Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill introduces major new criminal penalties for metal theft targeting infrastructure and essential services, strengthens regulation of scrap metal dealers, reforms the coronial system for greater efficiency, increases fines for stock-related rural crime, and creates a legal framework for media access to offender information. It also makes a wide range of updates across justice portfolio legislation.
Who it affects
Communities affected by infrastructure metal theft will benefit from tougher penalties and better regulation. Bereaved families should see faster coronial processes, primary producers gain stronger stock theft deterrence, and litigants in mid-range civil disputes get cheaper access to justice through the District Court.
Metal theft crackdown
Creates new and significantly increased Criminal Code penalties for stealing, damaging or possessing metal from infrastructure, essential services and vehicles. Also tightens regulation of scrap metal dealers to disrupt the sale of stolen metal.
- Penalties of up to 25 years imprisonment for metal theft that endangers life or occurs during natural disasters
- New offence of attempted metal theft (up to 7 years) and possession of suspected stolen items like catalytic converters (up to 3 years)
- Scrap metal dealers must verify sellers' identity with photo ID and record all transactions regardless of value
- Escalating penalties for dealers who repeatedly fail to report suspected stolen scrap metal to police
- Unlicensed scrap metal dealing now carries up to 400 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment
Coronial system reforms
Streamlines the coronial system by allowing delegation of less complex matters to registrars, enabling more coroners to investigate natural deaths in custody, and expanding oversight of deaths of people with disability receiving Commonwealth support.
- State Coroner can delegate coronial functions to registrars and qualified deputy registrars for less complex matters
- Any coroner can now investigate natural deaths in custody or from police operations, not just the State Coroner or deputies
- Deaths of people receiving support under the Commonwealth's Disability Support for Older Australians Program become reportable deaths in care
- Coroners can now state in findings that they have referred matters to entities like the DPP or Crime and Corruption Commission
Stock offence penalties
Increases minimum fines for nine stock-related offences to better reflect the seriousness of rural crime and its impact on primary producers.
- Minimum prescribed fines for most stock offences more than doubled (e.g. from 4 to 10 penalty units, or 10 to 20 penalty units)
- Streamlined stock disposal order process with revised affidavit requirements
- Modernised animal valuer appointment process
Media access to offender information
Formalises existing practice by creating a legal framework for police and court registrars to share alleged offender details with accredited media, supporting open justice and transparent court reporting.
- QPS must disclose alleged offender information to accredited media where a media release has been issued about charges
- Court registrars across all court levels may disclose alleged offender information to accredited media
- Penalty of 20 penalty units for unauthorised on-disclosure of offender names
- Liability protections for officials who disclose information honestly and without negligence
Court jurisdiction and other justice updates
Doubles the District Court's civil jurisdiction to $1.5 million, allows lower courts to issue charging and stop orders, repeals the Brisbane Casino Agreement Act, updates the Integrity Commissioner's functions, and makes numerous technical corrections across justice legislation.
- District Court civil jurisdiction increased from $750,000 to $1.5 million, improving access to justice especially in regional areas
- District and Magistrates Courts can now issue enforcement warrants containing charging orders and stop orders
- Brisbane Casino Agreement Act 1992 repealed following Treasury Brisbane casino closure
- Integrity Commissioner can now give and receive verbal advice on ethics matters
- Justices of the Peace oath updated to refer to King Charles III