Queensland passes controversial Circuit Breaker Sentencing law, greenlights remote youth camps

Queensland’s parliament voted in the Circuit Breaker Sentencing bill, which authorises the establishment of remote youth-justice camps as an alternative to incarceration. The program will house up to 60 juvenile offenders for up to six months, require electronic ankle monitoring, and is presented by Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber as a structured, discipline-based rehabilitation effort promised during the LNP’s campaign.

The law expands the state’s hard-line approach that also treats serious juvenile crimes as adult offences. Experts such as National Commissioner Sue-Ann Hunter argue the measure disproportionately impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and echoes the discredited boot-camp scheme trialled in 2013 under former attorney-general Jarrod Bleijie. Opposition leader Steven Miles and the Labor party raised concerns about safety, oversight, and a clause that could shield providers from reporting harm. Government tenders for operating the camps are now open, while Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter claimed the policy reflects his party’s long-standing proposals.