The new Liberal National Party (LNP) coalition Government in Queensland has promised to step up the fight against youth crime that helped propel it from the political wilderness to power in the northern Australian state last year.
Queensland Premier David Crisafulli vowed to get even tougher on young offenders as he came under pressure after a 13-year-old boy was accused of stabling a supermarket worker on Monday.
Since defeating the previously dominant Australian Labor Party to win office last October, Crisafulli’s Government has introduced some of the world’s strictest youth crime laws including its controversial ‘adult crime, adult time’ legislation.
Asked if the people of Queensland were not safe because the new laws were failing to stop people under 18 committing serious crimes, Crisafulli was quoted in The Guardian as saying: “I reject that. I think Queenslanders know how seriously I view this."
“There will be further changes to the Youth Justice Act. There will be further strengthening of the Queensland police service,” he said.
The new legislation enacted in December requires that juveniles receive the same sentences as adults if convicted of serious offenses including murder and manslaughter but the boy was charged with attempted murder, which is not covered by the new laws.
Crisafilli said the changes the LNP took to the election would be the first of many to the Youth Justice Act.
“I’ve already indicated we are putting together an expert panel to do further changes … and believe me they will occur,” he said.
The LNP had been on the opposition benches for 30 of the last 35 years in Queensland before being elected by an electorate that had become increasingly concerned about youth crime.
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