Qld government criticised for fast-tracking controversial youth justice reforms

The Queensland government is fast-tracking proposed youth justice law changes, making it easier for young offenders to be detained in adult prisons.

Transcript

00:00 Youth justice and human rights groups have slammed these law changes, these amendments

00:07 that were rushed through Queensland Parliament yesterday.

00:11 What the amendments mean is that children under the age of 18 can be locked up in watch

00:18 houses and also in adult jails for extended periods of time.

00:25 The decision has been slammed by the Human Rights Commission here in Queensland.

00:29 In fact it goes against the state's Human Rights Act and it's the second time it's

00:34 overrided that Act this year, the Queensland State Government.

00:38 And the Human Rights Commissioner here says it damages Queensland's standing across

00:43 the world and that it's showing that the government is potentially a government that

00:47 doesn't value human rights.

00:50 But there's also been criticism drawn about this whole process of how the State Government

00:55 went about this, bypassing the usual committee system that is in place to scrutinise legislation

01:01 such as this.

01:02 And that has drawn criticism from the LNP, from the Greens and also the Cater Party.

01:07 It was a moment that this government trashed the way this Parliament operates and in the

01:12 process it trashed the last remaining shred of their integrity credibility.

01:17 The amendments that they've moved at the 11th hour will mean that children as young

01:20 as 10 can effectively be detained indefinitely in adult watch houses and in adult prisons.

01:26 We're insulted by the way this has all been presented by Parliament.

01:29 We've heard from the Black People's Union as well who says that there is other options

01:34 on the table that the State Government should be looking at, like community diversion programs

01:39 for young people, addressing poverty in the community and also intergenerational trauma

01:45 and it says that there is no funding for any of those.

01:49 We have heard from police as well who say that look it is a small cohort that continue

01:55 to be those that re-offend.

01:58 But there is an issue with places at juvenile detention centres across Queensland, there

02:04 not being enough room.

02:05 So a complicated issue, no easy answers.

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