Today I rise to speak on the youth crime crisis that has been plaguing Far North Queensland for a decade now. The crime crisis was one of the big reasons I decided to step up and run for the seat of Barron River.
Far North Queenslanders have had enough of the crime that is impacting our community. The deterioration of our city over the past few years has been very sad for our region.
We have had enough of the stolen cars; we have had enough of the late-night and early morning break-ins; we have had enough of small businesses being impacted physically and financially because of their weak laws; we have had enough of our kids being robbed of their bikes—
We have had enough of children not being able to go to the park on their pushbike or scooter and, as a parent, not knowing whether they are going to come home with that bike or scooter.
Some of those kids worked really hard and saved their money to purchase that item and they are devastated when they lose them. We have had enough of good people being traumatised, nurses not being able to walk to work without being impacted by crime and assaulted. A lot of us have had enough of not being able to walk in our streets or even just walk down the Esplanade.
The LNP did pass the Making Queensland Safer Laws in December. Many of the Labor MPs across the hall walked out of parliament snarling at us—especially us new MPs—saying that we were an absolute disgrace for pushing through these new laws for youth criminals.
The Labor government weakened the youth justice laws a decade ago and made detention a last resort, so now we do have a decade of hardcore repeat youth offenders who have received slap on the wrist after slip on the wrist with very few consequences for actions.
Cairns has 78 repeat youth offenders. The police know who they are. The police do an incredible job, but the previous laws were letting them down.
Let me be clear here. If Adult Crime, Adult Time was not made law, then repeat youth offenders would not be facing harsher consequences like they are now. What I want to know today is Labor candidate for Leichhardt Matt Smith’s position on crime. He thinks the laws we have introduced should be weakened and watered down.
I want to know what Matt Smith’s position is on crime. He thinks the laws we have introduced should be weakened and watered down. Unbelievably, he thinks that Labor’s approach for the last 10 years worked. He thinks crime is a state issue. He said—
David Crisafulli and the state government were elected to fix youth crime because it is a state issue.
We have a different view. It is that it is everyone’s issue.
Even our local Cairns Regional Council is extremely impassioned about reducing crime in the region. We work very closely with our local councillors, the mayor and deputy mayor. Jeremy Neal, our candidate for Leichhardt, strongly backs our Adult Crime, Adult Time laws.
Matt Smith, however, has not backed our Adult Time, Adult Crime laws. Labor and Matt Smith would like to see us return to the dark days where the rights of young criminals are put before the rights of victims. Labor and Matt Smith would like to see our Adult Time, Adult Crime laws wound back. Queenslanders made their position clear when it comes to crime. The approach of the last 10 years did not work, and more of the same will not work. Queenslanders do not want to go back, but a vote for Labor and Matt Smith in Leichhardt will do just that. It will send us backwards—back to Labor’s youth crime crisis—
Interjection from the Member for Cairns, Mr Healy: Get into it. You’re trying to help him from here.
I will take that interjection from the member for Cairns, who could not even turn up to a crime rally in Cairns. When it comes to turning the tide on Labor’s youth crime crisis, there is a long way to go, member for Cairns. We are starting to see some movement in the right direction.
Early signs show that our new Adult Time, Adult Crime laws are working to keep dangerous repeat youth offenders off the streets. After a decade of their weak laws and their weakness, we will continue to deliver laws for Queenslanders to keep them safe where they live.
