Crime legislation hearings come to Townsville

Townsville victims have revealed system failures and the toll that youth crime has taken on North Queensland as the Katter’s say Mount Isa has been ignored in a string of youth crime legislation hearings. Here’s the latest.

Townsville victims have revealed system failures and described the toll youth crime is having on the city ahead of a hearing into the state government’s new youth justice legislation.

This comes as Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter says the hearings should’ve come to Mount Isa, as well as Townsville and Cairns, after it was dubbed “ground zero” for the youth crime epidemic.

Submissions to the Economics and Governance Committee on the Strengthening Community Safety Bill 2023 paint a bleak picture of life in Townsville, with Sandra Elton, who co-owns family business C & B Designs describing how her 11-year-old son was terrorised when stolen cars drove through a soccer field while his team was training.

“These cars had been out wreaking havoc in the community for at least six hours prior to the incident,” Ms Elton told the committee.

Robbie Katter MP, KAP Leader and Member for Traeger and Nick Dametto, KAP Deputy Leader and Member for Hinchinbrook. Picture: Shae Beplate.

Clynton Hawks, a trucking company owner and former Katter’s Australian Party candidate, had his house broken into just three weeks after his son was born.

“This criminal watched me prior through the back window as I went to the fridge for a quick drink before bed. Knowing this now, I feel sick to my stomach,” Mr Hawks said.

BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – NewsWire Photos FEBRUARY 27, 2023: Member for Logan Linus Power Representatives for police, department of justice and attorney general and department for youth justice and child safety appear at a public briefing into new legislation to strengthen youth justice laws. Picture: NCA NewsWire / John Gass

Townsville City Council also provided a submission for the bill, with Mayor Jenny Hill saying “at the outset, I support the bill”.

However, she put forward additional policy points to be included: removing detention as a ‘last resort’, mandating minimum sentences for some offences, and criminal history to have more weight at sentencing.

Mr Katter told media on Wednesday he was “angry” that Mount Isa had been snubbed and he’d had to travel 1000km to represent his region.

“We are trying to defend ourselves from being the next Alice Springs, which we’re quickly becoming out there in Mount Isa,” he said.

Mr Katter said the new youth justice laws were supposed to be the “big play” from the government, but “they can’t even be bothered” to visit Mount Isa.

He said the outback community hadn’t had enough notice to be able to put forward anything of substance.

He added that it was hard to have constructive conversations about the issues when the community was this angry.

Committee chairman MP Linus Power said all communities were welcome to present at the hearings in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville.

“We’ve invited people to video conference submissions,” he said. “We would very much welcome anyone from Mount Isa speaking.”

He said no submissions from Mount Isa had been received.

A hearing into the youth crime legislation will be held at The Ville, in Townsville, on Thursday.

Hearings have been held in Cairns and Brisbane

Originally published as Crime legislation hearings come to Townsville