The Queensland government is actively considering introducing mandatory jail time for youth offenders who breach bail conditions, following a decisive by-election win for the LNP. Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie confirmed the proposal, dubbed 'breach bail, go to jail', is under serious consideration after LNP candidate Wayde Chiesa campaigned heavily on the policy in the Hinchinbrook electorate.
Chiesa secured a 17 per cent swing to claim the seat from Katter's Australian Party, with the result interpreted by the government as strong community backing for tougher youth justice laws. Bleijie stated that Chiesa will meet with senior cabinet ministers, including the attorney-general and youth justice minister, once the Electoral Commission formally declares the seat.
Breach of bail is already an offence for juvenile offenders under legislation reintroduced by the former Labor government in 2023. However, the LNP's proposal would impose mandatory jail time for violations, a step beyond current penalties.
The policy has drawn sharp criticism from Debbie Kilroy, founder of Sisters Inside, a female prisoner advocacy service. Kilroy described the proposal as 'hashtag hysteria' and an attack on vulnerable children, noting that crime rates for young people are falling. She warned the measures would disproportionately affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and argued that support services, not harsher penalties, are needed.
Opposition leader Steven Miles, whose Labor candidate received just 8.3 per cent of the vote in the by-election, declined to state a position on the policy, saying it was too early to make a call until the government formally proposes legislation.
