Proposed last-minute legislative amendments that include retaining children in police watch houses have been blasted by Queensland's opposition parties as abuses of human rights.
Police Minister Mark Ryan tabled 57 pages of amendments to the Child Protection (Offender Reporting and Offender Prohibition Order) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill on Wednesday.
Known amendments included giving police additional detection, investigative and enforcement powers, decriminalising the offences of begging and public intoxication and amending the offence of public urination.
But Mr Ryan also tabled amendments to the Youth Justice Act 1992 which opposition parties said they had little notice of.
The amendments include changes to sections 56 and 210 of the Act for "holding young people in police watch houses until capacity becomes available in youth detention centres".
The minister said it would allow the chief executive of the department to "decide the date after which the Commissioner of Police must deliver the young person as soon as reasonably practicable".
Other amendments will also override the Human Right Act to allow a detention centre - Queensland has three facilities and two are in the pipeline - to be established at a police watch house or corrective facility.
"This provision is only intended to be used in extraordinary circumstances and is time limited, until a new purpose-built detention infrastructure is operational in Woodford and Cairns in 2026," Mr Ryan said.
The move has been blasted by the Greens and Liberal National Party.
Maiwar and Greens MP Michael Berkman called the move a blight on democracy and said the government was ramming through amendments after 45-minute debate.
“Disgraceful is an understatement. It is an absolute dog act to introduce amendments like this - that suspend a child as young as 10’s human rights when they’re in an adult police watch house - with no prior warning," he said.
Opposition police spokesperson Dale Last said a lack of briefing by the government and 19 minutes of notice left the LNP considering its position.
"It would have been nice to be given the courtesy as the local member to be briefed on this to be included in our discussions," he said.
"The fact that the minister has taken this opportunity to drop amendments of such a substantial nature into this bill without sending it to a committee is an absolute disgrace."
Debate on the bill will continue when parliament returns on Thursday.
