November 28, 2024
The State Government is working to fulfil its “Adult Crime, Adult Time” election promise by introducing the Making Queensland Safer Bill to Parliament on Thursday.
The Bill targets 13 offences, including murder, manslaughter, unlawful striking causing death, grievous bodily harm, wounding, serious assault, home and business break-ins and robbery, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
A life sentence will be mandatory for murder, with a non-parole period of 20 years.
The Bill will also remove the principle of detention as a last resort and include measures to fully open the Children’s Court to victims and the media.
Courts will also be empowered to consider an offender’s full criminal history when sentencing, making their criminal history as a juvenile available to the court when they are sentenced as an adult for a five-year period.
The Bill will be considered by a Parliamentary Committee before being debated in December.
Attorney-General Deb Frecklington said the Bill made important changes to fundamental provisions that determined how courts dealt with serious juvenile offending.
“The purpose of our justice system must be to hold people accountable for their actions and to break cycles of reoffending,” Attorney-General Frecklington said.
“Under the changes we are introducing, courts will be able to consider an offender’s full criminal history to better address patterns of offending when sentencing.
“We’re giving our judges and magistrates every tool they need to impose sentences that meet community expectations and keep violent offenders off our streets.”
The State Government aims to have the changes to the Youth Justice Act in place by the end of this year.
