Past community consultation activities
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General commenced a review of the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2003 in September 2013. A consultation paper will be released in early 2014 for public comment.
In late 2015, the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse (the Commission), established by the Australian Government, delivered the Redress and Civil Litigation Report (the Report). The Queensland Government considered the findings and recommendations of the Commission in relation to the difficulties experienced by survivors of child sexual abuse in commencing or pursuing civil litigation against institutions and announced the removal of the statutory limitation period for institutional child sexual abuse claims.
We are seeking feedback on aspects of the proposed sexual assault counselling privilege model.
We are seeking information about; issues arising from the current definition of corrupt conduct under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001 and potential changes to the current definition to address these issues.
We are seeking feedback on the current processes for the appointment of judicial officers in Queensland.
This consultation paper is part of the three year statutory review of the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal Act 2009 (the QCAT Act). Submissions are sought on the issues raised in the paper.
Through its Safer Streets Crime Action Plan, the Newman Government made a commitment to crack down on crime. As part of this plan, in its first year the Newman Government has delivered a raft of criminal law reforms aimed at increasing sentences for offenders and breaking the cycle of youth crime.
The Queensland Government is seeking feedback on the draft Guidelines to the Queensland Code of Practice for the Building and Construction Industry. The Guidelines expand on the priorities and objectives set out in the code of practice for the building industry which outlines the Government’s expectations for principles and standards of behaviour to be observed within Queensland’s building industry.
The Electoral Act 1992 (Qld) governs the conduct of elections in Queensland. In addition to establishing the Electoral Commission of Queensland as an independent and impartial body to run free and democratic elections in Queensland, the Act deals with a range of issues including electoral rolls, voter enrolment, registration of political parties, voting, electoral advertising and election funding and disclosure.
The Queensland Government is seeking the views of industrial relations stakeholders and the business community on whether it should maintain or terminate the referral of its industrial relations jurisdiction for the unincorporated private sector to the Commonwealth.
Identifying opportunities to reduce unnecessary and excessive legislative requirements, and streamline administrative and procurement processes.
The Retail Shop Leases Act 1994 (the Act) governs retail shop leases in Queensland, including mandatory minimum standards for such leases and a low cost dispute resolution process for retail tenancy disputes.
The Queensland Government is seeking comment from the building and construction industry on the QLeave Scheme Review.
The purpose of this discussion paper is to propose the extension of the existing mandatory safety switch requirements to include temporary residential accommodation places, such as short-term holiday accommodation, hostels, boarding houses, hotels, motels, on-site temporary and semi-permanent accommodation provided by caravan and holiday parks, as well as for all Queensland domestic residences. This will ensure all Queensland residents and visitors are afforded the same level of protection from electrical injury and death regardless of their accommodation choice.
On 24 November, Attorney-General Cameron Dick released the containing the first stage of the Government’s progressive rollout of sweeping reforms focussed on modernising Queensland’s civil and criminal justice system.
The Government proposes to introduce a new defence for homicide into the Criminal Code. The defence will apply in cases where the accused has unlawfully killed another in certain circumstances.
The proposed legislative framework for altruistic surrogacy aims to achieve a balance between helping childless Queenslanders to become parents and protecting the rights and interests of the child.
Review of the law regarding children being cared for by same-sex parents
The draft Victims of Crime Assistance Bill 2009 provides for a new scheme which focuses on victim recovery by paying for or reimbursing the costs of goods and services that the victim requires to help them recover from the physical and psychological effects of the crime.
The discussion paper is a result of a review of the use of provocation and accident defences in murder and manslaughter trials, conducted by the Queensland Law Reform Commission in 2008.
On 6 November 2008, the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General released the Model Criminal Law Officers’ Committee’s (MCLOC) Discussion Paper on non-consensual genetic testing for public consultation.
Spent convictions schemes exist in all Australian jurisdictions, except Victoria and South Australia. The schemes vary in operation between jurisdictions through the level of convictions capable of being spent, exclusions from the schemes, when the waiting period commences and its length, the means by which convictions become spent and the situations in which such information may be used, disclosed and taken into account.
Queensland Government Response to the Queensland Law Reform Commission Report - Public Justice, Private Lives: A New Approach to Confidentiality in the Guardianship System.
Dangerous and intrusive trees are one of the most common causes of neighbourhood conflict.
On 8 August 2008 the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Kerry Shine called for a review of the civil and criminal justice system in Queensland, with the aim of identifying practical improvements to resolve cases more quickly and fairly.
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General is currently examining ways to improve the delivery of justice services to Cape York communities.
The government will establish a single civil and administrative tribunal.
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General is seeking public comment on proposed regulations under the Body Corporate and Community Management Act 1997.
On 24 November 2008 Premier Anna Bligh and Attorney-General Kerry Shine announced that the new Victims Financial Assistance Scheme would replace the current scheme under the Criminal Offence Victims Act 1995 (COVA).
A report produced by Queensland Advocacy Incorporated on the issues faced by people with a disability within the Queensland criminal justice system.
This discussion paper is part of a project that aims to improve the delivery of civil and administrative justice across all Queensland Government agencies. The project is conducted by the Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Kerry Shine recently commissioned an audit of homicide trials to ascertain the nature and frequency of the reliance on the excuse of accident (under section 23 of the Criminal Code) and the partial defence to murder of provocation (under section 304 of the Criminal Code).
Fences are one of the most common causes of neighbourhood conflict and complaints to government departments and councils.
The Standing Committee of Attorneys General (SCAG) agreed that further consultation and research should be undertaken into regulating the litigation funding industry.
At a meeting of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) in August 2003, Ministers agreed that all State and Territory officers would work in consultation to develop options for reform to address the issue of unauthorised publication of photographs being made available on websites.
Defamation laws in Australia vary between the States and Territories. These cross-jurisdictional differences have become more significant with the escalation in internet publication and the practical realities of mass communication.