Caloundra youth jail plans spark war of words between MPs over which party hatched the idea

A stoush has erupted between two Sunshine Coast MPs over which party was responsible for controversial plans for a youth jail in the heart of Caloundra.

A fresh war of words has erupted over the origin of a controversial plan to turn the Caloundra watch house into a new youth jail.

Caloundra MP Jason Hunt highlighted the draft Youth Detention Centre Demand Management Strategy 2013-2023, put together in 2013-14 and said the LNP Opposition MPs were currently “running a petition against their own idea”.

The draft management strategy document floated the “potential use of the Caloundra Police Watchhouse for detaining young offenders on short term remand awaiting immediate court appearances” as a medium-term option in response to a spike in youth offending.

Kawana MP Jarrod Bleijie was Attorney-General at the time and recalled he and the former Newman Government had firmly rejected the proposal.

“We said no way and that’s why it never happened,” Mr Bleijie said.

He said if it had gone ahead, the facility would have remained a watch house and been used only as a short-term remand option for youths awaiting a court appearance.

Ninderry MP Dan Purdie, Sunshine Coast Neighbourhood Watch member Edith Blanck, and Caloundra resident Matt Taylor are disappointed with the state government's plans to turn the Caloundra Watchhouse into a youth remand centre. Picture: Tegan Annett

Mr Bleijie said the Department of Justice and Attorney-General had reviewed the situation as a result of a spike in youth justice issues at the time.

Mr Hunt said the document showed it had been an idea of the former LNP government and criticised the current campaign against the plan to repurpose the watch house as a youth detention facility as “dishonest”.

Mr Hunt said it was a “very sad example of what happens when MPs put party politics ahead of community safety”.

Mr Bleijie said he had concerns about the legitimacy of a public feedback period now underway and said the proposed new Caloundra facility had been recently referred to as a youth detention centre in response to one of his questions in budget estimates sessions in mid-August.

Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard recently said the new $16.4m Caloundra youth remand facility would only be used for short periods.

Originally published as Caloundra youth jail plans spark war of words between MPs over which party hatched the idea