Consultation on court and tribunal users with disability
Queensland Court and Tribunal Services (CATS), a business unit of the Queensland Department of Justice (DoJ), is exploring opportunities to improve accessibility for court and tribunal users with disability.
CATS is independent of the legislative and executive branches of government. CATS provides administrative support to the Supreme, District, Land, Magistrates and Coroners Courts and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal.
Why are we doing this
Your feedback will help to shape DoJ’s efforts to deliver high quality, people-centred justice services that are accessible to people with disability.
It will also contribute to the Queensland Government’s implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of people with Disability. Volume 8 reported that people with disability, particularly those with cognitive disabilities, are significantly over-represented at all stages of the criminal justice system, from police contact and arrest, through to court processes, correctional settings, and as victims of crime.
This consultation process will help DoJ to implement recommendation 8.11, which asks governments to provide information to court practitioners (judicial officers, legal practitioners and court staff) about adjustments, supports and services for people with disability.
Have your say
If you or someone close to you has disability and has used court or tribunal services in Queensland, we want to hear more about your experiences to understand how we can improve the accessibility of our services.
If you are an advocate or provide services or support to people with disability who access court or tribunal services, we would like to hear what you think works well, what issues need to be addressed, and opportunities for improvement.
To guide you in responding to the topics presented in this paper, we are asking a series of questions. You may choose to respond to all these questions, or only those that you are interested in. You can also raise additional relevant matters in your response.
Read the consultation paper or access the online consultation form.
Please provide feedback by 5pm on Friday 8 May 2026.
Ways to engage
We encourage you to provide feedback in a format that is most comfortable and accessible to you. This may include written responses in an email or letter, through the online form (link below) or a video. If you would prefer to give feedback verbally, a phone call or meeting can be arranged.
You can respond to the consultation questions via:
- Online consultation form
- Email: OPDI@justice.qld.gov.au
- Mail: Operational Policy Design and Implementation
Courts and Tribunals
Department of Justice
GPO Box 1649
Brisbane QLD 4001 - Phone: 07 3738 9917
Your privacy
Any personal information you include in your submission will be collected by DoJ for the purpose of obtaining comment on the content outlined in this paper. Submissions will be treated as public documents. This means they may be published on DoJs website or referred to in public documents. Your submission may also be released to other agencies or organisations as part of the consultation process. If you would like your submission, or any part of it, to be treated as confidential, please indicate this clearly. Please note that all submissions may be subject to disclosure as required by legislation, such as the Right to Information Act 2009, and access to submissions will be determined in accordance with relevant legislation.
Contact
Email OPDI@justice.qld.gov.au if you have any questions or would like to arrange a meeting.