LNP’s plan to mentor and upskill ‘at-risk youths’

The Opposition Leader has revealed an elected LNP Government will open one of four ‘crime prevention schools’ statewide in Central Qld. Find out what it means.

An elected LNP Government will open one of four “crime prevention schools” statewide to tackle spiralling youth crime.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli announced Rockhampton would join Gold Coast, Ipswich and Townsville as one of the locations for the school, as part of his blitz of the state in the last week before election day.

Mr Crisafulli and the local LNP candidates, Donna Kirkland for Rockhampton, Nigel Hutton for Keppel and Glen Kelly for Mirani, met with Rockhampton Ram’s G-Elec Automotive owner Vishal Nand, whose business has suffered more than $150,000 worth of damage to his business on three separate occasions throughout 2023 and 2024.

Leader of the Opposition David Crisafulli talks with Ram’s Motor Repairs Managing Director Vishal Nand about repeated youth crime damage to vehicles at his store. Picture: Liam Kidston

The LNP believe the schools will re-engage youth who have fallen out of mainstream education and are identified as at-risk of falling into crime.

“This school will focus on education, mentoring, life skills, and community connection to help at-risk youth turn their lives around and contribute to society,” Mr Crisafulli said.

They will operate as “special assistance schools”, offering targeted education and intensive support to meet the individual needs of students who have fallen out of traditional schooling.

Vishal Nand, who owns Ram’s G-Elec Automotive on Campbell St and a mechanical business at Aquatic Place, has sustained more than $150,000 worth of damage to his business at the hands of youths.

It follows the LNP’s recent announcement in Rockhampton that it would provide a massive boost to supervision and care of more than 2000 children in the child safety system.

LNP child protection spokeswoman Amanda Camm said an LNP Government would roll out a new dual carer model working at Residential Care facilities 24hrs a day, providing safety, restoring behavioural consequences for children and ensuring they are attending school.

She said currently many Residential Care facilities only had one worker at any time, with little oversight and inability to provide focused care for children.

Anglicare NQ executive manager Andrew Brackman with Opposition child safety spokeswoman Amanda Camm and Cairns LNP candidate Yolonde Entsch at the announcement of the LNP Safer Children, Safer Communities policy. Picture: Peter Carruthers

“With 58 per cent of children under youth justice supervision having contact with child safety in the previous five years, it’s clear the broken system is acting as a youth crime pipeline,” she said.

She said this would ensure children who first came into contact with the child safety system receive the critical support and intervention they need to turn their lives around, before they head down a path of youth crime.

She said they would also boost child safety officers by 20 per cent to end “skyrocketing caseloads and ensure safety tip-offs about kids at risk are investigated on-time to keep them safe”.

She said an additional $1500 would be provided for every child in out-of-home care for sports, music, tutoring or other educational and extracurricular activities to keep them connected with communities and build the skills for life.

Originally published as LNP’s plan to mentor and upskill ‘at-risk youths’