Now containing 33 youth crime offences, the Making Queensland Safer (Adult Crime, Adult Time) Amendment Bill 2025 introduced 20 additional crimes, including attempted murder, rape, attempted rape, torture, aggravated attempted robbery, trafficking in dangerous drugs, and endangering a police officer when driving a motor vehicle.

The expansion follows the recommendations the expert legal panel put forth, a dedicated group that Premier Crisafulli pledged to form during his election campaign to provide guidance on additional offences to be incorporated into the legislative framework.

Premier Crisafulli emphasised that putting forth this amendment to the Parliament not only “send[s] a strong message to youth criminals” but also takes “dangerous repeat offenders off our streets”.

The Queensland Premier has also indicated that while this represents a significant progression, he stated, “it won’t be the last stage, we won’t rest until we arrest the Youth Crime Crisis”.

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Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Deb Frecklington argued that the ramifications of “Labor’s weak laws” on the community are “simply unforgivable”.

She elaborated on how the forthcoming round of Adult Crime, Adult Time offences is designed to ensure that every victim truly “feels that justice has been served”.

Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber also reiterated that the expert legal panel will persist in reviewing additional offences that may be considered for potential inclusion in future legislative expansions.

She said: “But we’re not just focused on delivering consequences for actions – our plan is also focused on effective early intervention and meaningful rehabilitation to help break the cycle of crime for good.”

Recent policy data released by the Crisafulli government indicates early signs that the Adult Crime, Adult Time reforms are having a positive effect on deterring criminal activity.

Between 1 December 2024 and 28 February 2025, there has been an 8.2 per cent reduction in stolen cars, an 8.4 per cent decrease in break-ins, a 4.8 per cent drop in robberies, and a significant 16.9 per cent decline in woundings compared to the same period the previous year.

However, not everyone is on board with the government’s approach to expanding the laws.

Katherine Hayes, the CEO of Youth Advocacy Centre, has voiced significant concerns, emphasising that Queensland “already locks up more kids than any other territory” and has the “highest reoffending rates”.

She cautioned that locking up children does not solve the issue of youth crime. Instead, she argues that “detention further damages these kids who already come from a background of domestic violence, substance abuse and neglect”.

Research from Curtin University, released today, supports the view Hayes displayed. The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, found that young individuals who had been involved in the youth justice system face “an increased risk of premature death”.

“We found that these young people were 4.2 times more likely than their community peers to die prematurely, with the most common causes of death being suicide, traffic accidents and drug poisoning. Most of these tragic deaths occurred before the age of 25,” Professor Stuart Kinner said.

“We also found that more severe and prolonged contact with the criminal justice system was associated with a greater risk of death. Compared to those who had only been charged with an offence, the likelihood of premature death was 30 per cent higher for those who had been subjected to community supervision, and 90 per cent higher for those who had spent time in youth detention.”

The university came to these findings by analysing data from over 48,000 Queensland youth offenders between 1993 and 2017.

Instead of jailing youth offenders, Kinner advocates for the Queensland government, in collaboration with community agencies, to actively engage with these young individuals and their families.

By focusing on such initiatives, the government can provide the necessary support for these young individuals to “get the help they need, when and where they need it”.

The president of the Queensland Law Society (QLS), Genevieve Dee, expressed how youth justice has a “broad impact on our community” that can have a “wide-ranging effect on victims and their families”.

Dee expressed how QLS advocates the necessity of a “thorough evolution” of the new offences proposed for inclusion in the Adult Crime, Adult Time legislation “to ensure a whole-system approach to address this complex issue”.

“We applaud this approach and encourage the government to invest in diversionary programs that have been proven to reduce recidivism.

“With the new legislative measures being introduced to Parliament this week, the society looks forward to participating in the legislative review process,” Dee said.