The spotlight on community safety and appropriate penalties for offenders has been a key headline-grabbing issue for both major parties in the lead up to the Queensland state election. 

There is little doubt that crime, including youth crime, domestic and family violence, and drug offences are impacting Queensland communities. But as I pointed out in my article “Jumping at Shadows: let’s stop The Scare Tactics”, the stats on youth crime show that it is not such a big issue here in Noosa, and that in the communities most affected, the number of perpetrators are not as big as you may be led to believe, but are in most cases repeat offenders. So in speaking of consequences for those who commit crimes, we should speak in terms of numbers of offenders rather than the number of crimes. 

However, while acknowledging that crime (from dangerous ebike riding to car theft) is a major concern for us all, and that every Queenslander deserves to feel safe, I am confused by the vehemence from the LNP on the specific issue of youth crime and justice. 

Obviously our current system is not working, with repeat offenders often being released back into the community after being detained. Which is why the Queensland Youth Justice Parliamentary Select Committee, a bi-partisan group of MPs: Sandy Bolton MP, Member for Noosa (Chair – Ind), Jonty Bush (ALP), Aaron Harper (ALP), Laura Gerber (LNP), Jim McDonald (LNP), Dan Purdie (LNP), Adrian Tantari (ALP) was established in October 2023. 

Its aim was to navigate reforms by exploring issues that included how to divert young offenders away from Queensland’s criminal justice system, to help prevent re-offending, to better safeguard us all from the impacts of youth crime, and to support victims of crime. 

A bi-partisan committee chaired by an Independent? An optimist would hope that real solutions could be found to this complex issue, and implemented. But it was not to be. 

Earlier this year, the Committee was dissolved after “twenty-six meetings, thirteen public hearings, nine public briefings, two hundred and twenty submissions, and multiple site visits”.  

The Chair’s draft report “Interim Report: Inquiry into ongoing reforms to the youth justice system and support for victims of crime” was eventually tabled in April, and within 24 hours of its tabling, the Labor Government committed to all recommendations in the draft report, either in part or in principle.  

The LNP has STILL not responded to the interim report. Why? Well a cynic might say that because adopting the recommendations would diminish the impact of a key element of their 2024 election campaign. 

All of that aside though, the campaign slogan “adult time for adult crime” should be explored and I hope that the electorate will ask for more specifics on exactly what that means. When I hear this term I can’t help but think of Mary Wade. 

London, 1789: Thirteen year old Mary Wade was found guilty of theft and sentenced to death by hanging. She was shown some ‘mercy’ however, and instead of being hanged, at the age of 14 she was transported to the penal colony of Botany. We’ve all heard the stories of our convict past, but by putting a human face on just one of them should help us parallel the story of Christine* below.

Was Mary a bad person? Did she deserve ‘adult time for an adult crime’ or did she need a roof over her head and food in her belly?

Queensland, 2000s: Twelve year old Christine* was the subject of a child protection order as a result of sexual and physical abuse and domestic violence in her home, from which she was removed at age 5. As a 12 year old she was living at a bus stop. 

Her first offence was for shoplifting a box of Rice Bubbles and milk from Coles. Despite it being her first offence, she was charged with theft, and then with trespassing because the police found she was living at the bus stop and her belongings were there.  Twelve years old, homeless and hungry and charged: sounding familiar? After being charged she was given NO help; she was released back into homelessness. 

In the following years she spent times in police lockups with adult offenders, but in the end resorted to petty crimes with the view to being locked up in juvenile detention where she knew she would be safe: she would know where her next meal would come from, that she could shower, have clean clothing, and a roof over her head. She saw it as her best option. She had voluntarily become, in effect, a ‘repeat offender’.

Christine* is now a mother of 3 daughters and works in the child and youth sector. Her story is compelling.

Was she a bad person? Do children like her deserve ‘adult time for an adult crime’ or did she need a roof over her head, food in her belly, and the support to overcome her early childhood trauma?

Noosa, 2024: Jane* and her husband have fostered many children over a 15 year period, and has seen first hand the impact that a dysfunctional family situation can have on a child. She has told me of one child that they cared for as respite carers, from birth. That child is now 15 years old and a young offender. 

Jane told me that the child “had every opportunity, but her life is different and difficult. She’s been a ward of the state since birth – how would that make you feel? Even her permanent carers can’t make decisions for her. When she was 10 we wanted to take her to Sydney for a holiday. It took over 6 months to get permission. Their lives are not simple, they come from mental illness, drug addictions, violence etc. The government wants to punish the kids for their parent’s crimes.”

Each child offender has a backstory, and as Christine* shared, it is the system that is letting them down. So is the solution to take out a big stick and threaten them with jail time? 

When one reads the “Interim Report: Inquiry into ongoing reforms to the youth justice system and support for victims of crime” and then the LNPs “Making Our Community Safer Plan”, it is obvious that while one is clearly based on research and community feedback, the other appears, without any reference to input from experts in the area, to have been pulled from a grab bag of headline seeking ‘good ideas’. If professionals in the areas of domestic and family violence, child psychology, disability services, drug dependency, community welfare, policing, and the judiciary were consulted as part of that plan and give it their support, we should know who they are. 

For the purpose of this article, I was particularly interested in the Committee’s recommendations for early intervention, prevention, and rehabilitation and the report goes into great detail on these issues, including keeping children engaged with education and making rehabilitation work, together with funding models. 

The statistics show that the number of repeat youth offenders in Queensland is relatively low, and intervention is certainly needed to break the cycle of crime in which they are engaged. But to claim that “youth criminals have been running riot through our communities” and that they “terrorise our communities” is just another of the scare tactics employed by the LNP.  

It is easy to talk about punishment and ‘adult time for adult crime’, but infinitely more difficult to speak to the multi-faceted issues that have contributed to each offender’s situation. These issues are not going away, and harsher penalties will mean little to our young people whose wellbeing has, and continues to be, impacted by factors like mental health, drug abuse, and violence within their homes – all of which are outside of their control.

So while we will continue to hear the phrase ‘adult time for adult crime’ in the days leading up to the state election, I would encourage everyone to look beyond the headlines and media releases, read the Interim Report, and seek the opinion of people actually working with offenders.

For instance, when launching Queensland Police’s youth crime documentary in May 2023, the Youth Crime Taskforce Commander, Acting Assistant Commissioner Geeorge Marchesini said: 

“While community safety is a priority in everything we do, we know we cannot simply arrest our way out of youth crime issues. We must focus on early intervention and engagement to prevent the dangerous cycle of reoffending.”

“The QPS will continue to work with young people, our community, and partner agencies to keep Queensland safe as we all have a responsibility to make a difference in the lives of young people.”

*names withheld to protect the identities of the children involved.