across the pond

Police Minister Mark Ryan yesterday moved dozens of pages of amendments to a bill on child protection offender reporting, including allowing police watch houses and adult prisons to be used as youth detention centres.

It would override the state’s Human Rights Act for the second time this year.

Both the Greens and the opposition have criticised the government for tacking on “significant” amendments to “unrelated” legislation and circumventing the parliamentary committee process.

Appearing on ABC News Breakfast on Thursday morning, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk defended the move, saying the amendments about watch houses “is not something new” and “formalises a practice that has been in place for 30 years”.

“We’ve been doing it for decades”
keep in mind we’re still arguing whether 10 year olds can be criminally responsible, or whether you have to be 12 before we can lock you up