Youth Justice (Monitoring Devices) Amendment Bill 2025

Strongly supports extending the electronic monitoring trial, citing that half of young people subject to EMD orders did not reoffend and praising the government's crime reduction statistics.

“When these things are done right, they have a great outcome for our community.”— 2025-04-02View Hansard

As Minister, introduced the bill to extend the electronic monitoring trial by 12 months to allow proper evaluation. Argued the previous Labor government's trials failed due to insufficient data and poor implementation.

“A meaningful and comprehensive evaluation of electronic monitoring helps us do that. That is why this bill extends the trial to 30 April 2026.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Introduced the bill to extend the electronic monitoring trial for youth offenders by 12 months, arguing it provides an opportunity for proper evaluation and has shown potential to reduce offending and support rehabilitation.

“From the cases I have seen, it is clear electronic monitoring has clear merit and that the current trial needs a comprehensive evaluation. The Crisafulli LNP government will ensure that this trial extension is not wasted.”— 2025-02-20View Hansard

As the Minister, strongly supports extending the trial by 12 months to allow for a comprehensive independent evaluation, emphasising the government's commitment to community safety and reducing victims of crime.

“Extending this electronic monitoring trial by one year, as proposed by this bill, is one tool in the toolkit to do that.”— 2025-04-02View Hansard

Announced the opposition will not oppose the bill but criticised the government for not including this amendment in the Making Queensland Safer Laws passed in December, requiring a separate bill to change just one numeral.

“We will not be opposing the bill. As we know, the bill amends the current trial of electronic monitoring by 12 months to allow time for sufficient data to be collected.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As chair of the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee, supported the bill's passage. Noted the committee recommended the bill be passed and highlighted stakeholder support including from Voice for Victims and the Queensland Family and Child Commission.

“The objective of the bill is to extend the current trial of the EMDs for youth offenders by an additional 12 months, moving the expiration date to 30 April next year. This extension is crucial to allow for a comprehensive and meaningful evaluation.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Confirmed the opposition will not stand in the way of the bill passing but criticised the LNP for not including this in their previous youth justice legislation and for failing to deliver on crime reduction promises.

“The opposition will not oppose this bill. We will not stand in the way of its passing. This could be law within hours if the government put this to a vote.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill as a member of the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee, emphasising the government's commitment to ending repeat youth offending and properly evaluating electronic monitoring devices.

“This government is committed to ensuring this trial has a proper and fulsome evaluation.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Confirmed Labor would not oppose the bill but criticised it as changing only one number in the act, questioning why it was not included in previous legislation and highlighting rises in crime statistics.

“This bill changes one number in the law, amending '4 years' to '5 years'. This bill shows how the LNP has failed to plan for a proper legislative program.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, noting that as a representative of Townsville, her community has been particularly affected by youth crime and expects more than just five youth offenders to be monitored.

“The opposition continue to talk about a one-number change in the bill. What about the one victim or the many victims who support the changes that this LNP government has made?”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Confirmed Labor would support the bill but criticised it as a narrow amendment that could have been included in previous legislation and called for more comprehensive support services for youth offenders.

“I should add that at this juncture we will be supporting the passing of this legislation.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill, criticising the former Labor government's repeated failures to properly implement the electronic monitoring trial and praising the Crisafulli government's commitment to evidence-based evaluation.

“The Crisafulli Liberal National Party government's extension of the electronic monitoring trial for youth offenders demonstrates responsible and decisive action to ensure that Queensland has the necessary data to conduct a meaningful and comprehensive evaluation.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill but expressed scepticism that it would make any real difference without tougher consequences. Advocated for KAP policies including relocation sentencing, castle law, and minimum mandatory sentencing.

“While I commend the state government on at least trying to address the youth crime pandemic, which ran rampant under the previous government, I do not believe this bill will make any difference to reducing youth crime.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, tracing the legislative history of electronic monitoring trials and criticising Labor's repeated failures to implement them properly while praising the Crisafulli government's commitment to reform.

“The Crisafulli government is committed to a meaningful and comprehensive evaluation of an electronic monitoring order as a condition of bail.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Opposed the bill, arguing that GPS monitoring of children has no evidence of reducing reoffending, exposes children to stigmatisation and vigilantism, and increases their risk of criminalisation through technical bail breaches.

“Years of this trial have produced no evidence to support the use of electronic monitoring on children, but it seems clear that the absence of evidence—or even evidence to the contrary—is ultimately no obstacle for any policy position of this government.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as a necessary step to clean up Labor's failed electronic monitoring trial and gather meaningful data on whether the devices can help reduce reoffending.

