David Crisafulli has vowed to imprison more youth offenders. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.
In a keynote speech to the Liberal National party's state conference on Sunday, the Queensland premier said his government would create and legislate a new offence by the end of the year, carrying a mandatory sentence – yet to be set – for repeat offenders who commit serious crimes while on bail.
"Breach bail, go to jail is the next phase of adult crime, adult time, which is holding youth offenders accountable for the first time in a long time," Crisafulli said.
"We're heading in the right direction and we've heard from Queenslanders who are telling us to keep going, and we will with reforms to Labor's weak bail laws."
But the Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive, Katherine Hayes, said Queensland already had the "harshest youth bail laws in Australia" – a model that became increasingly punitive under the previous government, which introduced a presumption against bail into the Youth Justice Act and made breach of bail a criminal offence.
"Queensland already locks up more kids than anywhere else in Australia – more than Victoria and New South Wales combined," Hayes said.
"This is a further step to make already harsh bail laws harsher."
The Sisters Inside CEO, Debbie Kilroy, said the LNP government had "declared war on children".
"Queensland is building a youth justice system driven by headlines instead of evidence," she said.
Crisafulli's proposal has drawn criticism from youth rights advocates, who argue the measures do not address the root causes of crime. Organisations such as the Youth Advocacy Centre and Sisters Inside call for investment in education and rehabilitation programs rather than harsher laws.
The Queensland government's move comes amid broader debate in Australia over youth offending. Several states have tightened bail laws in recent years, but critics say the approach does not help rehabilitate young offenders.
Crisafulli's remarks may be aimed at boosting LNP support among voters, as public safety becomes a key issue in the election campaign. However, legal experts warn that mandatory sentencing could raise constitutional issues.
Currently, Queensland's youth bail laws are considered the toughest, but the new proposals seek further tightening. The government plans to introduce the new offence by the end of the year, though specific timelines remain unclear.