Australia news live: Crisafulli promises harsher youth bail laws; auction clearances below 50% again

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7m ago

Queensland premier unveils 'breach bail, go to jail' slogan

Joe Hinchliffe

David Crisafulli has vowed to imprison more youth offenders.

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.

Key events

7m ago

Queensland premier unveils 'breach bail, go to jail' slogan

Joe Hinchliffe

‘Where will they put those young people?’

The Queensland government is trying to “fix crime with a slogan”, the state’s opposition says.

Shadow youth justice minister, Di Farmer, said detention centres were already at capacity, in “almost constant lock down”, experiencing staff walk offs and had seen children lingering in watchhouses.

“The question that needs to be asked of the LNP is: where will they put those young people if they go to detention?” Farmer told press on Sunday.

Today’s announcement is another slogan, without substance, but it is a slogan which could break the Queensland youth justice system.

Queensland premier unveils 'breach bail, go to jail' slogan

Joe Hinchliffe

David Crisafulli has vowed to imprison more youth offenders.

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.

Good morning

Good morning, and happy Monday. Nick Visser here to start things off this week. Here’s what’s on deck:

The Queensland premier said his government would create and legislate a new offence by the end of the year for youth offenders, carrying a mandatory sentence – yet to be set – for repeat offenders who commit serious crimes while on bail. The premier said

“breach bail, go to jail” is the next phase of adult crime, adult time.

Auction clearance rates were below 50% across the combined capitals for the third week in a row. New data from Cotality shows just 49.8% of homes were sold at auction.

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