As Queenslanders prepare to head to the polls next week, the state’s youth crime debate has reached a fever pitch, dominating headlines and political discourse. But amid the heated rhetoric from the Liberal National Party (LNP), which has made tackling youth offending a centerpiece of its campaign, concerns are mounting that the divisive language could have dangerous real-world consequences.
A “Generation of Untouchables”?
Central to the LNP’s campaign has been the notion of a “youth crime crisis” and a “generation of untouchables” – young offenders who believe they are above the law. Opposition Leader David Crisafulli has repeated these phrases hundreds of times since early 2021, amplifying individual incidents and community discontent to position the LNP as the hardline solution.
But while the term “untouchables” is used by the LNP to refer to all repeat young offenders, online, particularly in anti-crime communities, it is often employed as a racially charged reference to Indigenous children. This has sparked accusations of “dog whistling” and sowing division from Indigenous academics like Kevin Yow Yeh, a principal researcher at the Institute for Collaborative Race Research.
“It’s scary to see some of the rhetoric,” Yow Yeh says. “I’m deeply concerned about the safety of all young people. I’m not sure people who are using this rhetoric are appreciating the very real world consequences.”
Fear and Panic Take Hold
Despite official data showing youth crime rates at near-record lows, fear and panic about offending has gripped many Queensland communities. The LNP’s tactics of highlighting individual incidents and victims’ stories at press conferences have been highly effective in shaping public sentiment, putting them on course for victory largely due to swings in regional areas where law and order concerns are most acute.
Crisafulli’s social media feeds are filled with clips of him reacting with disgust to crime reports and campaign videos posted directly in anti-crime Facebook groups. It has become almost politically poisonous to challenge the notion that crime is out of control, even in the face of contradictory evidence.
Young Lives at Risk
As the political debate intensifies, there are growing fears the charged rhetoric is placing vulnerable children at risk. Young people in care have received death threats, Aboriginal children’s homes have been surrounded by vigilantes, and the residence of two girls accused of a serious assault was torched.
“When we look at the stats and the research that comes out we know that youth offending has been decreasing and it makes you wonder what political parties are wanting to achieve when they do [claim crime has increased],” says Yow Yeh.
“It almost gives these vigilante groups permission to be more brazen and emboldened in their actions.”
Demonization and Stereotyping
Dr Bartholomew Stanford, a Torres Strait Islander man and political science lecturer at Griffith University, argues the current debate perpetuates long-standing stereotypes about Indigenous Australians as “violent and uncivilized,” particularly the “egregious” notion that Indigenous youth are predisposed to crime.
“The issue is socioeconomic and is exacerbated through their continued marginalisation from society,” Stanford says.
Perilous Political Pivots
With the LNP ahead in the polls, the state Labor government has responded with a series of concerning policy shifts, twice suspending the Human Rights Act to allow tougher measures against young offenders. Both parties now advocate policies experts have condemned as cruel and ineffective, like trying children as adults and sending at-risk kids to “reset” camps.
As voters prepare to cast their ballots, it remains to be seen if more moderate voices can prevail against a rising tide of punitive populism. But for many, the fear is that Queensland’s “youth crime crisis” rhetoric has already taken a dangerous turn – one with potentially deadly consequences for the state’s most vulnerable children.
