December 18, 2025
Murgon Town Hall was packed again on Wednesday night for the follow-up public forum on local crime … this time with Attorney-General Deb Frecklington in attendance.
The first forum, held on November 27, had voted overwhelmingly to hold a second event but wanted their local MP, Mrs Frecklington, to be present.
Mrs Frecklington had been unable to attend the first event, which had been called at very short notice.
A microphone was passed around again on Wednesday so people could share their experiences of break-ins, vehicles being stolen and frustrations over apparent lenient sentencing and offenders released on bail.
One resident noted he had attended Murgon Courthouse on another matter, coinciding with Children’s Court. He said there were 12-year-old boys sitting on the steps smoking while upstairs it was “like a party” with laughing and joking.
A local businessman said 18 out of the 28 homes in the street in which he lived had either been broken into or had vehicles stolen.
“If you haven’t got the money to build the jails, find it!” he said.
“The National Party has to step up and be harder on crime or there will be blood on their hands.”
(Listen to Attorney-General Deb Frecklington’s response, below)
Another resident said he had phoned Triple Zero when he heard whistling in the street (the way thieves communicate) but no police arrived.
“If you have a problem and ring Triple Zero, ask for the fire brigade, they’ll actually turn up,” another joked.
However, despite these jibes, most speakers were supportive of the local police, laying the blame for repeat offenders with the courts.
One suggested the police should round up the children on bail and drop them off at the magistrate’s front gate.
Cherbourg Mayor Bruce Simpson said the spike in crime was affecting Cherbourg, too, with a reduction in nursing staff possibly affecting health services over the Christmas / New Year break.
Deputy Mayor Gordon Wragge said Cherbourg residents were also sleeping with “one eye open” because of break-ins.
“We’re hurting, too,” he said.
Another Cherbourg resident pointed out that the PLOs (Police Liaison Officers) have no real power despite wearing uniforms.
“They have no authority whatsoever to approach these kids,” she said.
South Burnett Deputy Mayor Ros Heit pressed Mrs Frecklington to advocate for funding for police to maintain the security cameras in Murgon and Wondai, an issue she raised earlier in the day at Wednesday’s Council meeting (see separate report).
However, Mrs Frecklington said this did not happen anywhere in Queensland.
Speaking later, the Attorney-General said it had been a productive meeting and was pleased that people had been so respectful.
“We need to ensure there is a community-led response as well as the community working together,” Mrs Frecklington said.
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Attorney-General Deb Frecklington’s address to the crime forum:
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‘That’s Not Fair’
The community tensions amplified by the recent spike in juvenile crime was highlighted by a Murgon resident, whom South Burnett Online has chosen not to name.
She said her daughter and her partner were walking down Cooper Street in Murgon on a Saturday night when they were confronted by carloads of people, with one person allegedly carrying a baseball bat.
Her daughter and her partner were accused of being involved in a crime.
“Not all us Aboriginals are all the same,” the woman told the meeting.
“So (anyone) should not take matters into our own hands. They should just let the law deal with it.”
She said her daughter was not a criminal, just going for a walk.
She understood that residents were afraid because people were going into houses, but her fear was for her daughter.
“People approached my daughter … all these people, in loads of cars, questioning my daughter, putting a baseball bat up to my daughter and her partner’s face and saying ‘no, you’re not going from here, you’re not going from here’ because an incident happened somewhere prior, so they just targeted my girl and her partner because they (were) Aboriginal people,” the woman said.
“That’s not fair, that is not fair at all,” she said.
“I felt fear for my daughter … they were on fire for these other young children doing whatever they were doing. So that was my fear … what could have happened.”
Cr Heath Sander said there had been a mistake.
He said his daughter’s house and her neighbour’s house had been targeted, and the neighbour’s dog injured.
Cr Sander said five cars had turned up but “it was mistaken” that he was with that group of people.
“The only reason I was there was to protect my daughter’s house,” Cr Sander said.
“The cars turning up was from a Facebook post.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Frecklington said she could not, and would not, condone vigilantism.
“We need to ensure the community allows the police to do their job,” she said.
“There was a crime spike, the Flying Squad came in, we saw a massive amount of arrests, we saw police on the streets. That is what the police are there to do.
“We need to make sure the community feel safe and don’t take the law into their own hands.”
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Related articles:
- 49 Charged During Police ‘Surge’
- MPs Respond To Crime Appeal
- Funding Targets Youth Crime
- Second Public Meeting Called
- Police Launch Special Operation
- Urgent Appeal To Premier On Crime
- Two Teens Charged After Crime Spree
- Councils Brief MPs On Crime
- Residents Want Action On Crime
- Pedestrian Hit By Stolen Vehicle
- Public Meeting To Discuss Crime
- Five Vehicles Stolen, Seven Arrested
