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An expansion of youth crime laws, the scrapping of the state’s drug diversion program and new police powers to crack down on “anti-social behaviour” are among changes set out in a bill to be debated when parliament returns this week.
The bill will add 13 new offences to the state’s youth crime laws, including aiding suicide, administering poison with intent to harm, endangering the safety of a person in a vehicle, and conspiring to attempt robbery.
Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber said the changes would “continue to give Queenslanders the strong laws that they voted for”, though some groups questioned the inclusion of certain offences in the legislation.
Youth Advocacy Centre noted in its submission that seven of the new offences listed had no reported cases involving children in the last five years, while the Bar Association of Queensland said children would “rarely, if ever, be prosecuted for committing” many of the crimes described.
Plans to scrap Queensland’s three-strike drug diversion program in favour of a narrower framework targeting “first time and low-risk drug offenders” are also included in the bill.
Police will be granted discretionary powers to issue fines for minor offences, and people found with drug paraphernalia will be excluded from diversionary pathways.
The Queensland branch of the Australian Medical Association (AMA) condemned the government’s plans to repeal the drug diversion program, calling the move “dangerous and contrary to evidence”.
“Doctors overwhelmingly support a health approach to drug use rather than criminalisation of patients who require mental health support and preventive and early intervention treatment,” AMA Queensland said.
“Taking a strong stance on drugs’ simply won’t stop drug use or harms, despite the government’s rhetoric.”
Labor supported AMA Queensland’s views and said changes to the drug diversion program would “lead to worse health outcomes, [and] wasted time and resources for both police and the courts”.
The bill’s third major amendment grants police special powers to wand, issue move-on directions and apply 24-hour bans to people in designated business and community precincts, which Gerber said was aimed at “dealing with anti-social and criminal behaviour”.
Greens MP Michael Berkman said expanded wanding powers – allowing police to do handheld scanning at any time – could lead to more low-level drug charges, “as seen after the implementation of Jack’s Law”.
“Combining increased drug charges with repealing the drug-diversion program will necessarily lead to increased pressure on police, courts and the entire criminal justice system,” Berkman said.
Despite concerns raised about the bill’s implications for vulnerable adults and children, the LNP may go even further and consider legislation being drafted by MPs who are calling for harsher bail penalties for kids.
The “breach bail, go to jail” policy was put forward by LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa during the Hinchinbrook byelection late last year, and is said to be under consideration by the Crisafulli government.
Another bill to be put forward by Labor this week will close a legal loophole for victim-survivors of institutional child sexual abuse, allowing them to hold organisations such as churches and sporting clubs to account for abuse perpetrated by people associated with them.
It follows a 2024 High Court ruling that found a Catholic Church in Victoria was not lawfully responsible for the harm caused by a former paedophile priest because he was not legally considered an employee.
Shadow Attorney-General Meaghan Scanlon said the legislation, which has been similarly amended in the ACT and Victoria, will ensure victims have “their day in court” to see the crimes committed against them punished.
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