Youth jail for Mareeba pitched

Frustrated victims of crime arriving on coaches from Mareeba are expected to pack the public gallery for regional parliament question time this week to hear ministerial responses to juvenile crime and child safety policy.

Kicking off on Tuesday, the Cairns Convention Centre will host the first regional sitting of state parliament in Cairns since 2008. Bus loads of voters will arrive from the Tablelands on Tuesday.

One community worker has made a pitch to build a new youth jail at a sprawling stateheld property outside Mareeba, in response to an announcement by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk that funds for the controversial facility would be allocated in the upcoming state budget.

Parked off Airport Ave on Sunday, a protest car welcomed MPS to the “crime capi

Queensland”. Police permission has been sought by Cairns youth advocate Perri Conti to park a beat-up effigy of a stolen car at the corner of Grafton and Sheridan streets in the city on Tuesday.

Cairns group Campaign for Justice has also organised a protest for Wednesday outside the Convention Centre.

Tablelands youth worker Ken Harley said the brutal alleged assault last week brought into focus a need to make Far North communities safe.

Mr Harley presented a case for a huge 902ha state-held property near the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre to be used as a site for the proposed youth jail – slashing a significant government spend flying youth inmates to Townsville’s Cleveland Youth Detention Centre and making it easier for families to visit.

“Everyone has to agree that there is a percentage of these kids that need to be locked up,” he said.

On Monday, Ms Palaszczuk declined to state where the facility would be built, but said several sites were being looked at, and further announcements would be made this week.

“This is not a huge detention centre, this is a very modest size we are talking about, around 35 or 40 beds, it will be a therapeutic centre,” she said.