Field. Picture: Richard Walker

“I’m not making assumptions yet,” Mr Brown said.

“But I am here to win and it will be what it will be – it’s now out of my control.

“But David Crisafulli has backed away from his promises to victims of crime when he says he would resign if the numbers went down.

“He’s walked away from victims of crime already on election day.”

Mr Field, who was contesting on a platform of justice for victims of crime and halting the youth crime crisis, said he was in it to win.

There were four candidates contesting the bayside seat of Capalaba including the ALP’s Don Brown and the LNP’s Russell Field. Picture: ECQ

“All the victims in the state took offence in those comments which said it was a media beat up,” Mr Field said.

“People including victims will make up their own mind at the polling booth.

“I doorknocked a lot of people and most said they had not seen anyone door knocking and we have to get rid of the sitting member because he’s done nothing.

“I wasn’t into politics for a long time but now I am and I’m interested in turning around juvenile crime – if I’m not successful I will still be able to sleep at night.

“The laws are too soft. When you get six years after killing three people there’s something wrong. Adult crime adult time is a long way to making kids think twice. It will be a deterrent to some.”

Originally published as Labor’s Don Brown on backlash after youth crime comment