Qld youth justice laws pass amid heated debate in Parliament

Queensland’s contentious new youth crime laws have passed Parliament after impassioned debate by all sides.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk speaks during Question Time on Thursday. Picture: Dan Peled/NCA NewsWire

• Loose keys, Swiss cheese: MPs’ wild debate

Queensland’s new youth justice laws aimed at boosting community safety in the wake of the teen crime crisis have passed after days of heated debate.

The new laws, announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk following the tragic death of Moreton Bay mother Emma Lovell, have been criticised by some advocates as not going far enough, while others condemned them as a knee-jerk reaction that will see vulnerable kids end up in jail.

Legislative changes included breach of bail being applied to children, increasing the maximum penalty for stealing a car from seven to 10 years, plus a more severe penalty of 14 years if the offence is committed at night or involves violence.

However, restrictions to maximum allowed penalties for juveniles mean it would be unlikely children would ever receive such a jail term – a point seized on by the LNP.

It also included increased penalties for criminals who boast about their crimes on social media, and amendments to the Youth Justice Act requiring courts to take into account previous bail history and criminal activity.

This week the Premier also announced a review into the assistance offered to victims of crime following a push by Labor MP Jonty Bush.

Despite voting in support of the laws, the LNP said immediately afterwards the measures would have little impact on the youth crime crisis.

“The most significant measure to make it through this week was the one thing that the Palaszczuk Labor Government fought against for two years – breach of bail,” LNP police spokesman Dale Last said.

“The LNP’s breach of bail policy has been adopted word for word by the Palaszczuk Labor Government and (Thursday) became law.

“It is the firm view of the LNP Opposition that detention as a last resort must be removed from the Youth Justice Act, to work hand-in-hand with breach of bail. The Palaszczuk Labor Government chose not to support that in Parliament.”

Key stakeholders and advocates had also been critical of the process, arguing there was not enough time for submissions and public consultation.

Police Minister Mark Ryan has defended the state’s new justice measures, saying increasing the seriousness of a crime – like stealing a car at night – would mean the young offender could dealt with in the District Court rather than the Magistrates’ Court, meaning the sentence imposed would be higher.

Since Ms Palaszczuk made the December announcement, other deaths allegedly at the hands of youths have shocked Queenslanders.

Toowoomba pensioner Robert Brown, 75, died after being allegedly attacked by four teens while waiting for a taxi at the city’s Grand Central Shopping Centre, while Uber driver Scott Cabrie was allegedly killed by his teenage passengers on the Fraser Coast during an attempted robbery.

The state government had conceded its new youth crime measures were a breach of human rights, but had pushed through with the laws by overriding protections.

Greens MP Michael Berkman, in a fiery spray against the government on Thursday, said Labor had “started a race to the bottom they cannot win” as he slammed them for “copying” the LNP’s homework.

“The rhetoric we’re getting from them is that the LNP weren’t even that hard on kids, (Labor saying) we’re better at locking up kids than the LNP,” he said.

“They’re going to do any manner of ghastly things to children because none of them are inclined to listen to the experts, listen to the evidence about what actually works.

“They have to suspend the Human Rights Act to get this kind of nonsense through.”

Originally published as Qld youth justice laws pass amid heated debate in Parliament