Youth crime Qld: Premier promises open courts, knife crackdown as new laws scrutinised

Courts could be opened further, knife sales further restricted, and sentences toughened within the year as Premier David Crisafulli vows to plug any gaps in the state’s crime laws.

Premier David Crisafulli speaks to the media in Brisbane on Thursday. Picture: Supplied

Courts could be opened up further, sale of knives further restricted, and sentences toughened within the year as Premier David Crisafulli vows to plug any gaps in the state’s crime laws.

It comes as Mr Crisafulli defended his governments’ first tranche of Adult Crime, Adult Time laws, despite the glaring omission of certain offences like rape, attempted murder, and arson.

The LNP government’s speedily installed Making Queensland Safer Laws have come under the microscope this week after the alleged stabbing of Coles worker Claudia Campomayor Watt at Yamanto by a 13-year-old boy.

In December, as the government passed its Making Queensland Safer Laws, police laid 10 charges of rape, four charges of kidnapping and three of arson against children.

Claudia Campomayor Watt is now in a stable condition after suffering critical stab wounds at her workplace on Monday afternoon. Picture: Facebook

Those offences, as well as attempted murder, accessory after the fact to murder and conspiring to murder are not captured under the new laws.

It’s understood Mr Crisafulli has reached out to Ms Campomayor Watt’s family.

“There is no doubt that there needs to be further reform on the broken youth justice system in this state, and we stand ready to do that,” Mr Crisafulli said on Thursday.

“As I said at the start, it wouldn’t be one set of changes. I said there would be many, and we will continue to do that, but ultimately there’ll be fewer victims.

“You’ll never have a situation where there isn’t crime and you’ll never have a situation where people don’t feel justifiably a little disappointed in some sentences, but my commitment is we’ve given every opportunity to make sure that we drive those victim numbers down.

“And that is what we will achieve.”

Katter Australia MP Party Nick Dametto/ Picture: NewsWire / Glenn Campbell

Mr Crisafulli said an expert independent panel designed to inform government on additions to youth crime laws would be formed before parliament resumed in mid-February.

The latest changes have also ensured media are allowed in to Children’s Court cases, but the Yamanto incident has uncovered an inability for journalists to view the case file of a juvenile — as they can for adults.

Mr Crisafulli said he wanted a justice system where reporting is able to be done and justice is seen to be done — while still protecting a child’s identity.

“If further reform needs to be done to ensure that reporting is able to give a true reflection on why a sentence is imposed, I can’t see that as anything but a good thing for Queenslanders but also the judiciary,” he said.

Knives have been removed from Coles stores around Australia in the wake of the Yamanto incident. Picture: Supplied

Further restrictions on the sale of knives will also be considered this year.

Katter’s Australian Party MP Nick Dametto on Wednesday said the exclusion of heinous crimes that carry maximum life sentences “doesn’t pass the pub test”.

“Rape is one of the most heinous things that can happen to a person,” he said. “You’ve got a number of MPs in the LNP that are ex-lawyers – how did they compile this list of crimes?”

A 13-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after a stabbing at an Ipswich shopping centre on Monday. Picture: Supplied

Opposition Leader Steven Miles lashed the Premier for rushing the laws without offering adequate consultation.

He said the Coles stabbing proved the laws championed by the LNP during the state election had failed to stop violent crimes from occurring.

“The experts said there would be unintended consequences by passing legislation that had not been properly and rigorously tested,” he said.

“But David Crisafulli rushed these laws through regardless, promising crimes like this would stop. The horrendous incident this week has shown that (Mr Crisafulli) is running a government on slogans without substance.”

Originally published as Youth crime Qld: Premier promises open courts, knife crackdown as new laws scrutinised