Photo QLD Police Dash Cam Media outlets across Australia have carried headlines about a “youth crime crisis” in recent months. While drawn from actual events, often involving serious criminality and antisocial behaviour, these often sensational reports have the same narrative subtext. The story is one of “bad kids” doing bad things in otherwise “good communities”. Our understanding, as a society, of who we are is informed in part by the media. What the youth crime crisis is and who we understand young offenders to be corresponds with media framings of these individuals and their actions. More often than not, the reports present a “good-bad” binary: where “bad” young people who do bad things should be locked up to protect “good” people. It’s a basic, albeit understandable, reaction that makes sense in terms of a logic of punishment and retribution. For the Youth Community Futures research project, we have been working with groups of young people to explore how they engage with
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Hon Annastacia P alaszczuk P remier and Minister for the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tougher hate crime and serious vilification laws for Queensland New laws have been introduced to Parliament to increase penalties for offences that are motivated by hatred or serious contempt The reforms amend the Criminal Code to ban the display of hate symbols Criminals who commit crimes motivated by serious hate and prejudice against specified groups will face tougher penalties. New legislation has been introduced to ban the display of hate symbols, such as those representative of Nazi ideology, and increase penalties for offences that are motivated by hatred or serious contempt and the existing offence of serious vilification. The Criminal Code (Serious Vilification and Hate Crimes) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023 gives effect to four key recommendations made by the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee in January 2022 to strengthen Queensland’s hate crime laws. A new ‘Prohibited symbols’
Southport Rental Apartments Photo Blow the Truth Tax concessions to drive investment into affordable housing Land tax will be cut in half for Build-to-Rent developments that include affordable housing Delivers action on a Queensland Housing Summit outcome The build-to-Rent sector is growing in Queensland and with these new concessions, a larger number of projects will include affordable housing The Palaszczuk Government will slash land tax by up to 50 per cent for Build-to-Rent developments that feature at least 10 per cent of rental homes as affordable housing, driving more investment to deliver new rental supply. The range of investment-attracting tax concessions for Build-to-Rent developments will include: A 50 per cent discount on land tax payable for up to 20 years A full exemption for the 2% foreign investor land tax surcharge for up to 20 years A full exemption from the Additional Foreign Acquirer Duty for the future transfer of a Build-to-Rent site. Queensland Treasur
More social housing being delivered in Cairns Queensland Government will build 23 new social housing units at Earlville with $8.5 million in funding under QuickStarts Queensland Eight, one-bedroom detached houses in Parramatta Park have now been refurbished with $300,000 funding under QuickStarts Queensland Both projects delivered in partnership with a local community housing provider Seniors, especially older women, will be prioritised to move into eight beautifully-refurbished, heritage-listed social housing cottages at Parramatta Park in Cairns. The Palaszczuk Government partnered with the Access Community Housing Company (ACHC) to refurbish the cottages. ACHC received $300,000 funding under the QuickStarts Queensland program to help refurbish the cottages, which are currently vacant. A second project consisting of 16, one-bedroom and seven, two-bedroom units built to Gold or Platinum standard is also expected to start shortly in Earlville. Also delivered through a partnership with
Broadbeach Queensland Apartments Photo Blow the Truth Housing Queenslanders a priority for the government New housing model to predict supply and demand Queensland Government has engaged AHURI to develop the model $56 million to deliver positive housing outcomes for the Queensland community Funding for emergency and food relief services doubled The Queensland Government has engaged the expertise of the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) to develop a robust model to predict future supply and demand for housing in Queensland. Work has already started on the modelling, which will incorporate historical and predictive analysis. The modelling will look at the housing system in Queensland as a whole, including social housing, emergency accommodation and the private housing market. It will be used to assist in promoting a healthy housing system overall. Not everyone who needs help to obtain or sustain housing will need social housing – in 2021-22, the State Government pro
Pill testing gets the green light Image by Myriams-Fotos from Pixabay The Palaszczuk Government will allow pill testing services for the first time as part of its commitment to reduce risks and harms associated with illicit drug use. Pill testing services to be allowed in Queensland for first time Services can contribute to reducing risks and harms associated with illicit drug use The government is working to finalise details of how services will operate in Queensland Pill testing services, at either fixed or mobile sites, will chemically test illicit drugs to check for the presence of potentially dangerous substances and chemical compounds, with the aim of changing the behaviour of users and reducing the risk of harm from drug use. The government is developing protocols around the operation of testing, off the back of successful trials conducted at festivals and a fixed site in Canberra.
Foreign nationals with sufficient policing experience will be eligible to apply to the Queensland Police Service (QPS) under a new labour agreement between the State and Federal Governments. The QPS has approval for 500 new international recruits to join the service each year, for five years. Up to 500 new Queensland police will be recruited from overseas each year for five years, as part of a new international recruitment campaign. The offer applies to current experienced serving foreign police officers only, with all accepted international recruits to have comparable international policing experience before applying to the QPS. The successful recruits must undergo training once enrolled, in order to ensure they meet the standards of the QPS before commencing on their first year as a sworn officer. The agreement, the broadest of its kind among Australia’s policing jurisdictions, allows the QPS to recruit international police officers without the requirement to be an Australian citize
Gabba Olympic 50,000-seat stadium The Palaszczuk Government has unveiled its plans for a major revitalisation of Woolloongabba and The Gabba Stadium including an active travel corridor to South Bank and the CBD. The rebuilt Gabba stadium will anchor a major urban renewal project, delivering thousands of new homes, including social and affordable housing The revitalisation of Woolloongabba will include an active travel corridor to South Bank and the CBD The Gabba Stadium will be fully demolished and rebuilt to support long-term professional sport and entertainment needs and is confirmed as the home of the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Game The new 50,000-seat stadium is estimated to cost $2.7 billion The Gabba Stadium will be fully demolished and rebuilt and will anchor major urban renewal including delivering more housing including social and affordable housing. The current Woolloongabba Priority Development Area will be expanded to encompass more of Woolloongabba and the Stanl
Gold Coast Hinterland Image by dougkpga from Pixabay Two of Queensland’s most popular national parks have expanded thanks to a partnership worth more than $600,000 between the Department of Environment and Science (DES) and the Foundation of National Parks and Wildlife (FNPW). More than 185 hectares of undisturbed forest habitat has been added to the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage-listed Lamington and Main Range National Parks. Queensland’s Protected Area Strategy 2020-2030 supports the expansion of our national parks and other protected areas. $600,000 deal adds 185 hectares of pristine habitat to much-loved national parks More than 14 million hectares in Queensland now protected Quotes attributable to Environment Minister Meaghan Scanlon: “I’d like to thank our new partners at FNPW for contributing $340,000 towards expanding these extraordinary national parks, which hold a special place in the hearts so many Queenslanders,” Minister Scanlon said. “The Lamingto