Outside, crime protesters march for action. Inside, youth detention law is tweaked

The news

Victims of crime have joined hundreds of Queenslanders to march on parliament, demanding the government “swing the pendulum” away from offenders and address community fears.

The protest group marched through the city on Wednesday morning before gathering in front of parliament, calling on the premier to face them.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll met with the organiser of the rally.

A further meeting with ministers Mark Ryan, Di Farmer and Yvette D’Ath followed, while Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk met separately with one victim.

In a speech to parliament, Palaszczuk declared that her government had stood beside victims of crime when introducing recent initiatives such as Jack’s Law.

Queensland Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll meets with Voices for Victims’ Ben Cannon outside parliament.Credit: Matt Dennien

It comes as the government introduced amendments excluding human rights protections from young people held on remand or sentence in police watchhouses after recent legal questions.

The unexpected changes would also allow the government to use part of an adult jail as youth detention. Separately, the Victims’ Commissioner role will be filled by an interim appointment from next month.

How we got here

Youth crime, and crime more broadly, are long-simmering issues in the state – elevated this year after a series of high-profile incidents and political pressure.

In March, the government overrode its own human rights laws to further tighten bail laws for young people in what legal groups described as a “race to the bottom” from major parties.

Focus on support for victims has also been elevated this year by victim groups, the non-government MPs and Labor’s Jonty Bush.

Why it matters

Experts and advocates have warned “tough” approaches on young people, including detention in dedicated facilities and police watchhouses, will only drag more of them deeper into cycles of crime and ultimately harm community safety further.

Queensland is the worst jurisdiction in the country for detention centre capacity pressure, with two new “therapeutic” centres not expected to be built by 2026.

The watchhouse detention changes came amid dozens of pages of surprise amendments to an unrelated bill during Wednesday’s parliament sitting, angering both the LNP and Greens for bypassing standard scrutiny processes.

Crime concerns feature regularly in state election campaigns, with the next set to take place in October next year.

What they said

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Ben Cannon from the Voice for Victims group which marched on parliament said Palaszczuk needed to drive change.

While there had to be consequences for wrongdoing, he said more work was needed to ensure young people could turn their lives around or avoid being criminalised in the first place.

“We’re not political but if she doesn’t bring change, then we will find someone who will,” Cannon said.

During an afternoon press conference, Youth Justice Minister Farmer flagged the watchhouse change as a response to a recent Supreme Court decision to “ensure business as usual”.

“We remain committed to making sure that young people stay in our watch houses for as short a period as possible,” she said.