Controversial youth justice camps to be rolled out in Queensland this year - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Youth crime has been a key area of focus for David Crisafulli's government. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)

The controversial Circuit Breaker Sentencing bill has been passed by Queensland parliament today.

The bill is designed to provide an alternative option to prison for the courts and an opportunity for rehabilitation for children at remote facilities.

Government tenders for companies to run the camps are open.

Controversial youth justice camps are set to be rolled out in Queensland later this year, diverting up to 60 juvenile offenders from detention.

Circuit Breaker Sentencing, passed by state parliament this afternoon, is designed to provide an alternative option to prison for the courts and an opportunity for rehabilitation for children at remote facilities.

It has been criticised by experts for putting youth at risk of harm or abuse, and drawn parallels with Campbell Newman-era boot camps, which showed limited evidence in reducing reoffending.

Offenders will be based at the regional facilities for up to six months and will be required to wear an electronic monitoring ankle tag.

Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber told parliament the LNP government was delivering on an election commitment.

Laura Gerber said the programs will remove youth offenders from the environments contributing to their offending. (ABC News: Rachel Stewart)

"We told Queenslanders we would establish two Circuit Breaker programs in remote locations to remove youth offenders from the environments contributing to their offending," she said.

"To impose structure, discipline and provide intensive court-ordered rehabilitation to intervene before these youth become further entrenched in the youth justice system."

The laws are a further progression of the government's hardline youth crime approach, headlined by its adult crime, adult time policy.

That policy sees juveniles guilty of serious crimes, like murder and manslaughter, charged as adults and face harsher penalties.

"Circuit Breaker does not stand in isolation. It is another part of our comprehensive plan to restore safety where you live with stronger laws, more police, early intervention and rehabilitation and more support for victims of crime," Ms Gerber told the House.

National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People, Sue-Ann Hunter, said the laws will most impact young First Nations people.

"The human rights of our children across this country are going backwards," she said.

"It is worse in this state for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children because they are over-represented."

She highlighted the similarities in the latest legislation and the remote camps first trialled in 2013 by then attorney-general and current deputy premier, Jarrod Bleijie.

"There were boot camps in Queensland originally. There was a review of these to say they actually didn't work. So what is different this time?"

Opposition leader Steven Miles also drew parallels with the former program.

The Labor leader, whose party voted against the laws, noted criticism from experts about whether children would be safe at the facilities.

Steven Miles said Labor was concerned whether children would be safe at the facilities. (ABC News: Lucas Hill)

"We are concerned about what this program could mean in terms of safety, and very serious concerns have been raised, both about the lack of oversight and also the removal of the requirement of providers to advise where harm occurs if that incriminated them."

Submissions highlighted concerns about a line in the legislation that it could be a reasonable excuse for a provider not to report harm if it would incriminate them.

But the youth justice minister hit back in parliament, claiming the camps fell under the Reportable Conduct Scheme, which requires abuse and harm to be reported to authorities.

"And then there is an additional obligation to report harm or suspected harm to the chief executive of Youth Justice," Ms Gerber said.

Government tenders for companies to run the camps are open.

Katter's Australian Party leader Robbie Katter claimed the LNP had copied his party's homework.

Robbie Katter says his party has repeatedly moved amendments to strengthen the system. (ABC News)

"This didn't come out of nowhere. We have raised this policy 165 times in Parliament and repeatedly moved amendments to strengthen the system," he said.

"It has taken nine years, but Parliament has finally accepted the principle that serious repeat offenders need to be removed from the environment driving the offending."