CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
The Brisbane River was alight with fireworks last night, after new laws passed in Queensland Parliament that makes life a lot easier for the Queen Street Cowboys in the city’s financial precinct.
As of yesterday afternoon, anyone caught with a small amount of illicit drugs including cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine will likely avoid a court date under new laws passed in Queensland.
A drug diversion program for cannabis that has existed in the Sunshine State for decades has been expanded to include the full spectrum of illegal drugs and some pharmaceuticals, because someone with a brain has managed to drill into our politicians that putting a young kid in prison over a pocket full of gear is actually going to do nothing but upskill them in the art of crime.
The laws passed on Thursday mean first-time offenders will be given a warning, and those caught a second or third time will be offered a diversionary program instead of a court notice.
The new 3-strike rules mean that being caught with personal possession will not affect the employability of young people on the wrong side of the tracks, and they also won’t need to worry about joining a prison gang to survive the well-documented violence of the Queensland justice system.
However, aside from the wayward young people who now have other options outside of being warehoused in Arthur Gorrie Correctional Centre, these new laws are also great news for the high-flyers of Brisbane’s CBD.
No longer will the city’s stockbrokers and contract lawyers have to worry about fighting for the mystical second section 10, after being caught with a bag of methamphetamines that they paid cocaine prices for.
The cheers from Brisbane’s financial district were audible right across the city last night, as cashed up white boys railed up the New Farm Marching Powder and pumped the skyscraper office PA system with the Stafford Brothers.
In fact, these new laws appear almost tailored to the white collar coke pigs, with concerns immediately raised by advocates that these blanket diversionary tactics could result in children feeling a stronger hand of the law than they otherwise would have.
However, the Queensland government said “sufficient instruction” will be included in police training materials to reinforce provisions that ensure children are not treated more harshly, which is great news because we all know that Queensland coppers will follow sufficient instruction.
