About 300 protesters chanting "Help us Anna" gathered outside state parliament on Wednesday while inside, ministers outlined tougher youth laws, a new rapid response unit and victims' commissioner to tackle the problem, which has put increasing pressure on the government.
The Voice for Victims rally demanded zero tolerance of youth crime and delivered a list of questions, including why stronger laws targeting serious repeat offenders were introduced only this year.
The government pledged to listen to the protesters' concerns with organiser Ben Cannon speaking to Police Commissioner Katarina Carroll at the rally and Police Minister Mark Ryan meeting group members later in the day.
Mr Cannon founded Voice for Victims after being seriously injured in 2021 when he went to the aid of neighbour and former Wallabies player Totai Kefu when he was allegedly assaulted by youths in a Brisbane home invasion.
Kefu suffered critical wounds to his abdomen in an incident Mr Cannon said triggered a desire for change.
"For me, put a bit of a burning light in me that I want to see justice. I want to see rights, to see our community better," he said.
Mr Cannon said if the premier did not take stronger action "then as a community what we're going to do is we're going to bring a change in government and that's the only outcome".
Concerns about youth crime have increased in the past two years and particularly in 2023 amid a string of high-profile incidents including deaths involving allegedly stolen vehicles.
The premier insisted the government was listening to victims of crime and would not stop in its efforts to "give police and the courts every resource to catch and punish criminals, turn young people away from crime, protect our community".
But she said the issues surrounding youth justice were complex and there were no quick fixes.
Tougher youth justice laws pushed through parliament in March were starting to work, she said, including targeting serious repeat offenders and making breach of bail an offence.
Ms Palaszczuk said 444 young offenders have been charged with 1991 offences related to breach of bail conditions and 28 had been declared serious repeat offenders, which allowed for longer periods of detention.
Early results showed the number of 10 to 17-year-olds with a proven offence decreased by three per cent in the year to May, the premier said, and 42 per cent of young offenders did not return to the youth justice system.
As victims of crime chanted outside, Ms Palaszczuk also flagged a new victims' commissioner role beginning in September.
Police Minister Mark Ryan later announced a new police task force that could be deployed quickly to youth crime hotspots across the state.
The opposition again blamed changes to laws eight years ago making detention a last resort after leader David Crisafulli told parliament on Tuesday there was "a generation who have grown up under weaker laws which they no longer fear".
