CJAG urges major parties there’s still time

NICOLE GIBSON

The Crime and Justice Action Group’s (CJAG) Convoy for Crime last Saturday failed to secure a commitment from the major parties to action its 12-point Crime Prevention Plan if elected.

CJAG, which experienced a meteoric rise to prominence since launching in March 2020, invited politicians vying for office in this weekend’s State election to sign a pledge committing to action their plan to tackle youth crime.

CJAG Spokesperson Aaron McLeod said he continued to urge candidates including those from Labor and the LNP to sign the pledge before the election.

“The invitation’s out there to all the parties,” Mr McLeod said. “There’s still time and they can sign if they want to.”

To date, three Far North NICOLE GIBSON INTERNATIONAL and national experts to star alongside local earth heroes proving Cairns change-makers are world class.

When Cairns documentary filmmakers Shay Ryan Douglas and Thomas Lowth decided to make a film showcasing local organisations doing great things for people and the earth, they had no idea the big names that would get involved.

Internationally renowned cell biologist, Dr Bruce Lipton, top American soil regeneration expert, Dr Zach Bush, and Australian science guru Dr Karl Kruszelnicki feature alongside leading local organisations and experts including Reef Restoration Foundation, Organic Motion, Parley Australia, Queensland candidates have signed the pledge including One Nation candidate for Cairns, Darrin Griffith and Independent candidates Yodie Batzke in the seat of Cook and the seat of Hill’s Peter Campion.

“This crime prevention plan is calling for policies and resourcing across five priority areas focused on the core responsibility of nurturing, discipline and accountability of children, parents and bureaucrats before they become offenders, and providing a firm deterrent for serious offenders by acknowledging victims of crime,” Mr Griffith said.

CJAG is non-profit association formed by residents after a spate of youth crime in the Cairns region earlier this year.

CJAG’s Mr McLeod said it worked tirelessly with Townsville counterparts - One Community, One Standard, to bring about common-sense permaculturist Annaliese Hordern and author Lesley Van Staveren.

Creative Director Mr Douglas said the film had eclipsed all expectations of what the duo thought was possible when they started changes in response to the community’s fears and to project a strong voice that people are fed up with crime in the North.

“The more that people come on board and support the initiatives that we’re putting in place the louder our voice will become,” Mr McLeod said.

In addition to overwhelming community support, youth rehabilitation pioneer, 93-year-old Geoff Guest AM, lent his voice to the cause to help facilitate a solution.

“I’ve been helping people for a long time and am passionate about Australia as a great country and there are problems,” Mr Guest said.

“We’re getting more and people in jail and youth and we’re not bad people, there’s

Independent candidates Yodie Batzke in the seat of Cook and the seat of Hill’s Peter Campion signing CJAG’s 2020 State Election Crime Prevention Plan Candidate Pledge at the Convoy for Crime last Saturday.