In a bid to justify his government’s draconian reforms to children’s crime laws, Premier David Crisafulli has released police data purporting to reveal a “youth crime crisis” gripping Queensland.
‘The reality is starkly different: there is no youth crime crisis, and this has been confirmed by criminologists over and over again,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘This is just a government desperate to gain political capital and clout off the backs of locking up our children,’ said Tabitha Lean.
The Premier’s rhetoric, counting offences rather than convictions is not just misleading, it underscores a dangerous narrative built on fear, not facts. ‘Let’s be clear: the data shows children’s crime rates have been steadily declining,’ said Tabitha Lean. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, Queensland’s youth crime rate has halved over the past 14 years. Even recent police data indicates a drop in child “offender” rates by 2% in 2023/24 and an 18% decrease since 2012/13. ‘Despite these cold hard facts, the Premier insists on twisting statistics to serve a colonial agenda of punishment and control. But we will not be fooled by his cheap politicking,’ said Tabitha Lean.
This government’s hard-line approach, exemplified by its “Adult Crime, Adult Time” policy, seeks to sentence children as young as 10 to life imprisonment for serious offences—a policy that will disproportionately harm vulnerable and marginalised kids, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children. ‘These laws will not “arrest” youth crime; they will perpetuate cycles of trauma, disadvantage, and incarceration, affecting some of our most vulnerable communities,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘This legislation does not target the most vulnerable populations of kids by accident. This is a calculated move to imprison those the LNP do not want in our communities. It’s a deliberate attack on the marginalised, a reflection of a system designed to exclude and oppress,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘The National Network find the Premier’s narrative of communities “under siege” not only misleading but deeply harmful. His government’s fixation on punitive measures ignores the real solutions: investing in community-driven programs, education, and support services that address the root causes of harm,’ said Tabitha Lean. ‘The Queensland government has a choice: continue this path of fearmongering and punishment or invest in the futures of our children through care, support, and transformative community-driven solutions,’ said Tabitha Lean.
‘We are not picking up what the Premier is putting down. Queenslanders will not abandon the children of this state to policies that criminalise their existence and strip them of their futures. We demand an end to this colonial agenda and call on the government to prioritise justice, healing, and a bright future for all children,’ said Tabitha Lean.
For further comment, please contact Tabitha Lean on 0499 780 226
