Queenslanders have voiced their support for a bill that would allow property owners to potentially kill trespassers.
Katter’s Australian Party (KAP) introduced the US-style Castle Bill into state parliament on June 11, which would allow residents to take drastic measures.
Figures released last week by the Australian Bureau of Statistics revealed that a staggering 289,657 Queenslanders had been victims of crime in 2023.
“If an intruder enters a home or dwelling illegally, the occupant should be able to use all reasonable force to defend themselves without legal repercussions,” said KAP leader Robbie Katter.
More than 40,000 Queenslanders have since signed a petition calling for them to be allowed to kill intruders in their homes without legal consequences.
But not everyone agrees: both legal professionals and crime victims express doubts about the bill.
The Queensland Law Society (QLS) has criticised KAP’s proposal, saying it is “frightening” and based on a misunderstanding of existing law.
QLS told the Cairns Mail that state law already allows people to use guns in self-defense against criminals and the bill “will not address the current problems we are seeing with home invasions and should be denounced.”
Queenslanders have given their support to a bill that would allow homeowners to kill intruders in self-defence (pictured, a home invasion in Queensland)
Asti Savage, a 44-year-old mother from Townsville who has been the victim of multiple crimes, also has concerns about KAP’s bill.
She was left paraplegic after being hit by a drunk driver in a stolen car in 2001, and years later was shot through the window by a man who was convicted but declared insane.
And just last month, Ms Savage was the victim of a break-in at her home, where her handbag was stolen as she sat in her chair.
Her car was also stolen while the young men responsible mocked her for the theft.
Despite all he has endured for more than two decades, he offered words of warning about the Castle Act bill.
“People should be able to protect themselves, but if we start arming ourselves, then they will start arming themselves too and the situation will get out of control,” he said.
“If someone is coming at me in my wheelchair to steal my purse, I think it should be legal for me to use pepper spray, but I don’t think a gun should be allowed in that case.”
Lawyer Dan Creevey said there was a lot of misinformation about existing Queensland laws and what the Castle Law Bill proposed.
“Unfortunately, the bill will allow a form of murder without legal recourse in circumstances where there may not be a direct threat to a person’s life,” he said.
“Ultimately, the bill is a dangerous response to crime in Queensland.”
In the United States, laws like these have been linked to a number of shocking incidents, including a black teenager being shot in the head and arm after accidentally knocking on the wrong door.
Ralph Yarl knocked on the door of Andrew Lester, a white man, who shot him twice with a revolver in June 2023.
Mr Yarl, who had gone to pick up his younger twin brothers but went to the wrong house, suffered “permanent injuries” and his family has filed a civil suit against Mr Lester in Missouri.
The latest Queensland crime statistics come as the state grapples with a youth crime crisis highlighted by a report released by the state’s auditor-general.
More than 40,000 Queenslanders have since signed a petition demanding they be allowed to kill intruders in their homes without legal consequences (file image)
Katter’s Australian Party leader Robbie Katter (left) is pictured with deputy leader Nick Dametto (right)
The report found that 55 percent of all juvenile crimes in the state between 2022 and 2023 had been committed by “serious repeat offenders.”
It also reported that the average daily number of serious repeat offenders had increased by 64 per cent, from 278 in 2018-19 to 457 in 2022-23.
Queensland Attorney-General Yvette D’Ath acknowledged the people who had signed the petition calling for a law change but said there were no plans to review the state’s self-defence laws.
But with Labor set to lose the state election in just over three months, the KAP Bill is likely to be reintroduced later this year.
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