Young offenders should be sent to outback camps to build fences and brand cattle in order to get a “purpose in life”, David Littleproud has suggested.
The Nationals leader was frank in his assessment that the states had not done enough to clamp down on the growing trend of “posting and boasting” by young offenders who share videos of their crimes on social media.
But he revealed he wanted any fix to the issue to also consider sending offenders to remote camps instead of juvenile detention centres.
“They don’t fear it anymore. They get to go and play touch (football) and computer games during the night,” Mr Littleproud told Nine.
“We need to get back to … outback camps. Two, 300km from towns. You don’t need barbed wire. If they want to run away, they have to dodge the king brown (snakes) and wild dogs.
Mr Littleproud said there was a lot of “gratuitous advice” from criminologists and child psychologists on how to treat the issue but stressed a need to return to “basic principles of having “a purpose in life”.
“Every morning they’re up with a purpose. They’re taught a trade. They’re out there making fences, cleaning out water troughs, branding cattle and learning mechanics,” he said.
“They come away with a purpose in life.”
The radical proposal from the Nationals leader is just one being considered as the Coalition seeks to elevate the issue of youth crime to the national agenda.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton on Thursday will outline his plan to make “posting and boasting” a criminal offence carrying a prison sentence of up to two years.
In a speech, the former cop turned MP will argue the federal government stepping in is required to keep the community safe.
Under the proposal courts would also be able to prohibit young people from using social media for two years.
The private members bill would be introduced to parliament when it resumes next week.
It is unlikely to progress unless the government agrees to bring the proposal on for debate.
It comes just days after the NSW confirmed it would become the second state to introduce additional two-year “posting and boasting” penalties on motor vehicle theft and break and enter offences.
The offence would apply to the person who posted the video on social media sites such as TikTok.