“This very simple amendment is really just to clean up the mess left by those opposite to make sure this trial will actually yield some useful data.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill but expressed scepticism that monitoring alone would change youth offender behaviour without harsher penalties and different incarceration methods like the KAP's relocation sentencing policy.

“Yes, monitoring devices—fantastic. I do not think it will pull any of these kids up, but it would not hurt knowing where some of these kids on bail actually are.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as an important step in enhancing community safety and addressing youth crime, emphasising the need for proper evaluation data and support for local police.

“In the Redlands, our community values practical solutions and real results. That is why extending the trial is not just a technical fix; it is a real opportunity to gather comprehensive data.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as a small measure but emphasised that monitoring devices alone will not solve the youth crime problem without proper sentencing consequences like relocation sentencing in smaller, remote facilities.

“Of course we will support these measures. We need better measures, but let's not pretend that this is really going to punch into that space and be effective.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, noting he had predicted back in 2021 that Labor's trial would fail due to the small cohort size. Emphasised the need for comprehensive programs alongside electronic monitoring.

“I was just getting to that. We will undertake a meaningful and comprehensive evaluation of the program. We want that to be thorough.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as part of the government's commitment to fixing the youth crime crisis inherited from Labor and ensuring proper evaluation of electronic monitoring devices.

“The Crisafulli government is committed to fixing the crime crisis that we inherited in this state and putting victims first.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill as critical legislation to improve community safety, referencing the tragic death of Angus Beaumont in Redcliffe and questioning whether electronic monitoring could have prevented such incidents.

“This bill before the House will extend the trial of electronic monitoring devices for youth offenders by an extra 12 months until 30 April 2026. In simple terms, this extension gives us the time we need to fully understand how these devices work in reducing repeat offences.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Attorney-General, strongly supported the bill and praised the Minister for Youth Justice's work. Shared stories of victims from her electorate and criticised Labor's failures in implementing the original trial.

“Today we are fixing up Labor's mess. We are standing up and we are trying to keep our communities safe.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as a commitment to take decisive action on youth crime, noting the original trial's failure and the government's investment in comprehensive crime prevention and rehabilitation programs.

“We are determined to not only monitor youth offenders but also help them turn their lives around and become contributing members of society.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as the member representing a community severely affected by youth crime, emphasising the need for more time to properly evaluate electronic monitoring and its potential to support rehabilitation.

“Put simply, we need more time. We need time to evaluate and assess the data to determine the efficacy of these devices.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Finance, Trade, Employment and Training, supported the bill to fix another of Labor's failures and praised the Youth Justice Minister's work on the legislation.

“The purpose of this bill is to extend the trial of electronic devices for one year to ensure a meaningful and comprehensive evaluation can be conducted and to fix another of Labor's failures—their youth crime crisis.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill, referencing the tragic murder of Angus Beaumont in Redcliffe by youths on bail and questioning whether electronic monitoring could have prevented such tragedies.

“I cannot help but wonder whether if these youths had monitoring devices Angus Beaumont, Emma Lovell, Matt Field and Kate Leadbetter and their unborn baby might still be with us.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as a progressive step towards a more balanced and rehabilitative youth justice system, referencing a tragic incident in his electorate where a 13-year-old killed three women in a stolen car.

“This bill provides a more constructive, rehabilitative alternative to incarceration, giving young offenders the chance to remain in their communities where they can receive family support, education and other critical services.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as part of the government's commitment to delivering safety to communities, criticising Labor's failure to properly implement the original trial and noting his community had had enough of youth crime.

“That is why I support this bill. I support it because it allows our police to amplify their resources. It will give us the data we need to decide whether we need to back this in or make improvements.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As a former police officer, supported the bill as another step in the Making Queensland Safer Laws, praising the Minister for discovering the problem and extending the trial for proper evaluation.

“The substance of this bill is about getting an extension of time so that we can do a proper evaluation of the program and have further evidence going forward.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, sharing statistics about youth crime in Toowoomba where 39 youth offenders committed 3,150 crimes over three years, emphasising the need for evidence-based evaluation of electronic monitoring.

“Extending this trial so we can gather this evidence in a meaningful way and being able to provide the evidence to allow judges to use their discretion where there might be an opportunity for rehabilitation and to allow the police to use their resources more efficiently.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, supported the bill and highlighted the overrepresentation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as victims of crime, emphasising the need to put victims first.

