Crisafulli redefines human rights, tells UN to stay out of Queensland

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has doubled down on the LNP government’s intention to overhaul the state’s criminal justice system.

After criticism of the government for ignoring human rights, and calls for a United Nations investigation into alleged racial discrimination, Crisafulli told MPs Queensland parliament was the ultimate arbiter of right and wrong.

“I say to the United Nations, with the greatest of respect: this place will govern its laws, this place will determine how we keep Queenslanders safe, and this place will be accountable to Queenslanders – not United Nations boffins,” he said on Wednesday.

Premier David Crisafulli has defended the government’s law and order reforms.Credit: Jamila Filippone

“And when I talk of human rights, I talk about the rights of someone to put their child to bed at night and know they’re safe. When I talk about human rights, I talk about the right of someone to go in the morning and get in a car and go and earn a living. And when I talk of human rights, I talk about the ability of young offenders to turn their lives around.”

His comments came after the government this week moved to expand its “adult crime, adult time” provisions by again setting aside the state’s Human Rights Act. The government recently shelved a planned overhaul of the act, and rejected the recommendations from a separate independent review, all initiated by the former Labor government.

The government has acknowledged that adding new offences to the provisions – including some that do not involve violence – will disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youths due to their over-representation in the criminal justice system. That has already sparked a complaint to the UN.

On Wednesday, the government announced it would reduce the regulatory burden on police seeking to conduct wanding operations, and allow them to stop people potentially anywhere to search for knives.

Police Minister Dan Purdie said Jack’s Law, which empowers police to search people for knives without first seeking higher authority, would be expanded.

Wanding is currently allowed in prescribed areas, including safe night precincts, public transport stations, shopping centres, and on public transport.

“We are making it permanent, and we are expanding it to not just those defined, prescribed locations, but to any public area that a senior police officer has intelligence to suggest that people there will be carrying and might use knives,” said Purdie, a former police officer.

“This is what the community has been calling out for, this is what police have been calling out for.”

Purdie said safeguards, such as the use of body cameras, would continue to be in place, and he understood only two people had made complaints after being wanded by police.

In parliament, Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the LNP had promised to “protect the rights of victims in this great state”, and she accused Labor of siding with youth offenders.

Frecklington made the comments after ordering an appeal in the case of a youth convicted of stabbing a man at Alexandra Hills in December 2023.

Crisafulli and several ministers also defended their decision to scrap pill-testing – the government also plans to scrap drug diversion programs – under questioning from Labor and the Greens.

“What testing does is [it] sends a message that there is a component of drugs that is safe to do – and there isn’t,” Crisafulli said.

Labor’s health spokesman, Mark Bailey, was ejected from parliament for interjecting during the debate, sparking calls from both sides for MPs to be suspended.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Steven Miles has asked parliament to condemn the government for seeking to appoint a “partisan director-general” to the traditionally independent commission overseeing an upcoming electoral redistribution.

Population growth in south-east Queensland will likely see boundaries change and new seats added to the region.

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