On 23 October 2023, the Youth Justice Reform Select Committee announced the call for submissions into its inquiry into youth justice reform in Queensland. Committee chair and Noosa MP Sandy Bolton also detailed the committee’s approach to its year-long inquiry.
“I would like to clarify the phased approach that the committee has adopted for this crucial inquiry,” she said.
“The committee takes its role very seriously and is committed to a process that delivers clear actions along the way. A number of Queensland Parliamentary committees have recently examined issues relevant to the committee’s terms of reference, which included traveling to regional Queensland to consult with the community.
“Communities across Queensland expect this committee to move the debate forward, not simply repeat what other committees have already done.
“We know that victims of crime want solutions that work to reduce youth offending and keep the community safe. That is why the committee is currently focused on developing its evidence base and identifying possible solutions to this complex issue before consulting broadly with Queenslanders which will include travel to regional Queensland early in 2024.”
In response to recent media coverage of youth crime rallies in Townsville, Ms Bolton advised that the committee had accepted the Member for Thuringowa’s apology for misleading comments he made about some committee members and travel to Townsville.
“I can confirm no committee member has expressed reluctance to travel to Townsville or anywhere else,” Ms Bolton said. “There should be no misapprehension or misunderstanding that the committee intends to travel to the regions once it has identified solutions to test with the community. All committee members have pledged their commitment to work together on this critical issue to ensure greater safety in our communities.”
The committee is calling for submissions from across Queensland to inform its understanding of how youth offending affects communities differently across the state.
The committee will hold preliminary hearings in Brisbane with experts, frontline organisations and legal advocacy groups in November as well as public briefings with a number of departments which interact with Queensland’s youth justice system.
To find out more about the inquiry, including the terms of reference and how to make a submission, visit the inquiry webpage at parliament.qld.gov.au/youthjustice
