The new Queensland Government is barrelling ahead with its punitive and outdated ‘Adult crime, Adult time’ legislation, set to be pushed through Parliament this week. This legislation, part of the LNP’s election promise to tackle so called youth crime, is based on fearmongering, not facts. Criminologists have consistently debunked the notion of a youth crime crisis in Queensland.
‘The LNP’s rhetoric around a youth crime crisis is politically manufactured beat-up, designed to target, criminalise, and incarcerate Aboriginal children,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The Premier announced that we are not going to Christmas with the “same weak Youth Justice Act,” signalling his intent to railroad these laws before the holiday season. ‘The rushed nature of this legislation all but guarantees an increase in the mass incarceration of Aboriginal kids our children, our future—many of whom will be torn from their families, communities, homes and classrooms under this new legislation in the coming weeks,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘Premier David Crisafulli declared, “The first thing we’re going to be discussing is the Making Queensland Safer laws,” but these laws do nothing to make children, families, or communities safer. Instead, they will worsen already staggering rates of imprisonment among Aboriginal children, compounding intergenerational trauma and destroying lives,’ said MJ Whalen.
‘The National Network call on the Opposition to stand with our children, with humanity, and with what is right. We urge Steven Miles to side with our children,’ said MJ Whalen.
Policies like ‘adult crime, adult time’ have been implemented elsewhere and proven to fail. ‘These kinds of policies are a relic of a punitive, outdated ways of responding to social harm. Across the globe, these policies have been linked to skyrocketing incarceration rates and devastating social outcomes—disproportionately for Indigenous and marginalised communitie —without addressing the root causes of harm,’ said MJ Whalen.
‘Queensland deserves better. Our children deserve better. These laws are not about justice; they are about cruelty and control,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘If this legislation passes, Queensland will be sending a clear message: that its government values punishment over community support, and incarceration over care. We refuse to let this happen without a fight,’ said Tabitha Lean
For further comment, please contact Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
