Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has defended proposed “breach bail, go to jail” laws, saying tougher penalties are necessary to protect the public as the legislation comes before parliament.
The reforms would impose a mandatory 12-month prison sentence on offenders who commit certain serious crimes while on bail. They are expected to face continued scrutiny over prison overcrowding, rehabilitation and whether longer sentences can prevent repeat offending.
Speaking on Thursday, Mr Crisafulli said his priority was the safety of Queenslanders. “I make the observation that when faced with the choice of more people in jail or more people in your loungeroom, I’m going to choose the safety of Queenslanders every day of the week,” he said.
The premier said tougher consequences needed to operate alongside rehabilitation and early intervention. “I’m a big believer in giving everyone the opportunity to turn their life around but you’ve got to have strong consequences for actions,” he said.
“The problem with Queensland over the last decade is that hasn’t been there and, without the stick, the carrot doesn’t work so it’s about both ends of the spectrum.”
Mr Crisafulli pointed to a reported 9.6 per cent fall in victim numbers over the past two financial years, following a 193 per cent increase over the preceding decade.
He cautioned that the reduction was not a reason to ease the government’s approach. “That shows we’ve got a long way to go and after big rises like that double digits year-on-year, a 9.6 per cent reduction — I’m certainly not popping champagne corks but — it shows that it’s it is starting to work,” he said.
Queensland bail laws challenged over rehabilitation
The premier was asked whether the proposed laws risked creating a false sense of security by imprisoning offenders without addressing the causes of their behaviour. He was also challenged over concerns that some people could leave prison having learned to commit more serious crimes.
Mr Crisafulli rejected calls to reconsider the approach, saying similar concerns had been raised for years while victim numbers increased. “I have to be on the side of Queenslanders, they’re the ones I answer to, and fewer victims is everything for me,” he said.
He said rehabilitation efforts in Queensland had previously been inadequate. “In Queensland, in years gone by, rehabilitation was a couple of days over a weekend, and then we’d wonder why people would re-offend again,” he said.
The government is expanding rehabilitation programmes, including plans for young people leaving prison to take part in intensive six-month programmes.
“We are throwing everything at it but there has to be a consequence,” Mr Crisafulli said. He argued that repeated breaches of bail conditions had to carry a clear penalty.
“It’s no different to how anything in society works, it’s no different how we work with our children. There has to be rewards and there has to be consequences,” he said.
“In this case, if it’s the same repeat offender time and time again breaching their bail conditions, well then bail doesn’t mean anything.”
