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Record of Proceedings, 10 June 2025
In making some comments in support of both of these bills I would say that both bills at first glance could be seen to be technical and perhaps a little bit run of the mill, but they are anything but. Both of these bills are very important for community safety. Starting with the bill to make Jack’s Law permanent, it is such an important change to that law that I question why it was not made permanent much earlier in its existence. Above and beyond that, this is the legacy of Jack Beasley that we are talking about, and the foundation that has been established by his parents, Belinda and Brett, after their tragic loss. While we certainly wish we did not have to mark it in this parliament—which we have done a number of times since the tragedy of Jack’s killing some years ago now—it is a legacy that we do have to mark and it is a legacy that is important for protecting the community. I fully support the bill before us in relation to Jack’s Law and know that it has broad community support amongst the communities I represent.
The bigger issue, and one that we must keep working on, is why people, especially young people, carry knives in the first place. While this bill—and Jack’s Law specifically—is a protective and preventive measure in the community, we cannot lose sight of that issue. In that respect, I want to mention a police officer who has served in Beaudesert now for quite some time—Ken Murray. Throughout his time as a police officer in the Logan district, Ken worked with young people and tried to break the cycle of carrying knives. The program was called ‘I live my life … without a knife’. For a number of years he had a fair bit to do with that program in the Logan district before he came to Beaudesert as the officer in charge. I want to thank Ken for that work, and also thank everyone else in the Queensland Police Service who works hard every day to keep our community safe through implementing Jack’s Law with the thousands of scans that have been done—115,000, I understand. While it is regrettable that we need Jack’s Law— it is regrettable because it is a sign of the problems that we have when it comes to community safety in our society—we do need it and we need it on a permanent basis with improved guidelines for our police to enable it to be delivered and implemented on a more efficient basis.
The bill before the House today appropriately balances community safety and civil liberties and, most importantly, prioritises the rights of victims over the rights of offenders. We are making it permanent by removing the sunset clause and allowing police officers to use a handheld scanner in a relevant place without the need to obtain an authority to do that from a senior police officer. I personally cannot understand why it was not made easier for police officers to do that at an earlier point in time. In any case, here we are and this change has been made by an LNP government that puts community safety first across the length and breadth of Queensland. It expands the application of Jack’s Law to include public places, that are not relevant places, by allowing police officers to use a handheld scanner in these areas, simplifies the notification and reporting framework for the police and also streamlines the legislative framework underlying Jack’s Law. I commend Jack’s Law to the House. Let us not forget the causes behind why people carry knives, especially young people, and not give up on trying to ensure people are prevented from going out with knives in the first place.
I turn briefly to the Corrective Services (Parole Board) Amendment Bill that is a part of this debate. Michael Woodford is the new President of the Parole Board. I congratulate Mr Woodford on his appointment to that role. I have known Mr Woodford through his previous role as the parliamentary crime and corruption commissioner where he did a fine job supporting the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee in their work in this place. I congratulate the minister for appointing Mr Woodford as the new Parole Board president.
It is pleasing to see that we have, in the corrective services minister, an eagle-eyed sleuth who spotted the issues with the Corrective Services Act within months of becoming the minister. It goes to show that, when you have a government that puts community safety first and the rights of victims above those of offenders, we can quickly make changes that enhance the rights of victims and community safety. Making amendments to the Corrective Services Act relating to the review of decisions made by a single member of the Parole Board is a positive step.
To have had a scenario under the previous Parole Board arrangements where the rights of offenders were placed higher than the rights of the community and victims for so long makes one wonder what the previous minister and the previous Parole Board president were doing. We saw a crime crisis develop over the decade that the Labor government was in office so these issues must have come into play and into consideration. However, no attention was paid to them until there was a change in government and now we see these bills before us.
We know that, around the end of the financial year 2024, the previous Parole Board president and the then corrective services minister were somewhat distracted by other matters relating to the previous president’s departure from that role. Maybe that explains—
Ms LINARD: Mr Deputy Speaker, I rise to a point of order. I would like the member to explain how this relates to enabling the board to review decisions.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER (Mr Kempton): What is your point of order? Is it relevance?
Ms LINARD: Relevance to the bill before the House.
Mr DEPUTY SPEAKER: Member, you have an opportunity to answer that or keep your comments to the bill.
Mr KRAUSE: Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I have made the point that I wished to make. I thank the member for her point of order. The corrective services bill certainly enhances community safety. I welcome the changes that correct the balance between the rights of victims and the rights of offenders. The bill certainly puts victims in a better place and community safety first. As I said, I congratulate the minister for bringing this bill forward and the Minister for Police for making Jack’s Law permanent. We should all be supporting this bill tonight. I 100 per cent and wholeheartedly commend the bills to the House.