Soft sentences for child killers will continue to be handed out under the Palaszczuk Labor Government, LNP Leader Deb Frecklington has warned.
Ms Frecklington said while the LNP had vowed to introduce Australia's toughest punishments for child killers, Labor’s proposed new laws were soft and fail to address the issue.
“Labor’s proposed new laws don’t go far enough to protect Queensland kids because they fail to introduce minimum mandatory sentences for child killers,” Ms Frecklington said.
“There’s been too many soft sentences for child killers and that’s why the LNP’s Mason Jett Lee Laws would bring in minimum mandatory jail terms.
“The story of little Mason exposed huge issues in both the child safety system and the current laws.
“The LNP’s new laws will honour Mason while protecting other Queensland kids from harm.
“What happened to poor little Mason was an absolute tragedy and as a mum of three girls, it breaks my heart.”
Ms Frecklington said a future LNP Government would introduce a new offence of child manslaughter that will ensure similar crimes are punished with a minimum mandatory 15-year jail penalty.
“The LNP will also increase the minimum non-parole period for the murder of a child under 18 from 20 to 25 years,” she said.
“The LNP’s laws will more than double the current penalties being handed out because there is no worse crime than killing a child.
"Children cannot fight back - which is why it's up to us to protect them.
“I am determined to protect Queensland kids and our laws will punish the monsters that harm them.”
Ms Frecklington said the Palaszczuk Labor Government’s proposed new laws fall well short of what’s required to deliver punishments to child killers that meet community expectations.
“The changes Labor have put forward merely tinker at the edges and they are not tough enough,” Ms Frecklington said.
“We will introduce our laws in Parliament next year and if Labor votes them down, I’ll take it to the people of Queensland as an election issue at the 2020 election.”
