3 hours Ago By Courtney Kruk
The arm of the United Nations tasked with monitoring the rights of children has spoken out against the LNP’s proposed youth crime laws, calling it a “flagrant disregard for children’s rights under international law”. In a video released on Saturday, United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child chair Ann Skelton expressed “dismay at the proposed changes to the law for child offenders, that the Making Queensland Safer Bill will bring about”. “It is extraordinary to read that the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Minister for Integrity, while supporting the bill, admits that several of the provisions are a violation of international law including several articles of the Convention on the rights of the child,” Skelton said.
Queensland Attorney-General Deb Frecklington has admitted the LNP’s proposed youth crime laws are incompatible with current international standards for the treatment of children engaged with the justice system, as well as human rights laws. Credit: Matt Dennien “We do not agree that the so-called exceptional circumstances warrant what will be a flagrant disregard for children’s rights under international law. “We also don’t agree that it will make Queensland safer.
” The LNP’s election campaign hinged on tougher penalties for young offenders, with Premier David Crisafulli promising to introduce ‘adult time for adult crime’ if elected. On Thursday, the LNP wasted no time introducing the legislation into Queensland parliament as a matter of priority during the first sitting week. The proposed bill will boost maximum sentences for kids who commit a range of crimes, ensure detention is no longer considered a last resort in sentencing those aged under 17, significantly boost the openness of the Children’s Court, and expand what can be included in a child’s criminal record while allowing it to carry with them into adulthood.
In the statement of compatibility, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice and Integrity Deb Frecklington admitted that parts of the Making Queensland Safer Bill 2024 are incompatible with the human rights protected by the Human Rights Act 2019 and international standards regarding the best interests of children in contact with the justice system. “At the outset I acknowledge that the amendments in the Bill which implement ‘adult crime, adult time’ and abolish the principle of detention as a last resort for children are incompatible with human rights. “However, I consider the current situation with respect to youth crime in Queensland is exceptional and therefore the Human Rights Act 2019 .
..will be overridden in respect to these amendments.
” The statement also admits the amendments are expected to have a greater impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, who are already disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, and could result in more marginalised children being imprisoned. “The government is committed to ensuring that young offenders who commit serious criminal offences are liable to be held accountable for their actions and the harm that they cause to others,” Frecklington wrote. Skelton urged the Queensland government to “stand firm” with the principle that children should be treated differently from adults in the criminal justice system, and encouraged the government not to depart from the “long-standing and universally accepted principle that deprivation of liberty for child offenders must be a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time”.
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