Premier Steven Miles commits $4m to ESuarve if re-elected

Premier Steven Miles has promised to invest $4 million into a Gold Coast not-for-profit hailed by police for its success in steering troubled youth away from crime. Full details.

Premier Steven Miles has promised that if re-elected Labor will invest $4 million into a Gold Coast not-for-profit hailed by police for its success in steering troubled youth away from crime.

A Queensland Police study earlier this year revealed Pimpama-based ESuarve was achieving stunning results. Of participants who had an offending history when they joined the group’s Big Brother program, 83 per cent had either ceased or reduced offending in the 12 months after they graduated.

ESuarve founder Joseph Te Puni-Fromont said he and his team were ready to scale up their operation to help more young people at its new Pimpama premises, which had been donated to it by council.

However while it was supported by grants from the state government, police and corporate donors – including $85,000 from The Courier-Mail Children’s Fund – it needed further funding to expand.

Premier Steven Miles, Housing Minister Meaghan Scanlon and ESuarve founder Joesph Te-Puni-Frumont in Pimpama. Picture: Annette Dew.

At a visit to ESuarve on Monday Mr Miles said that if re-elected next month his government would provide $4 million towards the group, which provides training for its students and helps them find employment.

“Intervening early to break the cycle of offending is a key priority of our community safety plan. That plan is based on backing the plans that we know work. And ESuarve here on the Gold Coast is one of those programs that’s now been proven to work,” he said.

“That’s why we are announcing today that if we are elected next month we will invest a further $4 million, providing long term funding certainty for this fantastic not-for-proft organisation.

“They take young people who are headed down the wrong path, give them training, connect them with homelessness services, connect them with housing, and then assist them into jobs.

“Their success rates at both getting them into jobs and stopping them going back into juvie is really incredible and one of the reasons we’ve backed them.

“This is also an outcome of our community cabinet program. When we were down here for community cabinet. Meaghan (Scanlon) said this organisation was one she really wanted me to meet with and I was blown away by their fantastic work, their enthusiasm, their record of success. And that’s why I’m really proud to back them.”

Mr Te Puni-Fromont said he was delighted by the announcement, saying the extra funds would give ESuarve certainty and the potential to expand their program.

“It’s exciting for us because it actually just now gives us the chance to really showcase what we can do in the next four years,” he said.

“What we’ve done in the last four years has been done on the smell of an oily rag.

“But with the right support we can just skyrocket this and help even more young people who need it.”

ESuarve founder Joesph Te-Puni-Frumont and Premier Steven Miles in Pimpama. Picture: Annette Dew.

Housing Minister and Gaven MP Meaghan Scanlon praised the work of ESuarve, which she said she had witnessed first-hand.

“It’s just so evident the lives that they are changing through this program,” she said.

“ESuarve have been delivering a fantastic program, getting young people into a certificate one in construction, helping them build their homes and careers, and today this announcement locks in funding for the next four years, $4 million which gives them confidence to keep helping these young people.

“Skilling Queensland is such a fantastic program but it’s year to year and giving them the confidence that they are going to have this money locked in hopefully shows this organisation how much we back them.

“We back ESuarve because this program delivers for young people and this community and we want to see them continue.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan said while there was no “quick fix” for youth crime, groups like ESuarve made a real difference.

“Meaghan has been a strong advocate of ESuarve and their programs, because it is making a real difference for young people and the community more broadly,” Mr Ryan said.

“Now, our government will invest even more – backing ESuarve with $4 million in funding if elected next month.

“Queenslanders can trust that a Miles Labor government will do what matters to break the cycle of crime.

“The LNP have no credibility when it comes to delivering education, or rehabilitation for Queensland kids.

“They orchestrated the closure of eight schools and had 50 more on their hit list when in government and led a failed boot camp experiment plagued by cost-blow outs and accusations of favouritism.

“There is no quick fix for youth crime, and that’s why this Labor government is investing in evidence-based programs that are proven to reduce the offending and reoffending rates of young people.”

Police Minister Mark Ryan. Picture: Steve Pohlner.

ESuarve has previously been praised by the Gold Coast’s top cop, Chief Superintendent Craig Hanlon, who said police were “very appreciative” of the group’s work.

“Programs like ESuarve are very important to us. Our aim is to divert children who have been in the justice system or who may we believe, through a number of circumstances, fall into or become a subject of the justice system,” he said.

“We work very hard with restorative justice, with finding alternate ways to divert people away from the justice system.

“ESuarve is a good example of the success in that. The state government has funded that in its work and it continues to show really good results diverting people away, showing young kids there’s a different life rather than a life of crime and that you can be a positive, contributing member of society, and that you can be happy when you’re doing that.”

The announcement came a day after LNP leader David Crisafulli committed to providing $10 million to the Southport-based Men of Business Academy if elected.

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