Youth justice findings drop
Govt accused of playing political games
THE state government has been accused of playing political games by releasing the findings of a crucial 168-page report into youth justice reforms at 8.17pm on Tuesday.
The final Youth Justice Reform Review, compiled by former Police Commissioner Bob Atkinson, was handed to the government in March this year, but was only released to the public late on Tuesday night, following a week of controversy within the Queensland Police Service.
It was revealed this week that children are being locked up in watch-houses, despite the government saying back in 2019 they were solving the problem; audio of shocking racism at the Brisbane Watchhouse was leaked by a whistleblower; and Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll has been forced to defend her leadership amid mounting pressure over a litany of controversies in the past six months, including the shocking evidence given at the Commission of Inquiry into Queensland Police Service Responses to Domestic and Family Violence.
In the release sent out to media after 8pm on Tuesday night, Minister Leanne Linard said the report would be “cold comfort” to victims of crime, but it showed the government’s youth justice reforms were working.
“We have put community safety first since we came into government and when Queenslanders said they wanted more done, we did more,” Ms Linard said.
“When we made amendments to the Youth Justice Act last year, we were determined to make the small number of serious repeat offenders more accountable for their behaviour. And this review shows we’ve done just that – there has been a decrease in the proportion of serious recidivist offenders on bail, in line with the presumption against bail reform. Our bail laws are among the toughest in the nation and it means more offenders are being remanded in custody, which means Queensland communities are safer.
“While this is cold comfort to victims of crime, it does mean our initiatives and legislative changes are having an impact, especially on that small cohort responsible for close to half the offences committed by young people.”
But opposition leader David Crisafulli said it was another case of smoke and mirrors, with the government offering up a report to take eyes off the controversy surrounding the QPS and youth justice.
“The government has had this report for months and they choose to release it in the dead of night, on the day when their youth crime credentials are in tatters, that says it all,” he said.