Announced by Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk as parliament resumed for 2023,the laws came as experts and advocates warned of abipartisan “race to the bottom” after the Labor government reheated a heavily criticised LNP policy.
Dubbed the “strengthening community safety” bill,Palaszczuk said the laws would deliver more consequences for serious repeat offenders and tackle the causes of youth crime with a $332 million investment.
This would include elements of the plan announced by the government in response to the alleged murder of North Lakes mother Emma Lovellin December,a case that sparked the latest round of political pressure on the government.
New elements would also include a strengthening of conditional release orders,a new declaration of a serious repeat youth offender,and an expansion of the number of offences with presumptions against bail.
The package would also feature a $15 million program to help senior citizens in targeted areas install security measures in their homes.
$100 million would also be directed to programs “proven to make a real and substantial difference” around diversion and early intervention,with $4 million for community-led initiatives.