The Queensland LNP’s suggested plan to recriminalise public drunkenness and public urination is a dangerous and deeply irresponsible move that flies in the face of decades of evidence and advocacy. ‘This proposal is not just a policy reversal — it’s an attack on Aboriginal lives,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
Public drunkenness laws have long been used as a tool of racialised policing and criminalisation, disproportionately targeting Aboriginal people and Torres Strait Islander people. It was precisely for this reason that the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody recommended in 1991 that public drunkenness be decriminalised nationwide — a recommendation made following hundreds of deaths and decades of injustice.
Yet more than 30 years later, we are watching Queensland suggest a move in the opposite direction. ‘This is not about safety — it’s about punishment, surveillance, and scapegoating,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘We cannot forget the death of Yorta Yorta woman, Aunty Tanya Day, who died in custody in 2017 after being arrested under public drunkenness laws, while asleep on a train. Her death was entirely preventable. She should have been cared for — not criminalised. Her family, like many others, have been tireless in their fight to abolish public drunkenness laws and demand dignity and care instead of police violence,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘This is not just a policy decision — it is part of a broader “law and order” blitz by the LNP, who continue to rely on carceral responses and fearmongering in the absence of any meaningful vision for the state,’ said Debbie Kilroy. ‘Rather than investing in housing, health care, or community-led responses to harm, the LNP are doubling down on the same racist, harmful strategies that have already cost too many lives,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
‘The National Network reject the idea that the only way to respond to public drunkenness and public urination is through police and punishment. Public health issues require public health responses — not criminal charges,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This latest move shows once again that the lives and safety of Aboriginal people are expendable in the LNP’s political playbook,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The National Network demand the Queensland government commit to the full implementation of the Royal Commission recommendations — not just in name, but in practice. That begins with keeping public drunkenness decriminalised and ending the targeting of Aboriginal people under the guise of public order,’ said Debbie Kilroy.
For further comment, please contact Debbie Kilroy on 0419 762 474 or Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226.
