Future performance and directions
The department will continue improving its business to ensure efficient and effective delivery of services to the community.
During 2009–10, the department undertook a significant review of its performance measures. As a result, a number of measures were discontinued or amended and new measures were developed. This annual report contains performance information for measures as they existed before the review. Information about discontinued, amended and new measures can be found in the 2010–11 Service Delivery Statements, book 1, pages 1-162 – 1-177.
In 2010-11, the department will continue to provide a range of services and programs to the Queensland community.
Justice Services
- Increase services to vulnerable adults through an additional 41 guardians and frontline staff which will allow the Office of the Adult Guardian to meet the demands of an ageing and growing population
- Improve services for vulnerable adults through establishing a regional south west Queensland Office of the Adult Guardian in Ipswich
- Continue to protect the rights and interests of vulnerable adults with impaired decisionmaking capacity through the establishment of the Guardianship Information Service aimed at providing support to guardians appointed as substitute decision makers by QCAT
- Commence at Westfield Garden City Shopping Centre, Upper Mount Gravatt in September 2010, a six-month pilot of a new mobile service, Justice Connect, to take justice-related services directly to where people live and work and provide the Queensland public with easy, quick, and convenient access and assistance to services and information
- Improve outcomes from neighbourly disputes by effectively managing the neighbourhood disputes jurisdiction that will be transferred to QCAT in 2010–11
- Commence the Civil and Criminal Jurisdiction Reform and Modernisation Amendment Act 2010 in 2010-11 which will result in expanded jurisdictions for the Magistrates Courts and District Court
- Expand the use of eTrials in cases in the Supreme Court at Brisbane by working with parties and the legal profession to ensure the more complex matters in our courts are supported by managing and presenting information electronically
- Expand the JPs in the Community program to sites at Ashgrove Woolworths, Kingaroy Courthouse, Warwick Shopping Centre, Emerald, Moorooka and Wilsonton Shopping Centre in Toowoomba
- Continue to review and improve the range of programs delivered through Victim Assist Queensland
- Continue to meet the increased workload and improve operations across the state through an additional Crown Prosecutor and four legal officers at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions
- Initiate efficiencies and integrate the Queensland Indigenous Alcohol Diversion Program and Murri Court within a framework of other Indigenous justice strategies
- Continue the Remote JP Court program to provide Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with training and to expand the number of JP Courts conducted in remote Indigenous communities
- Conduct an independent evaluation of the Remote JP Court to assess the scope of JP functions, including the types and appropriateness of sentences imposed given the offences committed
- Continue the work of judicial registrars at Southport and Townsville to improve the efficiency of these courts and refine the work of judicial registrars to account for recommendations from the Review of criminal and civil justice in Queensland report
(the Moynihan Review) - Continue to consult with court stakeholders to support the reform of the Queensland civil and criminal justice system with more efficient processes in court registries.
Office of Fair and Safe Work Queensland
- Continue to work with relevant organisations and key public sector unions and stakeholders to support the sale of Port of Brisbane Corporation, QR Limited and Queensland Motorways Limited
- Collaborate with agencies and public sector unions to plan, prepare, negotiate and finalise certified agreements due for renewal, including the agreements for police officers, health practitioners and Queensland Rail passenger workers
- Assist Government Owned Corporations to finalise replacement commonwealth enterprise agreements in 2010–2011 at Port of Brisbane, Port of Townsville, north Queensland Bulk ports, Queensland Rail, CS Energy and Stanwell
- Continue to address the electrical safety issues arising from the Commonwealth Government’s former Home Insulation Program in Queensland
- Work with other jurisdictions and Queensland stakeholders to develop regulations and priority codes of practice following the endorsement of the model Work Health and Safety Bill by the Workplace Relations Ministers Council
- Coordinate further industry based forums for the public sector and the manufacturing industry sector in October 2010 and continue to encourage commitment to zero harm at work by industry leaders
- Invite the remaining 4 000 medium sized businesses to participate in a free voluntary advisory service from August 2010 prior to an inspection and offer further advisory services under the Medium Sized Business Initiative
- Continue to work in partnership with the Commonwealth Government to implement the new national industrial relations system and to ensure that the rights of Queensland workers are protected
- Continue to advance the Workplace Productivity and Partnership pilot project to promote collaborative workplaces and draw on the findings of the 2008–09 Smart Workplaces project
- Provide assistance to public sector agencies and private sector employers in developing and implementing flexible work practices through the Work Life Balance Strategy
- Continue to work with the Queensland Treasury’s Office of Regulatory Efficiency in its coordination of Queensland licensing agencies’ input into the development of the Occupational Licensing National Law (Queensland) Bill up to its commencement in January 2011
- Allocate $2 million in the 2010–11 budget to ensure the availability of advisors to assist 1 187 businesses whose WorkCover premium rate is capped at twice the industry premium rate. These account for less than 2 per cent of all businesses within the Queensland workers’ compensation scheme but represent almost 12 per cent of all claims lodged with the scheme in 2008–09.
Strategic Policy, Legal and Executive Services
- Establish a Sentencing Advisory Council to help bridge the gap between community expectations, the courts and government on the complex issue of sentencing criminal offenders
- Continue work on the implementation of the recommendations of the Moynihan Review
- Improve departmental Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander programs, including the Murri Court, the Queensland Indigenous Alcohol Diversion Program and the Community Justice Group program, having regard to recent evaluations and review
- Contribute to developing the Government’s proposed new Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Justice Strategy and participate in the work of the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues and the national
Closing the Gap agenda - Develop amendments to the partial defence of provocation in the Criminal Code
- Develop amendments to the excuse of accident in the Criminal Code to redraft the terminology to better reflect the essence of the excuse
- Develop a package of legislative measures to address graveyard vandalism
- Continue work on developing the Neighbourhood Disputes Resolution Bill 2010
- Commence the role as lead agency for the Right to Information Act 2009 and Information Privacy Act 2009 and coordinate these responsibilities across government.
Corporate Services
- Continue the department’s capital works program including construction of the new Supreme Court and District Court complex and upgrades to the Southport Courthouse
- Design and implement an integrated program of management development and improved management practices that will support improved organisational capability and accountability
- Continue to improve specialised recruitment, selection and other employment strategies to increase the diversity of the department’s workforce
- Improve communication between the department and the community through online, social and direct marketing to raise awareness of the department's role and ensure its services are easily accessible
- Continue to foster a culture of integrity and accountability by providing ethics awareness programs, advisory services and managing misconduct matters effectively
- Implement strategies to improve financial management knowledge throughout the department.