Concern is growing over a potential heavy-handed policing approach that has been flagged by the government.

Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Police Minister Felix Ellis have made a number of comments about a possible response to a perceived uptick in crime recently, particularly among youth.

“After important discussions with Police Commissioner Adams yesterday, we are taking concrete action – immediately.” the pair said in a statement.

“Tasmania Police will be surging officers to trouble spots across the state. This is a statewide issue, deserving of a statewide response. Intervention programs will be increased, including one in Hobart’s northern suburbs that will begin next week. Finally, we’ll be taking a hard look at our bail and sentencing laws.”

Responses say that police are only part of the solution and the Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse in Government Institutional Settings identified a lot of problems with youth justice in Tasmania, many of which are yet to be fixed.

The Commissioner for Children and Young People pointed out that punitive responses to children’s harmful behaviour “do not work and can lead to less safe communities.”

The Council of Social Services called for “therapeutic and proven responses to offending behaviour, including expanding opportunities for early intervention and prevention, as well as increasing access to community based support services.”

The Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service noted that for the recently-opened consultations on Aboriginal youth justice have a very different tone to the Premier’s recent comments, thus raising the issue: “These two are vastly opposing positions on youth justice…What is the Premier’s actual position on youth justice?”

The Greens contend that ‘adult crime, adult time’ laws are not working well in Queensland and cited a number of high-profile opponents.

Read their full responses below.

Media release – Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People Isabelle Crompton, 30 April 2025

Tasmania Can Lead the Nation

Interim Commissioner for Children and Young People Isabelle Crompton said today all Tasmanians want our State to be a place where our children can thrive and have a sense of belonging, and for our communities to be safe for all.

“When it comes to realising this vision, evidence matters,” Ms Crompton said.

“The evidence shows that:
·         fewer than 2% of Tasmania’s children encounter the criminal justice system in connection with their own behaviour
·         most children discontinue anti-social behaviour spontaneously without intervention or just one or two encounters with police
·         of the very small number of children who engage in harmful behaviour, many have experienced the toughest start to life and require earlier and needs-based support to effectively address the underlying causes of their behaviour.”

Ms Crompton said evidence also shows that punitive responses to children’s harmful behaviour do not work and can lead to less safe communities.

“Prevention, early intervention, and individualised therapeutic responses are key.

“I urge the Government to hold the course on its nation-leading and contemporary commitments to prioritising and investing in addressing the underlying causes of youth offending.”

Ms Crompton said this is what was promised by the Government through its groundbreaking whole-of-government and whole-of-community Youth Justice Blueprint and related Model of Care.

“This uniquely Tasmanian approach is founded in evidence, is rights-based, and progresses the recent Commission of Inquiry’s recommendations, including that the government:
·         develop and provide a range of community-based health, welfare and disability programs and services that are tailored to meet the needs of children and young people under the age of 14 years who are engaging in antisocial behaviour, and to address the factors contributing to that behaviour.

“Tasmania can lead the nation by doing things our own way, based on what we know works in our communities for our children. It’s important we hold the course for the sake of our children, and our community.”

Ms Crompton said to ensure Tasmania is the safe and inclusive community we want it to be, it needs substantial and sustained investment in community-based programs, services and supports for children and their families.

“This will ensure that recourse to the police to ‘manage’ the complex needs of children doing it tough in our communities is truly a measure of last resort.

“This is the conversation we need to be having.”

Ms Crompton also said a critical gap in the current Tasmanian service system is a lack of safe, child-centred community spaces for children to access.

“Many young people I speak with talk about needing safe places to spend time together in their communities.”

Media release – Tasmanian Council of Social Services, 29 April 2025

Evidence-based initiatives needed to keep all Tasmanians safe and well

TasCOSS strongly supports evidence-based initiatives and polices that keep all Tasmanians safe and well.

TasCOSS CEO, Ms Adrienne Picone, said following the evidence and findings of the Commission of Inquiry, Tasmania is in a strong position to make nation leading change by implementing therapeutic and proven responses to offending behaviour, including expanding opportunities for early intervention and prevention, as well as increasing access to community based support services.

“We know the Tasmanian Government is committed to implementing the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry and making the much-needed changes that will give all Tasmanians a safe and healthy life,” Ms Picone said.

“We also know that focussing on tertiary responses, such as expanded policing of children, stricter laws or increased incarceration of children, will not keep anyone safe.

