A victim of crime advocacy group has quickly risen to prominence in Queensland since its inception, consulting on sweeping changes to youth justice laws. Voice for Victims has been a familiar sight in the news cycle since it formed in 2023, marching on state parliament several times to protest what it said was government inaction on juvenile crime. The group has the ear of the LNP government with its members meeting with MPs frequently, and standing with then-opposition leader David Crisafulli on the lawn of Parliament House in October, three days before his eventual election win. "They drove the call for change when the government wasn't listening, and today they drive another call for change, and that is to change the government," Mr Crisafulli said. Since then, the premier has spoken at length about his government's flagship adult crime, adult crime policy. In a sit-down interview with the ABC in February, Mr Crisafulli said the group had been part of the consultation on which offences would be included in the legislation. "We went to the likes of Voice for Victims, and we spoke to Queenslanders, and they said 'these are the issues we want to see' and we said okay, we'd do it," he said. 'Independent community organisation' Trudy Reading is a victim advocate with the group, describing it as an "independent community organisation" formed at the "height of the youth crime crisis". "Our goal was to amplify the voices of the victims of crime and to advocate for a justice system that sees a reduction in crime, which then leads to fewer victims in turn," she said. "We've provided support to dozens and dozens of victims, connecting them with essential services and resources, whilst at the same time lobbying the former and the current government for better support for victims." The group doesn't have a website or a specific leadership structure, with much of its discussion occurring on its Facebook group of more than 8,000 members. Ms Reading said it worked on a volunteer basis, stressing that it received no financial assistance, and was working on becoming a charitable organisation, taking steps toward a formal membership process. A tight-knit team holds meetings on a "needs-by-needs basis" with Ms Reading currently leading its media engagement. "Most people part of that group are victims, and we come to a position on how we feel on things and how we'll speak to the government," she said. 'Always been bipartisan' Since its inception, several high-profile victims of crime associated with the group have risen to influential positions. Russell Field, whose son Matthew Field and his pregnant wife Kate Leadbetter were killed by a youth offender driving a stolen car in 2021, was recently elected as the member of parliament for Capalaba. While Mr Field attended rallies the group has held and commended its work, he said he wasn't officially affiliated with it. "The general public needed something like them standing up, what everyone was saying was falling on deaf ears with the previous government," he said. Ben Cannon, a group co-founder, who came to the aid of neighbour and rugby union great Toutai Kefu during a violent home invasion in 2021, was appointed to an independent body advising on youth crime reforms by the former Labor government. Another co-founder, Lyndy Atkinson, was also recently appointed to an independent panel to advise on the next tranche of changes to youth crime laws, but not as a representative for Voice for Victims. She declined a request for an interview. Ms Reading said the group had no political affiliation. "We're trying to divorce the Facebook page from politics. It probably sounds naive, but we have always been bipartisan in this," she said. Finding the right balance University of Queensland criminologist Renee Zahnow said groups like Voice for Victims were incredibly important for victims' empowerment but noted there was a risk of becoming an "echo chamber". "It's about finding that fine line because it's really important for victims to discuss among themselves and to get support about their victimisation, because if they don't talk about it, we know that that can lead to long, lasting trauma," she said. "But we also need people to realise a very small number of people will ever be a direct victim of crime." She said many people in the community would likely mirror the sentiments of Voice for Victims' members but highlighted the need for an opposite perspective. "I might agree that victims deserve a voice, and their voice should be heard, but I would also say that it's not evidence-based, it's emotionally based," she said. "Policies need to be based on scientific evidence about what is going to be best for the community overall and what is going to be most effective in terms of our response for getting the outcomes that we want."