Disbanded Youth Justice Reform Select Committee hands down interim report today as advocates express 'disappointment'

The mother of a 15-year-old boy who was murdered in 2020, says she’s been let down by the process “at every turn”, after a bipartisan committee looking into youth crime was disbanded last night.

The Youth Justice Reform Select Committee fell apart in a late night sitting.

The committee was headed by independent MP Sandy Bolton and consisted of three Labor MPs and three LNP MPs.

Formed in October last year, the committee conducted 26 meetings, 13 public hearings and nine public briefings, as well as received more than 200 submissions.

It was due to submit an interim report late last month, but members were split along party lines.

Last night Ms Bolton said she had endeavoured to work with both parties, but her situation had become “untenable”.

The government subsequently moved a motion to force the release of the interim report and dissolve the temporary committee.

The highly-anticipated report has now been publicly released, making dozens of draft recommendations.

Michelle Liddle, the mother of Redcliffe boy Angus Beaumont, said it was time to get serious.

“All along if people had set their politics aside, or their egos aside, and honed in on the very crux of it all, which is public safety and heading off this youth crime, I think we would’ve been further ahead by now,” she said.

“We’ve got to get serious, we’ve got to knuckle down and just get serious.  Leave politics out of it.”

Joseph Te Puni-Fromont’s team at Esuarve has helped more than 200 young men get their lives back on track, with a 90 per cent success rate of finding employment at the end of a 10-week wellbeing and skills development program.

He presented to the Youth Crime Committee hearing in Southport in February and said he felt it was politically divided.

“Certainly the feeling in the room was it was one side versus the other, it’s just disheartening,” he said.

Mr Te Puni-Fromont said he went into the hearing optimistic he was giving voice to the young people he works with but now felt disillusioned.

“What is the point of us going to these meetings? Or what is the point of our fighting if our voices really don’t matter? And in one night, this can be all ripped apart?” He said.

He’s called on politicians to stop making youth crime a partisan issue.

“If we’re trying to help young people, there’s no agenda with that, there’s no two sides to it,” he said.

Committee divided over media regulations

The report was tabled in parliament on Thursday, making 60 draft recommendations, including opening Childrens Court matters to victims and journalists.

Describing youth crime as a “contentious” and “polarising” issue, the draft report noted there was a “consensus” that Queensland’s youth justice system was not meeting the community’s expectation around community safety and the rehabilitation of children and young people.

“Evidence also shows there is clear agreement across different parts of the community that Queensland should prioritise investments in early intervention and prevention and improve the support provided to victims of crime,” it said.

The committee said the government should immediately review a section of the Youth Justice Act to “determine whether the central principle of community safety is being overshadowed by the principle of ‘detention as a last resort’ as it relates to sentencing”.

“This review should seek input from the Department of Justice and Attorney-General, the Department of Youth Justice, and expert legal stakeholders,” the report said.

It also recommended the government reform the youth justice sector, ensure there are consequences for actions and put the rights of victims above the rights of offenders.

Other suggestions included that the government develop a long-term youth justice strategy, immediately appoint additional magistrates to the Childrens Court, and that it publicly report on the number of children and young people detained in watch houses, and for how long, on a weekly or real-time basis.

It also recommended setting clear and enforceable limits on the use of “separations” at youth detention centres – when a child detainee is placed in a locked room by themselves.

Another draft recommendation related to broadening the role of the youth justice department to “intervene prior to contact with the youth justice system” to focus on diverting at-risk children.

But the report showed the committee was divided over regulations of “traditional and social media”.

“The committee acknowledges that traditional news media and social media each play a role in the community’s understanding and perception of youth crime,” the report said.

“However, there is disagreement among the committee about increasing regulation of the media in relation to youth crime.”

‘Political point scoring’

Youth Advocacy Centre CEO Katherine Hayes said they were “very disappointed that the select committee has degenerated into a squabble”.

“Both sides are aware that Queensland is desperately awaiting a clear youth justice strategy,” she said.

“There are over 350 kids in custody today — where is the rehabilitation to address the causes of their offending so that when they are released, the community is safer than when they went in?

“My message to the committee is to get their act together and give us recommendations on early interventions and rehabilitation now.”

Her sentiment was echoed by Queensland Council of Social Services CEO Aimee McVeigh.

“The last thing Queenslanders want to see right now is chest beating and political point scoring,” Ms McVeigh said.

“We need politicians to do their job and produce long term solutions for the sake of our children and for the safety and wellbeing of all Queensland communities.”

Justice Reform Initiative Executive Director Dr Mindy Sotiri said by disbanding the committee both sides of politics were “throwing out a genuine opportunity for change at a time when it is needed most”.

“It is difficult to believe that members could not reach at least in-principle consensus around the best ways forward, after receiving more than 200 submissions from experts and community figures as well as dozens of hearings and meetings,” she said.

Victims feel ignored

Trudy Reading from Voice for Victims said it was all “incredibly disappointing”.

She said her group’s members felt the committee had shown “a reluctance” to listen to victims of youth crime.

“The fundamental issue that we have is that victims are continuing to be let down,” she told ABC Radio Brisbane.

Should another committee be formed, she said she would like to see more transparency and opportunities for victims to speak directly to the government in a public setting.

“At the Brisbane public hearing there was no victims invited to speak publicly,” she said.