The Queensland premier, David Crisafulli, has said his government intends to make “many more” changes to the state’s hardline youth justice laws, after the arrest of a 13-year-old accused of stabbing a supermarket worker.
Police alleged the boy attacked the woman with a knife at the Yamanto shopping centre in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, on Monday evening.
The injured woman, a 63-year-old Coles worker, remained in a critical condition in hospital. The boy has been charged with attempted murder.
Crisafulli’s government was elected in October promising to implement some of the strictest youth crime laws in the democratic world, including “adult time” legislation that passed the parliament last month and has already come into effect.
The premier has said the laws, which impose adult penalties for young people accused of certain serious offences, would “act as a deterrent”.
On Tuesday, Crisafulli was asked by reporters whether the latest incident – less than a month after the laws came into effect – showed “Queenslanders are no safer under your government”.
“I reject that,” Crisafulli said.
“I think Queenslanders know how seriously I view this.
“There will be further changes to the Youth Justice Act. There will be further strengthening of the Queensland police service.”
Reporters also quizzed the premier, and other state ministers, about the omission of the offence of attempted murder from those subject to “adult time” under the new laws.
At a press conference the child safety minister, Amanda Camm, was asked repeatedly about the inclusion of attempted murder under “adult time” laws and said she would not comment, citing the ongoing investigation.
“I am not going to talk today about anything that has any context that can be cut edited in regard to this case.”
Crisafilli said the government had “implemented the changes that we took to the election and I said they would be the first step”.
“There will be more changes to the Youth Justice Act. Many more.
“I’ve already indicated we are putting together an expert panel to do further changes … and believe me they will occur.”
Multiple experts have rejected government claims that the laws would act as a deterrent, or reduce crime.
Queensland is among the only jurisdictions in the democratic world to impose adult penalties on children. In some of the most extreme potential cases, kids as young as 10 could face mandatory life sentences.
