Labor’s ideas for youth justice circling the drain

OUR youth justice system has gone from one crisis to another under Annastacia Palaszczuk and Labor.

We’ve seen report after report and review after review, but the problems are only getting worse.

Labor has completely bungled the transfer of 17- year- old offenders from adult jails to youth detention centres, just as the LNP predicted it would when the Bill was debated in November 2016.

In fact, 34 youth detainees are still sitting in adult jails more than six months after the transfer was supposed to be complete.

Youth crime is out of control in places like Townsville, Gold Coast and other parts of the state.

Our youth detention centres are overcrowded and Labor’s solution of bail houses in the suburbs will put communities at risk.

In 2016, Labor scrapped strong laws that the LNP put in place to hold young offenders accountable for their crimes.

Is it any wonder that we have youth gangs wandering the streets at night, causing mayhem and mischief and continually snubbing their noses at the law, the police and the courts?

We need to make sure young offenders are rehabilitated properly so they don’t lead a life of crime as hardened adult criminals.

Queenslanders cannot trust Annastacia Palaszczuk to fix these problems when it was her government that caused them.

Going soft on youth crime is not the answer.

DAVID JANETZKI, Shadow Attorney- General.