Queensland Passes Law Allowing Life Sentences for Juveniles as Young as 10

The controversial legislation includes harsher penalties for serious crimes and removes the principle of detention as a last resort, raising human rights concerns.

• Queensland's new youth justice laws mandate life sentences for juveniles aged 10 to 17 convicted of murder, with a minimum 20-year non-parole period.
• The legislation, part of the LNP's 'Making Queensland Safer' campaign, applies adult sentencing to 13 serious crimes, including manslaughter, robbery, and burglary.
• The laws override Queensland's Human Rights Act for the third time, drawing criticism from human rights groups and the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.
• Premier David Crisafulli defended the laws as necessary to reduce crime but acknowledged short-term pressures on the state's overcrowded youth justice system.
• Opposition parties and experts expressed concerns about rushed legislative processes, potential unintended consequences, and disproportionate impacts on Indigenous children.

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