Rural boot camp report causes controversy
A review of the former Queensland Government’s youth boot camp program has raised allegations of favouritism.
Queensland's auditor-general Andrew Greaves has been examining the Newman government's program, which saw young offenders sent to remote boot camps instead of youth detention.
Mr Greaves’ report, which was tabled in Parliament this week, found two boot camp providers were chosen despite suitable, lower cost options being available.
It also said that the trial program was not properly costed, and saw its costs increase from $4.9 million to $12.3 million over two years.
“No documentation has been made available to us that demonstrated how this decision was made,” Mr Greaves told reporters.
“The lack of any other evidence to support the final position taken for these boot camps, itself is a failure to adhere to the government's own documentation standards, serves to weaken accountability for these decisions.
“It also ultimately leaves the process of awarding the two contracts open to accusations of favouritism, which in the absence of a clear documentation trail, cannot be readily rebutted.”
Mr Greaves found it could leave the former government “open to accusations of favouritism”.
Such accusations have begun, after it was revealed that the operator of the Lincoln Springs camp, Beyond Billabong, made a $5,500 donation to the LNP just days after the contract was awarded.
Former attorney-general Jarrod Bleijie overruled his department in awarding the boot camp service contracts, but claims not to have been aware of the donations.
Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has called for Mr Bleijie to be dumped from the Opposition frontbench.