“If this bill does not pass the House, the sunset clause will kick in and electronic monitoring as a bail condition for young people who have offended against the law of Queensland will fall over.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill representing the youth crime capital of the state, criticising Labor's failed trials which resulted in zero youth offenders from Townsville being monitored in the second phase of the trial.

“Our police are screaming out for the laws, the tools and the resources that they need to do their job to keep our communities safe. One of those tools is electronic monitoring devices.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, noting only one electronic monitoring device had been fitted in Rockhampton despite significant crime increases, and praising the government's commitment to evidence-based review.

“I am proud to be a part of a government that properly approaches government decision-making processes with a measured and considered mind to assure communities a comprehensive and evidence-based review has been conducted.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill and criticised the exclusion of Far North Queensland from the original trial despite having the highest rates of repeat youth offenders, welcoming the region's inclusion in the extended trial.

“Zero—a big fat doughnut! Again the Labor government has failed North Queenslanders by not trialling this in our region.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as part of the government's commitment to reducing victim numbers through evidence-based policy, criticising Labor's repeated failures to properly implement electronic monitoring.

“The LNP have listened to Queenslanders who voted for a fresh start. We make no apology for doing what needs to be done to improve community safety and reduce the number of victims of crime in this state.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill, sharing stories of repeat victims in his electorate like Mrs Norman in Goondiwindi who has been home invaded three times, and criticising the opposition's approach to youth justice.

“If people are to be kept safe in their homes, offenders who are at liberty and reoffend must be restrained in some way. Using these electronic monitoring devices is one mechanism by which they can be restrained.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Housing and Youth, supported the bill as a practical, commonsense solution that improves safety while keeping the door open for rehabilitation.

“These reforms build on what works while addressing the concerns that have been raised. They will give frontline responders the tools they need.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, recalling his role in opposition warning Labor about failures in the original trial including inadequate telecommunications coverage in Townsville for the monitoring devices to work.

“Those opposite have no choice but to support this bill or it will confirm what we all know and think—that is, they do not believe their so-called solution stood a chance of making a difference.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, emphasising the positive result that 50 per cent of individuals with monitoring devices did not reoffend and the importance of reducing victim numbers.

“If this legislation gives powers to the police then it will go a long way.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Customer Services and Small Business, supported the bill, sharing stories from constituents who pleaded for electronic monitoring of juvenile offenders at crime forums.

“If I had to bring it down to one critical area, it was specifically youth crime. Indeed, I would put it to you, Mr Deputy Speaker, that most of the members on this side, whether they are returning members or candidates who are now privileged to be members of parliament, made absolutely sure—at every pre-poll and on the big dance day on 26 October—that Queenslanders, when they got the lead pencil and ballot paper, knew that one side stood for very little.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Health, supported the bill and traced the youth crime crisis back to 2016 when Labor watered down youth justice laws. Quoted former commissioner Bob Atkinson on the importance of public safety and community confidence.

“It is only wise, it is only sensible and it is only proper that a program like this is extended for the period that it is, until 2026, to enable a proper evaluation to take place.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Education, supported the bill and discussed the rise of eshays and youth gangs, arguing that social media and COVID-era disengagement contributed to youth crime.

“Here we are today and we know that the rise of these types of groups is a concern for Queensland. On 26 October last year, we on this side of the House won the election on a mandate to do something about it.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill, explaining to his constituents the importance of gathering 365 additional days of data and praising former police commissioner Katarina Carroll for calling out the trial's failures.

“It is 365 days of additional data that will be collected. That is the important aspect of this.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Primary Industries, supported the bill, criticising Labor's half-hearted approach to electronic monitoring and noting the dramatic increase in youth offences over the past decade.

“Labor had no enthusiasm for, or investment in, addressing youth crime. It sees youth crime as a political problem, not a crime problem.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

As Minister for Local Government and Water, supported the bill, sharing stories of youth offenders breaking in with machetes and threatening elderly residents in her electorate.

“Labor were letting this trial expire at the end of the month. They were just not committed. Their heart certainly was not in doing the work to keep the community safe.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Strongly supported the bill as a critical measure for community safety, arguing that accountability through monitoring devices is a way of caring for young offenders and their futures.

“Wearing a monitoring device is a consequence for committing crimes and, when we collect meaningful data, can create a safer society for all.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard

Supported the bill as delivering a fresh start for Queensland, tracing the history of Labor's failed trials and noting the government's commitment to gathering meaningful evaluation data.

“The importance of this debate has been explained by many which delivers a fresh start for Queensland, and we are delivering on making laws to make our communities safer a reality.”— 2025-04-01View Hansard