Law and justice in Queensland
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General
The Department of Justice and Attorney-General is the government agency responsible for administering justice, industrial relations and safety services in Queensland.
The department delivers diverse services to urban, rural and remote communities throughout the state, including:
- courts and tribunals
- legal and advocacy
- a range of community-focused programs, policies and services, including services to protect vulnerable people
- services aimed at improving productivity, equity and safety in Queensland workplaces.
Queensland Courts
Queensland Courts is responsible for the delivery of justice according to the law and forms the judicial arm of the criminal justice system. The courts play a key role in upholding peace, order and good government—essential features of a civilised society.
Queensland Courts includes the Magistrates Court, District Court and Supreme Court. These courts hear both civil and criminal cases throughout the state.
The Magistrates Court can hear cases in 145 locations, from Boigu Island in the Torres Strait, to Hungerford in the south and to Camooweal in the west. The Supreme Court and District Court sit in 11 and 32 locations respectively.
Judges and magistrates travel to remote and regional areas to ensure all Queenslanders have access to justice. Advances in technology also allow many witnesses and defendants in these regions to give evidence via remote facilities.
In addition, Queensland Courts coordinates a number of proactive court diversion, treatment and sentencing initiatives designed to reduce repeat offending and the over-representation of Indigenous people in the criminal justice system.
Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT)
QCAT began its operations on 1 December 2009 amalgamating 23 of the state’s tribunals and bodies into one, providing a single gateway through which the community can access justice.
QCAT delivers justice in a way that is:
- independent
- efficient
- expert
- accessible
- flexible
- able to adapt to future demands.
QCAT hears and decides a wide range of matters including residential tenancy disputes, debt disputes, consumer and trader disputes, guardianship matters, children and young people matters and disciplinary proceedings. It also reviews some decisions of government agencies and statutory authorities.
Queensland Parliament
The Queensland Parliament is a unicameral parliament, consisting of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (the Lower House). The Legislative Assembly is comprised of 89 Members who are directly elected and each represent a Queensland state electoral district.
The Queensland Parliament - Explore your Parliament activities have been developed to provide teachers at all schooling levels with classroom resources to help them teach young people about democracy in Queensland. Explore Your Parliament has been organised according to the functions of the Parliament:
- representing the people
- making the State Government accountable
- passing legislation
- bringing down and passing the Budget.
If you are interested in visiting Parliament House throughout Law Week or the teaching year, more information is available on the Queensland Parliament website. Early bookings are recommended.
Date created: 2010-03-19; Last published: 11 April 2011; Last updated: 24 November 2011
