Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in response to the motion put forward by the member for Groom. I start by acknowledging upfront how horrific life can be for victims of crime and how, as governments—local, state and federal—we should be doing more to prevent any such crime. Sadly, like night follows day, you will always see the Liberal and National parties ringing the youth crime bell: youth crime, young offenders. I've heard this bleeding jeremiad regularly in Queensland. We know that there's a state election coming up in October next year, so obviously LNP politicians at the local, state and federal levels are rolling out the law-and-order issues. They did it in 2017, they did it in 2020, and here we are again in the prep for the 2024 election.

I remember how tough on crime Campbell Newman was. That was his battle cry. Those opposite might remember him—the son of two Liberal ministers, who then ratted on the Liberal Party. When he was Premier, what did the Newman government do to actually show that he was tough on crime? The LNP cut about 110 senior officers from the Queensland police force and around 300 police admin staff, so frontline officers then had to perform those functions. They cut police training, reduced firearms training and forced police to pay for their own body-worn cameras. They cut $10 million from the youth justice budget and cut funds for youth support services. That was the LNP government. The LNP never let the facts get in the way of their devotion to scaremongering.

In Queensland, the number of 10- to 16-year-old offenders has actually decreased by 35 per cent in the past 10 years. The truth is that about 20 per cent of young offenders commit 55 per cent of the youth crime, so one in five kids are doing half the crime. The Queensland government introduced legislation this year that targets the small number of serious repeat offenders, and the government is investing in more police resources and intervention programs that can break the cycle of offending.

We know—sensible people know—that there's no quick fix when it comes to youth justice issues. These are complex issues that are often the consequence of generations of family disfunction, drugs, abuse, poverty, disadvantage. Sensible government invest in the interventions that change the lives of young people, rather than attempt to punish kids forever.

We know, for example, that digital material featuring youth crime is causing harm in our communities and shows a flagrant and flippant disregard for the law, the policing agencies and the community. The Albanese government recognises there is an intersection of crime and the misuse and amplification of social media platforms as an emerging issue, not just in Queensland but across Australia—and the world, in fact. This material is usually posted online because those posting want to gain some notoriety; they want to be noticed, and in some cases they want to see how far they can go, often encouraging others to do the same, almost coercing their peers.

In order to address these issues, it's important to reflect on the role of the eSafety Commissioner in disrupting and shutting down social media accounts that breach the Online Safety Act for the protection of our communities. The internet has economic, social and educational benefits, but Australians must feel safe when engaging with others online. The Online Safety Act was introduced in response to advances in technology and threats faced online from harmful behaviour and toxic content. We've all heard of kids that take their harm into their bedroom. There was an impetus for change: modern times of rapid change and social upheaval called for robust new laws. The objects of the Online Safety Act are to improve online safety for Australians.

Currently, the act empowers the eSafety Commissioner under the Online Content Scheme to require the removal of material that would be refused classification in Australia, including material promoting, inciting or instructing crime or violence. Online service providers must also adhere to a set of basic online safety and mandatory industry codes. The eSafety Commissioner works directly with law enforcement and online platforms to remove offending content. The eSafety Commissioner has advised that online platforms are more responsive to law enforcement requests that content be removed.

In the last budget, esafety was provided with increased funding and will receive an additional $132.1 million over four years and see its base increase from $10.3 million to $42.5 million each year. The minister is also bringing forward the independent statutory review of the Online Safety Act. This will make sure that the online safety framework remains fit for the changing online environment and can deal appropriately with online harms.

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