Newsroom

January 14, 2025

The recent case of a 13-year-old boy charged with attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a supermarket worker at Coles in Ipswich has laid bare a glaring flaw in the LNP’s “Adult Crime, Adult Time” laws.

It has been revealed that if the chosen charge of attempted murder remains, the alleged youth offender will not be captured by the LNP’s harsher “Adult Crime, Adult Time” laws due to the offence being overlooked during the drafting of the new legislation.

Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) Deputy Leader and Hinchinbrook MP Nick Dametto was critical of the LNP for attempting to shift blame for this latest incident to the former Labor government. Mr Dametto said the LNP had every opportunity to strengthen the consequences for the specific offence of attempted murder, as well as other heinous offences, but for unknown reasons, did not.

“Attempted murder is one of the most horrific crimes imaginable, yet for reasons known only to the LNP, it wasn’t included in their list of adult offences under the new laws.

“The KAP originally launched “adult crime, adult time” as one of our youth crime policies back in 2022 before it was adopted by the LNP. When drafting our policy, we meticulously ensured that any crime that included a penalty of life imprisonment was included in the list. It begs belief why certain crimes such as rape and attempted murder would be left out of the LNP’s bill.

In December 2024, during debate of the Making Queensland Safer Bill 2024, Mr. Dametto put on the Parliamentary record his concerns that serious crimes including attempted murder, rape, accessory after the fact, and the killing of an unborn child, were glaringly omitted from the list of adult offences, despite carrying maximum life imprisonment penalties.^[1]

The Hinchinbrook MP said that tough-on-crime policies require more than rhetoric.

“The LNP ran their entire election campaign on the promise to deliver ‘adult crime, adult time’. Queenslanders will have no mercy if the new government fails to quickly rectify any shortfalls in the new laws.”

Mr. Dametto called for urgent amendments to the legislation to include, but not be limited to, attempted murder, rape, accessory after the fact, and the killing of an unborn child, ensuring no more dangerous loopholes could put Queenslanders at risk.

The KAP remains committed to advocating for stronger and meaningful laws to combat youth crime including a suite of measures such as mandatory minimum sentencing, relocation or bush sentencing, and Castle Law.