YOUTH crime took centre stage at the recent sittings of Parliament as new laws were debated and passed.
While Townsville has held much of the spotlight around crime in recent years, the reality is the issue is an epidemic that has spread right across the state and our small regional communities, like Home Hill, are certainly not immune.
Unfortunately, while we heard the state government reiterate that community safety comes first, every Labor member voted down an amendment to remove detention as a last resort when sentencing a juvenile offender.
While the Queensland LNP will never stand in the way of good policy, particularly when it comes to addressing youth crime and providing consequences for actions, it is already clear this legislation simply does not go far enough.
