June 16, 2025
Nationals Leader David Littleproud has suggested the State Government establish outback camps as a “proper deterrent” for youth offenders.
The camps could “rebuild’ the offenders into human beings with skills to contribute to society.
Speaking on Network Nine’s Weekend Today show on Sunday, Mr Littleproud was asked about an apparent new youth crime trend in Australia, ie. “swarming”.
Weekend Today host Alison Piotrowski said teenagers were targeting businesses in a co-ordinated manner to steal stock.
Mr Littleproud described it as a deterioration in society, saying parents needed to instil children with the right respect for police, teachers and small business owners.
“But also there now needs to be a proper deterrent and consequence,” Mr Littleproud said.
“And I’ve been saying for a long time that some of these kids that continue to flout the law, they need not to be sent necessarily straight to detention centres but to outback camps where we give them a purpose in life.
“We rebuild them as human beings and say, you do have a purpose, you can contribute to society, we’ll give you a skill how to fix a ute or how to go and clean up troughs.
“And you actually do have a value in life.
“But I think we’ve got to make sure there’s a deterrent and consequence.
“But we all have a responsibility, not just governments, to make sure that we instil in our kids respect the institutions and one another and our society and give back rather than take out of society.
“And I think that’s probably the opportunity for State lawmakers to lean into.”
