Her comments were contained in a written submission to the parliamentary committee considering the controversial youth justice laws,which are set to be debated in parliament next week after a report on Friday.
But it’s what Bush didn’t say – anything about breach of bail – that gave the clearest indication ofinternal party tensions over the crime crackdown among a progressive-leaning base,rising Greens vote and pressure from the LNP and some sections of the community for a more punitive response.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk’s announcement last month that her government would seek tocriminalise bail breaches by young offenderswas widely criticised by legal experts and youth advocates. It was also a sharp U-turn on Labor’s long-held opposition to the LNP policy,which was based onpublic pressure rather than evidence.
Criminalising bail breaches,along with other measures to make bail even harder to get for some defendants,were pitched as tough responses toquestioned claims of a “crisis” among serious repeat offenders. However,they also sparked warnings that they would ultimately pull more young people intodeeper cycles of crime.
Bush began her submission by recounting her first-hand experience with the justice system as someone whose sister and father were killed by two young men,and by saying she recognised the community’s right to feel safe.
“I do believe we have an opportunity to improve community safety responses in Queensland,while also recognising strong and substantiated research into ‘what works’ in the criminal justice system and strengthen our response for victims of crime,” she wrote.