Proposed police powers bill could be a ‘game-changer’ for Nambour CBD safety

Nicklin MP Marty Hunt outside the Nambour Police Station.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has unveiled tough new anti-social behaviour laws, giving police powers to ban offenders from business districts for up to a month.

Nicklin MP Marty Hunt says the proposed new police powers aimed at tackling antisocial behaviour in town centres could be a “game-changer” for Nambour, where safety concerns have weighed heavily on the CBD for years.

The Crisafulli Government has introduced legislation to State Parliament that would allow police to establish “Designated Business and Community Precincts” and use stronger powers to move on or temporarily ban offenders causing trouble in key commercial areas.

The bill has not yet been passed and will now be examined through a parliamentary inquiry.

Nicklin MP Marty Hunt said the proposed laws could significantly strengthen police ability to deal with the type of behaviour that has frustrated businesses, workers and residents in Nambour’s town centre.

“This legislation is a significant step forward for our Nambour community,” Mr Hunt said. “We’ve heard directly from local businesses, residents and workers about unacceptable behaviour in our CBD and community spaces and we are responding.”

The Nambour community has raised concerns about antisocial behaviour in parts of the CBD for years. It has affected customer confidence and discouraged people from spending time in public spaces.

Mr Hunt said the proposed reforms would give police clearer authority to act when incidents did occur, especially when combined with the new Police Beat in the CBD.

“These new laws will give police the clear authority they need to act decisively,” he said. “That includes the power to issue 24-hour move-on directions and banning notices of up to one month for repeat or serious offenders engaging in threatening, violent, offensive or disorderly conduct.”

If passed, police could direct people to leave designated precincts for up to 24 hours. Those involved in repeat or serious incidents could be banned from returning for up to one month. Breaching those directions would become a criminal offence.

Mr Hunt said the changes were designed to help restore confidence in Nambour’s town centre. “For too long, antisocial behaviour has impacted our town centre,” he said. “Our community deserves to feel safe when they go to work, shop, or spend time with family.”

The legislation would also extend the state’s knife detection powers under Jack’s Law into designated precincts, allowing police to use hand-held metal-detecting wands without a warrant to detect knives and other weapons.

Mr Hunt said the measures would complement the permanent Police Beat recently established in the Nambour CBD.

“With our new Police Beat now operating in Nambour, these strengthened powers will ensure officers have the practical tools to address issues on the ground and restore confidence in our CBD,” he said.

The Nicklin MP will play a key role in the next stage of the legislation. As Chair of Parliament’s Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee, he will lead the inquiry examining the bill before it returns to Parliament for debate.

Community submissions will open shortly, giving residents and businesses the opportunity to have their say on the proposed laws.

The inquiry is expected to examine how the new powers would operate in communities such as Nambour, where restoring safety and confidence in the CBD has become a major priority for shoppers, seniors, families and business owners.

But concerns raised over 'unfair' month-long CBD safety bans

Concerns have been raised that proposed new police powers allowing month-long bans from business districts could unfairly impact people experiencing homelessness in Nambour.

Nambour advocate for homeless people, Abigail, said while she supports short-term move-on directions to defuse incidents, longer exclusion orders could make it difficult for rough sleepers to access essential services in the town centre.

“I support move on ‘requests’ for 12 or 24 hours,” she said. “As in the heat of the moment these can help to give a person time to cool down and come back tomorrow.”

But she said banning someone from a precinct for up to a month could have serious consequences for people who rely on CBD services. “This is a homeless person’s home town,” she said. “The town becomes their bathroom, kitchen, bedroom. It is where they sleep, shelter from rain, eat, wash and the way they provide for themselves.”

Under the proposed legislation, police would be able to issue banning notices of up to one month to people involved in threatening, violent, offensive or disorderly conduct in designated business and community precincts (see story this page).

Abigail feared the longer bans could effectively cut vulnerable people off from support services that were mostly in the CBD.

“They have a right to access the following supports as they are all located within the Nambour CBD limits,” she said.

She listed services including Centrelink, job network agencies, supermarkets, the library with free computer access, community centres, showers, hot meals, washing facilities, doctors, banks and mental health services based in C-Square.

“If you cut the homeless off the CBD for a day they will survive,” she said. “If you cut them off for a month it affects their ability to function and live – the very right to survive.”

Ms Abigail said she believed stronger restrictions could be justified for repeat offenders but argued they should be imposed through a formal process rather than immediate police powers. “The response needs to be measured and balanced,” she said. “I am simply calling for a balanced, reasonable response before any month-long bans are placed on a person.”