“As recently noted by the National Children’s Commissioner, Anne Hollands, ‘Australia needs transformational change that puts child wellbeing first. This means reforms based on evidence and human rights.'”

“We urge the Tasmanian Government to continue their implementation of the COI recommendations and remain true to their commitment victim survivors, as well as engage in meaningful reform that addresses the underlying causes of social disadvantage and improves community safety for all.”

Media release – 29 April 2025

Unacceptable – Premier’s Backflip on Youth Justice Position

The Tasmanian Aboriginal Legal Service today called out the Premier’s comments regarding “Adult Crime – Adult Time” laws as unacceptable.

“These comments are a knee-jerk reaction by Premier Jeremy Rockliff in relation to incidents of crime in Glenorchy,” TALS CEO Jake Smith said.

“We totally recognise that community safety is vital – everyone deserves to feel safe. However, ‘Adult Crime – Adult Time’ approach to youth crime is not an effective solution.

“Both overwhelming data and research shows that locking up kids leads to more crime, not less.”

Mr Smith said if the State Government wants to achieve real, long-term outcomes, it must invest in early intervention and prevention strategies.

“This so-called solution to youth crime will result in increased community safety issues and increased detention and prison costs to taxpayers in the future.”

Earlier this month the Tasmanian Government opened community consultation on the development of the Tasmanian Aboriginal Youth Justice Strategy, a key component of the Youth Justice Blueprint 2024-2034.

“We support the Tasmanian Government’s commitment to consultation on the Aboriginal Youth Justice Strategy, particularly given the significant over-representation of Aboriginal youth in the justice system,” Mr Smith said.

“However, we are now very concerned – one week the Government is consulting on early intervention, diversion and strategies that treat detention as a last resort, and this includes raising the age of criminal responsibility.

“In the next week, the Government is considering laws to further lock up children and increase the likelihood of future offending.

“These two are vastly opposing positions on youth justice.

“What is the Premier’s actual position on youth justice?

“What is the true objective of the Rockliff Government when it comes to youth justice and meaningful reform?”

Media release – Cecily Rosol MP, Greens spokesperson for Children and Young People, 29 April 2025

Rockliff Abandons COI With Moves Towards Extreme New Laws

Jeremy Rockliff’s decision to consider extreme “adult crime, adult time” laws for Tasmania shows he has completely abandoned his commitment to the Commission of Inquiry.

The human rights of children and young people in detention was one of the central focuses of the Commission of Inquiry. Rather than moving to better protect these fundamental rights, the Premier is now actively considering legislation that would directly violate them.

There is no denying there is community concern in some parts of the state about youth crime – especially in relation to a spate of recent incidents in Glenorchy. The government absolutely needs to make sure this situation is addressed, and that community safety is assured. But we have seen all over the world that punitive crackdowns don’t work and can actually make things even worse in the long term.

The Liberal Government already has an evidence-based plan for reducing youth crime –  their Youth Justice Blueprint 2024-2034. The government should be following this plan and investing in support for at-risk families and therapeutic approaches to justice, not launching a push for damaging new laws.

Jeremy Rockliff has pointed to extreme laws introduced in Queensland as ‘working well’ to address youth crime. There is no evidence for that, and it’s deeply dishonest to suggest otherwise. Worse still is the idea that Tasmania should look to the Queensland model for inspiration when that state’s laws have been widely condemned for violating the human rights of children.

The Premier promised he would lead a government with heart, but if he goes ahead with these laws his legacy will be making a deliberate decision to violate the rights of children and causing them direct harm as a result.

Peter Gutwein will always be remembered as the Premier who did the right thing and established the Commission of Inquiry, but with moves like this Jeremy Rockliff is making sure he will be remembered as the Premier who abandoned it.
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STATEMENTS FROM NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS RE QLD LAWS

  • The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child – described the laws as a “flagrant disregard for children’s rights under international law”
  • Amnesty International – said that “The LNP’s ‘adult crime adult time’ policy is set to put Queensland in direct violation of international human rights standards”
  • Save The Children – called the law “distressing” and said it will “cause significant harm” and “significantly infringes children’s fundamental rights”
  • The Queensland Human Rights Commission Chair – said that “Any society that treats children in the same way as adults is a society which has lost its way. We are all diminished by these laws.”
  • Queensland Attorney-General (responsible for the laws) – admitted the laws are “incompatible with human rights”

Other opponents to the Queensland laws included: