The package included changes to court operations,tougher sentencing options,and a second new youth prison. But when questioned,Miles reiterated this was on top of other preventative work the government was doing in Queensland,which has more children and teens behind barsthan any other state.
However,none of the measures announced this week orin 2020 after the deaths of Matt Field,Kate Leadbetter and their unborn son,Miles,feature in the government’s Youth Justice Action Plan 2019-21,which laid out how it would enact its youth justice strategy but is now a year out of date.
Sent a series of questions byBrisbane Times,Youth Justice Minister Leanne Linard’s office confirmed only that an updated plan would be “published soon”.
This was the same response given in September when questioned about the delayed release of former police commissioner Bob Atkinson’sreview of the 2020 changes,which led to more children and teens beingheld in custody for longer.
Under the expired action plan,work was expected to “remove legislative barriers” driving some bail refusals or long periods of remand – one of several factors driving continued opposition accusations that the government was watering down laws.
“I think both of those responses to horrific events are political reactions,and they are inconsistent with the youth justice plan,” Youth Advocacy Centre chief executive Katherine Hayes toldBrisbane Times.