Queensland can only prevent youth crime by setting tangible goals to improve children’s lives from their earliest days, the state’s leading children and human rights advocates have warned.
Speaking after a three-car crash in Maryborough on Sunday that led to the deaths of three women, Queensland’s human rights commissioner, Scott McDougall, said the tragedy showed a different approach was needed to keep the community safe.
A 13-year-old boy was facing three charges of dangerous driving causing death, while another had been charged over an alleged car theft linked to the incident.
“[We] express our sorrow for all the families and people involved,” McDougall said. “We absolutely need to stop … children getting into stolen vehicles but the question is: how do we achieve that?
“Clearly what’s needed is a comprehensive, coordinated, preventative plan.”
McDougall said the plan would be centred on children’s rights and aim to improve their life trajectory.
“We need to ensure that services for children are fit-for-purpose, whether that’s in health or education or in any other facet of government service delivery that touches upon their wellbeing,” he said.
Natalie Lewis, the commissioner of Queensland’s Family and Child Commission, said responses should not be funnelled solely into the youth justice department, which was “the least equipped” to deal with the complexity of the situation.
“We actually need the proactive engagement with education. We need health services to step up. We need disability support to be available, accessible and of high quality,” she said.
A report by Save the Children labelled Queensland as one of the worst offenders in Australia when it comes to violating children’s rights in the youth justice system.
Lewis said Queensland must follow the example of Scotland, which had committed to enshrining the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into law, making it illegal for public authorities to act incompatibly with its requirements.
Scotland had established a three-year action plan for children, with their rights dispersed across different government portfolios. It had also introduced an obligation for ministers to report progress and outcomes about what has been done to reduce inequity.
The commissioners’ suggestions come at a time of heightened anger in the community and calls for more punitive approaches.
The Queensland police union’s president, Ian Leavers, this week said “a minimum of life imprisonment” was the community’s expectation for any person who commits an “adult crime”.
But McDougall said that “we can’t continue to erode children’s rights every time there’s a tragedy”.
“In times of crisis, it’s actually more important that we hold strong … and use human rights as a north star,” he said.
“It’s very easy to make calls for tougher penalties but there is no evidence that tougher penalties, longer sentences … and more time for children in detention, actually does anything to improve community safety.”
Lewis said government departments needed to be held accountable to collaborate in the best interests of children.
“That’s what will make a difference, not piecemeal, reactive policy responses to a particular incident at a point in time.”
A Queensland government spokesperson said: “Any portfolio that has contact with a child deemed to be at risk focuses on early intervention to prevent small problems from becoming bigger ones.”
They said $100m had been invested in tackling “the complex causes of crime … holding perpetrators to account and better supporting victims”.
“State policies and legislation are guided by the United Nations charter of human rights. Any departure from that must be justified,” the spokesperson said.
