More than 100 serious young repeat offenders living in state care, Queensland government figures show

ABC NEWS (Australia)

The Queensland government wants its sweeping inquiry into the child safety system to look into any links with youth justice. A leading children's advocate says the review is an opportunity for a bold rethink.

Transcript

00:00Connecting youth crime to child safety.

00:05Too many kids in the child safety system are falling into the youth justice system

00:11and perpetuating that cycle of crime.

00:13The government is promising its $20 million inquiry will probe any links.

00:18This is ensuring there is not another generation of youth offenders

00:24that have come out of and been born out of the child safety system.

00:27As of September, there were 388 repeat serious offenders in Queensland, aged between 10 and 17.

00:35More than a quarter were subject to a child protection order.

00:39It demonstrates exactly why this commission of inquiry is needed.

00:42I think it's really clear that any child that has adversity in their early childhood

00:46is more likely to have contact with both the child protection and the youth justice system.

00:50The commissioner backs the inquiry and wants bold child protection reforms.

00:55No one is clearly providing a caring role for some of these children

00:59and children are being lost in the system.

01:01Parliament will resume tomorrow where MPs will debate the expansion of adult crime, adult time laws.

01:08The opposition will back the legislation but has again called on the government

01:12to release advice from an expert legal panel that recommended the changes.

01:17I can't see any sensible explanation for why this report should be kept secret from Queenslanders.

01:24The minister isn't budging and says the panel is still giving her advice.

01:29The reason this question is being asked, the reason it's being asked,

01:32is because the Labor Party would like their advice to be done.

01:36The Labor Party would like this wound up.

01:38I don't understand why this is the hill Laura Gerber has decided to die on.

01:43need to die on.

01:44You

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