Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In the shadow of the Australia Day atrocity in my electorate, my city of Redland came together to seek solutions to youth justice and ice addiction. Recognising that Queensland has double the mainland state average for violent related crimes and triple the mainland Australia average for vehicle related crimes, there is a need to take particular action in my state of Queensland. I want to thank Mr Mick Bloye and his wife Ronnie for getting together at the Alex Hills AFL club to make sure we had a forum and a venue to make this possible. Last Friday night 120 locals met to discuss these issues with the support of elected members from all three levels of government and the following organisations: Redlands Local Drug Action Team, youth ambassadors from across Redlands, Love and Hope Redlands, Youth YOU Program, police and ex-police officers, Traction youth program, Australian Drug Foundation, Queensland Injectors Health Network, The Cage Youth Foundation, Sarina Russo, Redlands Coast Chamber of Commerce, Australian Industry Trade College and their students, Alcolizer Technology Cleveland—which is engaged in making illicit drug testing systems in my electorate—Redlands Psychologists, headspace, Metro South Primary Health Network, Queensland Network of Alcohol and Drug Agencies, legal practitioners from across Redlands and Redlands sporting clubs as well as the parents of the many youth that were of key voice in the first third of this forum.

We now have solutions. They are challenges. The ideas will be distilled in a white paper. I hope that all three levels of government can engage to come up with a better youth justice system for this country.