Experts hit out at ‘gimmick’ LNP youth crime policy after shadow minister’s admission

July 17, 2024

Legal experts and youth advocates have criticised the Queensland Liberal National Party for playing politics with the youth crime issue, after an admission from the Shadow Police Minister that LNP crime policies are used as a tactic to garner political support at elections.

As the Queensland opposition has intensified its focus on youth crime in the lead-up to the October state election, the announcement of their “adult crime, adult time” policy has drawn significant criticism from policy experts who have compared it to the ill-fated bikie laws introduced by the Newman government in 2013, with one expert labelling the policy a “gimmick”.

The criticism comes after Dan Purdie, the LNP’s spokesperson on crime, admitted in an interview with the Police Union that their previous attempts to leverage crime as a key election issue fell flat. “We were hoping to pick up a number of seats off the back of crime. And we should have. I was the Shadow Police Minister, and we didn’t. So that is essentially all on me,” Purdie confessed. “We didn’t pick up any of the seats we wanted to on crime, and I was the guy supposed to be selling our message.”

Purdie’s candid admission has been criticised as evidence that the LNP’s focus on sensationalist crime policies are designed to win votes without addressing the underlying issues. Premier Steven Miles responded to the shock admission by accusing the opposition of exploiting youth crime for votes. “The LNP have been extraordinarily honest about the fact that they see crime and sensationalising crime as their way to win seats,”the Premier said.

Despite the criticism, Opposition Leader David Crisafulli remains steadfast in his support for the policy. “We are determined to make sure that we drive the change that Queenslanders deserve,” Crisafulli stated, though he did not directly address the concerns raised by legal experts nor Purdie’s admission on the LNP motivations driving the policy announcement.

The policy, which proposes trying minors as adults for serious crimes, has been labeled by Queensland Council for Civil Liberties vice president Terry O’Gorman as another “law and order gimmick.” He argued that, much like the Newman government’s approach which resulted in the rushed ‘bikie’ laws, the policy lacks the necessary groundwork and consultation to be effective. “Law and order slogans are one thing. Doing the hard work to fix Queensland’s juvenile justice system is quite another,” O’Gorman stated.

Rebecca Fogerty, president of the Queensland Law Society, was another expert to condemn the policy, highlighting the potential for it to exacerbate existing problems within the detention system. “Calling for longer sentences in a struggling detention system will not fix the problem of youth crime,” Fogerty told . “It will lead to more overcrowding, more violence, more lockdowns, less education and less rehabilitation.”

Premier Miles said instead of exploiting youth crime for votes, he was focused on solutions that would work to reduce crime. “What I care about is keeping the community safe, and I know the best way to keep the community safe is with an evidence-based, expert-informed, comprehensive plan for community safety,” he said.