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Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has announced plans to introduce mandatory jail time for youth offenders who commit serious crimes while on bail, a policy he calls 'breach bail, go to jail.' The proposal, unveiled at the Liberal National Party's state conference on Sunday, would create a new offence for offenders who breach bail, applying to 'adult crime, adult time' offences and carrying a minimum mandatory jail sentence. The government is still working out key details, including the exact minimum prison times, but Mr Crisafulli has vowed the legislation will be in place by the end of the year.
Coverage Comparison
ABC News reports that Mr Crisafulli dismissed concerns about the capacity of youth detention centres to house additional juvenile offenders, insisting the government had bolstered capacity with more detention beds on the way. He pointed to police data suggesting that predictions of overcrowding during earlier 'adult crime, adult time' reforms did not materialise. According to the latest data, there were 28 children in police watch houses as of 6am on Monday, including eight who had been there for more than a week, and one for 11 days.
The Guardian reports that advocacy groups, including the Youth Advocacy Centre and Sisters Inside, have sharply criticised the policy. Katherine Hayes, chief executive of the Youth Advocacy Centre, said Queensland already had the "harshest youth bail laws in Australia" and that the state locks up more kids than anywhere else in the country, more than Victoria and New South Wales combined. Debbie Kilroy, CEO of Sisters Inside, said the LNP government had "declared war on children," adding that Queensland is "building a youth justice system driven by headlines instead of evidence."
Key Claims
- Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has promised that the 'breach bail, go to jail' reforms will be in place by the end of the year. The legislation will create a new offence for offenders who breach bail, applying to 'adult crime, adult time' offences and carrying a minimum mandatory jail sentence. Mr Crisafulli said the policy targets "reckless and recidivist youth offenders," and that "no-one can say the changes we've announced today can impact an unlucky first-time offender."
- Youth offenders who commit serious crimes while on bail will face mandatory jail time under the Queensland government's expanded 'adult crime, adult time' policy. First legislated in 2024, the policy has been expanded several times and now encompasses 45 crimes, including murder, manslaughter, robbery, and rape.
- The Youth Advocacy Centre and the Australian Workers' Union have raised fears that youth detention centres are already under pressure and may not be able to accommodate more juvenile offenders. Katherine Hayes said detention centres are "overflowing with kids at the moment," with some children held in adult watch houses for up to two weeks. AWU Queensland secretary Stacey Schinnerl said detention centres were already operating under "significant pressure" and demanded the government explain where additional young people would be accommodated, what staffing levels would be required, and what measures would be put in place to manage the risks of overcrowding.
- Opposition Leader Steven Miles has criticised the bail reforms as an admission of failure of the government's earlier policies. He argued the new measures indicate that the previous 'adult crime, adult time' approach has not worked.