‘No-brainer’: Call for Jack’s Law to be introduced nationwide amid knife attacks

A father whose son was stabbed dead outside a convenience store says there’s an obvious law change that has to happen in the wake of the Bondi massacre.

A Queensland father whose son was stabbed on a night out is pushing for a powerful law to be introduced nationwide after a spate of devastating knife attacks.

Brett Beasley is urging NSW and other states to follow Queensland’s footsteps in introducing Jack’s Law – which allows police officers to conduct random searches for knives at public transport hubs and Safe Night precincts using metal detecting wands.

“It’s an absolute no-brainer,” Mr Beasley told news.com.au. “It’s absolutely extraordinary how well it’s working here in Queensland. I believe every single police officer Australia-wide should have the same powers.”

Mr Beasley and his wife Belinda spent years campaigning for the law following the death of their 17-year-old son, Jack, in December 2019.

The teenager died from a stab wound to the chest after he was attacked by a group of teens outside a Surfers Paradise convenience store during a night out with friends.

Brett and Belinda Beasley pushed for the law following their son’s death. Picture: Jerad Williams

In three years since the powers were first introduced, 55,000 people have been searched, 800 weapons have been confiscated and 1400 people have been charged in Queensland.

“It’s the same as being pulled over for a random breath test, it’s exactly the same and it’s working,” Mr Beasley sad.

“I can guarantee the NSW government, if they were to adopt Jack’s Law, then they will start finding thousands of weapons. It’s scary to think how many of these young offenders are walking around actually armed and getting away with it.”

A Queensland father wants NSW to adopt Jack’s Law after his son was killed in a stabbing attack.

Bondi attack

Mr Beasley said NSW Premier Chris Minns should waste no time introducing the law in the wake of the Westfield Bondi Junction stabbing attack, which claimed the lives of six people in Sydney’s east.

“Chris Minns shouldn’t even contemplate it. He should just say, ‘Absolutely. Let’s do this’.

“I get thousands of messages from people in New South Wales who say ‘We want Jack’s Law down here, we need it down here’.”

Having lost his son almost five years ago, Mr Beasley said he was “absolutely devastated” hearing the news of the attack in Sydney.

“To lose a child in any way is absolutely horrendous, and to lose a child to murder is the worst way possible. Your child’s life is taken from them.”

Just days before his son was killed, Mr Beasley said he sat Jack down and gave him a warning about going out.

“I said ‘you’ve got to be so careful Jacko because there’s mongrels are out there now and they’re armed with knives’.”

“Yeah Dad I’ll be right,” Jack replied.

Three days later, he was killed.

Jack was just 17 when he was stabbed and killed in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Supplied

Mr Beasley said he was devastated after hearing of the recent Bondi attack. Picture: Jerad Williams

Security guard Faraz Ahmed Tahir, new mum Ashlee Good, architect Jade Young and uni graduate Dawn Singleton were all stabbed dead during the Bondi attack.

Ahead of Jack’s funeral – a day Mr Beasley described as the worst of his life – the father made a promise to his son.

“It was the last day I saw him.(He was) lying on a bed lifeless.

“I said ‘I will try my best to clean these streets up and we will get the law changed to prevent this from happening’.”

Years on, Mr Beasley hopes his son would be looking down at his mum, dad and brother Mitch, feeling so proud at what they’ve managed to achieve.

“It makes us so proud to think that how many lives (removing) those 800 weapons has saved.”

But there’s still more work to be done.

Mr Beasley is eager to meet with Mr Minns to discuss Jack’s Law being rolled out in NSW. He tried to reach out to the premier’s office on Thursday, but the premier was attending the community reflection day at Westfield Bondi Junction, Sky News reports.

“If Chris Minns is open to a meeting with me, I’ll be on the next flight to Sydney because this government need to make this happen. It’s as simple as that.”

Mr Beasley made his son a promise after he passed. Picture: Supplied.

Mr Beasley also spoke to NSW Police Minister Yasmin Catley last year but he said he hasn’t heard anything since.

When news.com.au contacted Mr Minn’s office for comment, a NSW government spokespeon said they “need to look carefully at our current policies to ensure the public is safe”.

“The NSW Sentencing Council is currently undertaking a review of the sentencing laws for firearms, knives and other weapons offences. The NSW Government will also look at knife laws,” they said.

“We will await the review findings and consider all recommendations carefully.”

Mr Beasley is calling on Mr Minns to adopt Jack’s Law in NSW. Picture: Bianca di Marchi – Pool/Getty

When Ms Catley was contacted, news.com.au was pointed towards comments the Police Minister made during a Thursday press conference, where she noted “we will not close the door on anything”.

“In terms of Jack’s Law, it’s early days in Queensland … The Ministerial Council discuss all of these matters when we meet – which will next be in the coming weeks. We will seek an evaluation of them,” the Police Minister said.

Last year, the NSW government doubled the fine for having or wielding a knife in a public place or a school from two years in jail to four.

As for other states, Mr Beasley met with the Governor of Western Australia on Monday and is hopeful the state will also adopt the law.

Extending police powers

Mr Beasley has also been campaigning since August for the current police powers to be extended to shopping centres.

It comes as a man stabbed another man at the front of a restaurant at Highpoint Shopping Centre in Melbourne on Sunday.

“How many more people are going be attacked in a shopping centre before we do something about it?” asked Beasley

“We’re becoming too much like America.”

While waiting for other states to get on-board, Mr Beasley and the Jack Beasley Foundation are travelling around to schools and delivering free presentations to educate students about knife crime.

Mr Beasley expressed his deepest sympathies to all the families who have lost loved ones in recent stabbing attacks and encouraged them to “stay strong”.

“It’s going to be hard for them in the coming months and years so keep your family close.”

“Let’s work on this together and bond together and make a change and see if we can stop this.”