Newly appointed King’s Counsel April Freeman will lead the Queensland Government’s panel to advise on changes to the Youth Justice Act.
State Minister Youth Justice and Victim Support Laura Gerber said Ms Freeman, who was appointed a KC in November last year, would chair the five-person Expert Legal Panel.
Minister Gerber said the panel members were all highly skilled and experienced professionals in the areas of legal practice, law enforcement, victim support and public policy.
She said the Panel would be tasked with identifying additional and more complex offences for inclusion in the second tranche of Making Queensland Safer Laws.
Ms Freeman said she was eager to get to work considering the next tranche of the laws.
“The Expert Legal Panel has been tasked with considering important changes to the Youth Justice Act and to provide independent advice to the Government to assist navigation of these complex laws,” she said.
The members of the panel are:
- Chair: April Freeman KC: A distinguished Kings Counsel, with 17 years of legal experience in criminal law, including role of Crown Prosecutor for Queensland.
- Douglas Freeman: A barrister with 17 years of experience working on complex criminal trials and appeals, including many youth justice matters.
- Lyndy Atkinson: Founder of Voice for Victims advocacy group.
- Randal Ross: Former CEO of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, who has experience delivering programs for youth at Cleveland Youth Detention Centre.
- Robert Weir: Retired Detective Superintendent, who served for 43 years in the Queensland Police Service.
