Queensland has highest rate of youth justice detention in Australia, according to new data

Queensland's youth detention rates are higher than any other state or territory in Australia, according to new data released today.

In the past 12 months, the state also had the highest amount of staff assaults by youths in custody.

While state Deputy Premier Steven Miles said legislative change to help with youth crime with be "a priority for the next parliamentary sitting", Opposition Leader David Crisafulli insisted that more needs to be done to prevent youth crime.

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"We're failing them early on when they're drifting into a life of crime by not giving them employment, education and aspiration," he said.

"Likewise we're failing them at the other end where they're repeat, hardcore offenders.

"This report shows we are failing at both ends.

"We need to do more to stop young people entering a generation of crime."

Queensland's youth reoffending rate between 2019 and 2020 was 58.6 per cent, the highest out of any other state or territory that year.

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The data release comes after an elderly man was allegedly threatened and beaten by a trio of young people while on a walk through the Brisbane suburb of Michelton on Sunday afternoon.

The group of two girls and one boy allegedly threatened John Lonergan with a knife while repeatedly kicking and punching him.

"He said... 'I'm going to stick you with this knife... I'm going to kill you with this knife'," Lonergan said.

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"He showed it to me and was very close... one of the girls kept hitting me while I was trying to pay attention to the knife."

Lonergan said he feared for his life during the unprovoked attack, and said Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk "needs to raise the minimum consequences" for youth offenders.