Kid crims would get ‘free pass’ under law change

Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto has urged Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath to resist any and all attempts to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14.

CHILDREN who commit heinous crimes against innocent people would be let off the hook with a proposed change to the age of criminal responsibility, says Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto.

Mr Dametto said Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath should resist “any and all attempts” to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 14, which is being discussed at a Council of Attorneys-General meeting today.

“If you do the crime, you’re old enough to do the time,” Mr Dametto said.

“This proposal does not meet community expectations in the slightest and will just mean 10 to 13-year-old offenders will have a few more years to steal cars, vandalise and assault people with no real consequences.”

Mr Dametto said under Katter’s Australian Party’s relocation sentencing policy, offenders as young as 10 would have the opportunity to be reformed through hard work, discipline and skill building at a remote property at Lake Julius near Mt Isa.

“Offenders will find themselves on a one-way bus for six to 12 month stints of hard labour living in donga-style accommodation. The site’s remoteness will become a part of the security, as would GPS bracelets that would be issued to offenders to track down any would-be escapees,” Mr Dametto said.

“Labor’s current Youth Justice system has failed our communities. They have lost the trust of residents who are fed up with the youth crime crisis plaguing our region. Raising the age of criminal responsibility will just make things worse.

“Relocation sentencing can break the cycle of youth crime before offenders become career criminals. It will give these juveniles a purpose through the ability to learn respect for themselves and others.

“Katter’s Australian Party proudly stands with law-abiding citizens in calling for real action on youth crime. The major parties just want to fiddle around the edges.”