Former Capalaba MP Don Brown has pushed back against renewed criticism of his record on youth crime laws, saying he feels “sorry for Anne and Russell Field” on the fifth anniversary of the deaths of Matt, Kate and Miles, but hopes January 26 is not used each year as a political attack on him.
In a social media post shared on Australia Day, Mr Brown said he had tried to change the law following the tragedy and highlighted reforms delivered during his time in parliament, while acknowledging other measures sought by the family remain unrealised.
“I feel sorry for Anne and Russell on this day,” Mr Brown wrote.
“I tried my best to change the laws after. Russell wanted breach of bail and petition for it and we delivered it.
“I note Russell also wanted mandatory sentencing, which I note that both I and him have not delivered yet.
“I hope each 26th of January isn’t used as a day to politically attack me each year.”
The comments come amid ongoing public debate sparked by Capalaba MP Russell Field, who has repeatedly linked his decision to enter politics to the deaths of his family members and what he describes as systemic failures in Queensland’s justice system.
In a widely shared first-person article published this week in the Local Redland Bayside News, Mr Field said January 26 marked “five long years” since the loss of Matt, Kate and Miles, describing the sentence imposed on the offender as “one of the greatest travesties of justice this state has ever seen”.
He said his decision to run for office followed remarks by a former Labor government figure (Brown) who dismissed youth crime as a “media beat-up”, a comment Mr Field described as “insensitive and offensive” to victims and their families.
“That was the moment I decided to run,” Mr Field wrote.
“I had skin in the game and couldn’t stand by doing nothing.”
Mr Field credited reforms introduced since his election — including Adult Crime, Adult Time and Jack’s Law — but said more change was needed, particularly around sentencing.
“There is still a long way to go,” he wrote.
“Hope alone isn’t enough; action is what prevents these injustices from being repeated.”
Mr Brown, who represented Capalaba prior to Mr Field, has previously defended his record, pointing to bail-related reforms and petition processes implemented during his time in office.
His latest comments acknowledge shared frustration over the absence of mandatory sentencing changes, while signalling concern about being personally targeted on the anniversary of the tragedy.
