Bail houses delay bid ‘ to get it right’

THE STATE Government says it delayed the rollout of five new youth bail houses across Queensland in order to get the controversial model “right” first.

The Supervised Bail Accommodation facilities were established to reduce the number of alleged youth offenders being remanded to detention centres because they did not have a safe home to go.

There are four houses in Queensland, including two in Townsville.

Last month the State Government confirmed it had pushed the budget for five more houses.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said the decision to delay the rollout was not because the houses didn’t work.

“We’re going to get it right. You don’t just put them all out at once. You actually make sure you get the model right, that the support services are right,” she said.

“At the end of the day we want to make sure that young people get employment.”

Last month during an estimates hearing the Government admitted there was more than one “critical incident,” such as breaching curfew rules or fighting with staff, in a Townsville youth bail house every week.

The Bulletin also previously revealed a youth escaped one of the Townsville houses and allegedly stole a car involved in a crime spree.

Five of the 33 youths remanded to a bail house have reoffended.

“These houses have been set up for a specific reason, and that is young people who need to transition into work and get a job, and that’s the best way we can stop youth crime is to get young people into work,” Ms Palaszczuk said.

“These young people don’t have families to go to, that’s the sad fact. We need to put them in supported accommodation.”

Ms Palaszczuk said she believed her appointed Townsville “community champion,” Major General Stuart Smith ( retired), was doing an “outstanding job”.

“He has been speaking at length with the local community; he has briefed me on those meetings,” she said. “He is providing a range of innovative solutions that he will then present to government.”