Crime policy a mess under Labor

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto says Labor needs to fix its crime policy mess.

THE State Labor Government’s approach to crime is being laughed at by criminals after yet another riot at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre earlier today.

Mr Dametto said the riot, which saw youths scale the roof of the centre resulting in a four-hour standoff with police, was another “horrifying reminder of Labor’s approach to crime”.

“Time and time again our community have told this government that their slap-on-the-wrist, revolving door policies are not working, but they refuse to listen. Now we’ve had yet another out-of-control situation on their watch,” he said.

“On top of that, Labor appears to have backflipped on making changes to the Youth Justice Act, just a week after they blamed the courts for letting these offenders off lightly. It’s utter chaos coming from this government.”

Mr Dametto also took aim at the government’s decision to suspend parliament today until emergency legislation addressing coronavirus is brought forward.

“I appreciate the need for the government to take measures to mitigate the spread of coronavirus but there is still very important legislation that impacts Queenslanders which needs to be debated,” he said.

“For example, thousands of vision-impaired Queenslanders were hoping that legislation giving them the right to access disability parking spots would be passed this week. That’s not going to happen now, which is devastating for them. Likewise, the Resources Safety and Health Queensland Bill is another piece of legislation that deserved debate.

“We need to keep this state moving and it is not wise for Labor to use the coronavirus as an excuse to hold up everything else by suspending parliament.”

Mr Dametto said Katter’s Australian Party had “been consistently advocating on behalf of crime-affected residents for years” on tackling the issue.

“The KAP’s relocation sentencing policy is what our community has been crying out for. It will get young offenders away from the bad influences that contributed to their criminal behaviour in the first place by sending them to a remote property west of Mt Isa where they will get on country, learn life skills on the land and at the same time, reform,” he said.

“It’s about reprogramming these young offenders so when they come back, they can reintegrate into society and become productive members.”

Mr Dametto is sponsoring a parliamentary e-petition by Take Back Townsville co-ordinator Julianne Wood calling for the government to make significant legislative changes to introduce tougher penalties for offenders, including juveniles, so that law-abiding citizens can live in peace.

Since being launched on December 17 last year, the e-petition has already amassed more than 8000 signatures and will close on April 27.

To view the petition, click here.