My father was also in the police force for over 37 years and I am also a victim of crime. I cannot understand how two people whose fathers were in the police force and who have been victims of crime can have two totally different points of view. That aside, I rise to address the Expanding Adult Crime, Adult Time and Taking a Strong Stance on Drugs and Anti-Social Behaviour Amendment Bill 2026. The Crisafulli government is once again taking firm action to bolster youth justice laws while those opposite continue tearing themselves apart on whether they will support it and stand with Queenslanders. Too many people across the state know the impact that weak laws can have on their lives, as we saw when youth criminals were running wild during Labor’s decade of decline.
This bill acts on the advice of the Expert Legal Panel and introduces further offences to Adult Crime, Adult Time laws. Adult Crime, Adult Time is a policy which Queenslanders have backed wholeheartedly. We have even seen copycat legislation from Labor state governments elsewhere, which proves that these laws are a step in the right direction.
In keeping with our promise to strengthen and never weaken these laws, the new offences being added include domestic and sexual violence crimes, riot, assault occasioning bodily harm and conspiring to murder. These are serious offences and they need to be treated with the appropriate consequences in our justice system. We are also introducing a new drug enforcement and diversion framework which will ensure that offenders are held accountable while providing diversionary pathways for eligible individuals. Additionally, this bill will give our hardworking police new powers to maintain public order in busy public areas across the state. These are areas where the effects of antisocial behaviour are amplified and even low-level disruptions can lead to massive detrimental impacts on patrons and businesses alike.
As a member of the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee I had the opportunity to examine this bill closely. We heard from a range of stakeholders across the legal profession, local councils, victims organisations and those working directly within the justice system. After that process the committee chair tabled the report, which recommended that the bill be passed. However, we know that many Queenslanders are probably not paying close attention to committee reports. They are watching what is happening in their own communities and forming a view from that. During Labor’s decade of decline, that view was not a positive one. We saw repeat offending becoming more visible. We saw offences continue to occur without any consequences being applied. That level of offending was unacceptable, and Queenslanders made their voices heard loud and clear in the October 2024 election.
We also readily acknowledge that there is a long way to go in turning the tide on this crisis and that the levels of offending are still not acceptable to the Crisafulli government or to the people of this state. This bill sits within that broader context. It is not a standalone reform and it is not intended to be. The initial reform set that direction and further tranches of Adult Crime, Adult Time reinforced it. This bill continues that work.
The Crisafulli government has taken a comprehensive approach to the youth crime crisis, delivering a range of measures that address offending early on, applying genuine consequences when offences are committed and implementing effective rehabilitation programs as well. All of these are working to make Queensland safer. Too often in this space a government makes a change, declares the issue addressed and moves on. We have seen victims of crime treated as an afterthought or ignored entirely and the rights of offenders being placed ahead of victims. This is not what happens here. The Crisafulli government made a commitment to stand with victims and we are doing just that. I know what it is like to be ignored as a victim of crime and I will continue to fight for victims every day I am in this place.
As I alluded to earlier, the bill also revisits the former Labor government’s soft-touch approach to drug offending. The current diversion regime for possession of small quantities of illicit drugs is ineffective and skirts far too close to giving the impression that drug possession is acceptable. Let me be clear: it is not acceptable and there is no safe way to take drugs. However, there remains an opportunity for minor first encounters with the system to be dealt with in a way that diverts offenders from further offending. This is appropriate and can be effective when done properly, but where behaviour is repeated the response cannot remain static. A sensible new diversion framework will strike a balance between diverting offenders found with small quantities of illicit drugs as a first offence while maintaining that illicit drug possession will not be tolerated and allowing police to enforce consequences as necessary.
Also within the amendments there are changes to strengthen police powers in designated areas where antisocial behaviour is more concentrated with the establishment of new designated business and community precincts. That reflects what officers are dealing with in practice. Laws only operate effectively if they can be applied in real conditions. These provisions support our police by giving them the powers to act quickly in environments where smaller issues can escalate into something which impacts a large proportion of the public. We heard during the committee hearings that antisocial behaviour of a few people can create a no-go zone in central business districts. Often when police issue move-on orders to people causing trouble they return the next day and start all over again. Coppers have had enough. Councils have had enough. Business owners have had enough. Everyone has had enough. Things need to change.
These laws also tie in with the Jack’s Law framework, made permanent by the Crisafulli government by providing police officers with powers to conduct wanding searches in designated precincts without the prior approval of a senior officer. This removes a number of impediments to quick and preventive action, which can make a huge difference when tackling disorderly activities. We are also expanding police banning notice powers, which are already in place for individuals whom police may prohibit from entering or remaining in licensed venues, events and safe night precincts. The banning powers will further increase police officers’ ability to do their job proactively and address public disturbances.
In my community of Capalaba, the issue of youth crime has been front of mind for many of my constituents. One constituent I have spoken to at length, Chris Sanders, was nearly killed in a random attack just down the road from my office in December 2023. He felt completely ignored by the former Labor government after the incident occurred. I know exactly how he feels. He certainly did not feel that the former local MP took this issue seriously, especially after hearing youth crime being called a ‘media beat-up’, and I still share that same feeling. This constituent has supported each tranche of the strengthening of the youth justice laws we have passed and he supports this bill, too. It is not a huge ask or even a novel concept for governments to put the rights of victims ahead of offenders, yet that was lacking for a decade under those opposite. Queenslanders have rightly demanded action on this issue for years, and on this side of the House we are absolutely committed to restoring safety where you live. This bill contributes to that shift. It strengthens connection between behaviour and consequences in a way that becomes visible. That visibility is what rebuilds confidence that our justice system actually works for victims of crime. I am confident that this will continue to move us in the right direction.
These laws represent government acting with a clear mission. We are determined to ensure that fewer Queenslanders become victims of crime and that consequences for actions are restored. I came to this place for that very reason and I know that the Crisafulli government will never take a backward step in standing on the side of victims.