Hurtful post ‘a mistake’

A SHOCKING post on Facebook has been a lesson for Katter’s Australian Party candidate Julianne Wood.

The Take Back Townsville founder ( pictured below) blamed the Labor Party for the crash that resulted in the death of four teens on Sunday morning.

The Thuringowa hopeful wrote: “It’s days like these, we all throw our hands up in the air and say we’ve had enough.

“The ALP has refused to change the section of the Youth Justice Act that would have come a long way in reducing this sort of thing.

“The ALP can wear this. All it took was one change. It wasn’t ‘if’ it would happen, but ‘when’ will it happen.”

Ms Wood said she had been shocked and overwhelmed when she e heard about t the crash.

“It was a bit surreal … how bad it was. It was probably something that at we expected d might happen n with the number of stolen cars that go o around,” she said. “But it is quite devastating, especially to the family and friends.

“There are a lot of people saying ‘where are the parents?’, but I don’t think it is an appropriate time to get into all of that.

“I think the time for blaming is not now and it’s not appropriate.”

Ms Wood said she shouldn’t have made the comments.

“At the end of the day, I am passionate about that (the issue), but for me to have said that on the same day of the accident, that is very hurtful and it’s not appropriate.

“In the heat of the moment, when I was so upset, I haven’t made the best judgment call.

“I apologise for that, I have taken the post down.”

But the incident will not stop the candidate from fighting to change youth crime laws.

“We need to get kids support, we need to get family supp port, , it has to be a whole co community (appr proach) to try and co come up with some an answer as to what w we do,” she said.

“Now it is – w what can we do, th the question is what can we do now, because w whatever has been in place, hasn’t w worked.”