Queensland alreadylocks up more children than any other Australian jurisdiction,with itsnation-leading capacity pressures also resulting in multiple recent reports of young people beingheld for weeks in watch houses, in breach of police guidelines.

While the government is planning to build two new smaller therapeutic detention centres – more aligned with the 32-bed West Moreton site than the larger existing Brisbane and Townsville facilities – other interim capacity measures are also being considered.

Pressed on this question on Wednesday,Linard said only that the government was “looking at all options” and more detail would come once a decision was made.

Announcing the government’sU-turn on criminalising breach of bail on Monday – amid long-standing opposition calls and a 150,000-strong petition – Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk insisted the government was listening to both the community and evidence.

Asked directly about any such evidence on Wednesday,Linard said Palaszczuk had been referring to other initiatives.

“Responding to breach of bail,as the premier said,was about taking a bipartisan approach,and it’s about responding to something that the community has called for passionately,” she said.

Youth justice questions dominated question time in parliament again on Wednesday,with the opposition focusing on Linard and the overlap of young people in the justice system who also had interactions with child protection.

Public submissions about the proposed laws will close on Friday,little over three days since they were opened,a period already criticised by Queensland Law Society president Chloe Kopilovic,who said the rushed consultation showed the government was not prioritising the issue.

“Extending breach of bail as an offence to children and young people would restrict the ability of judicial decision-makers,and therefore will likely lead to a substantial increase in the financial cost of remand and recidivist offending,as well as the social and financial costs of victimisation,” Kopilovic said in a statement.

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