Crime and Corruption (Restoring Reporting Powers) Amendment Bill 2025
Plain English Summary
Overview
This bill restores the Crime and Corruption Commission's power to publicly report on corruption investigations and make public statements about corruption matters. The High Court ruled in 2023 that the CCC had never actually held this power, invalidating past reports. The bill creates new reporting powers with safeguards, enhances procedural fairness for people named in reports, and retrospectively validates all past CCC corruption reports.
Who it affects
Public sector employees and officials who may be the subject of CCC investigations gain stronger procedural fairness rights, while the general public benefits from restored transparency about corruption in government.
Key changes
- CCC can again publicly report on corruption matters and make public statements, subject to mandatory criteria including public benefit, seriousness, and potential prejudice to proceedings
- People named in CCC reports must be given at least 30 days to respond to adverse comments, with a right to seek extensions through the Supreme Court
- CCC is explicitly prohibited from finding that a person has or has not engaged in corruption, or recommending prosecution
- All past CCC corruption reports and public statements made before 13 September 2023 are retrospectively validated as lawful
- CCC reports now go directly to the Speaker for tabling in Parliament, enhancing the Commission's independence from the Parliamentary Crime and Corruption Committee
- New offence for disclosing draft CCC reports or related evidence, carrying a maximum penalty of 85 penalty units or 1 year's imprisonment
Bill Story
The journey of this bill through Parliament, including debate and recorded votes.
▸Committee20 Feb 2025View Hansard
Referred to Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee
The Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee examined the bill over two months, receiving 11 submissions and holding public hearings. The committee recommended the bill be passed. The bill restores the Crime and Corruption Commission's power to publicly report on corruption investigations following the High Court's decision in Crime and Corruption Commission v Carne, which found the CCC lacked that power. The committee was satisfied the bill includes appropriate safeguards against the release of information where risks outweigh benefits.
Key findings (5)
- The bill was prompted by the High Court decision in CCC v Carne which found the CCC did not have statutory power to table and publish reports about corruption investigations
- Since the High Court decision, the CCC had not published any reports or public statements about corruption matters, having previously made 32 reports and 256 statements
- The bill provides new discretionary powers for the CCC to report and make public statements about corruption matters, subject to safeguards
- The bill includes retrospective validation of existing CCC reports and statements to remove residual legal risk
- The committee was satisfied the bill is compatible with human rights and gives sufficient regard to the rights and liberties of individuals
Recommendations (1)
- The committee recommends that the Bill be passed.
Committee report tabled
▸Second Reading29 Apr 2025View Hansard
Supported the CCC public reporting provisions but strongly opposed the government's last-minute amendments to pause the Respect at Work provisions, arguing they remove protections from discrimination, intimidation and harassment in the workplace.
“I reiterate the opposition's support for these public reporting amendments. Of course, the opposition does have some concerns around the other amendments which the government has introduced at the last minute.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Strongly supported the bill as restoring transparency and accountability, arguing it would ensure government misconduct is exposed and CCC reports are accessible to all Queenslanders, including those in regional areas.
“When governments start covering up, dodging scrutiny and protecting their mates instead of protecting the public, it is not just a bad look; it is a disease that sets in deep.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Supported the bill, criticising the former Labor government for spending taxpayer money to conceal CCC reports about Jackie Trad and Peter Carne, and defending the bill's provisions for DNA evidence preservation.
“It took an LNP government to come into this House and do what Labor could not do: move a motion to have those reports released.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Supported the bill, condemning the former Labor government for spending over $300,000 of taxpayers' money to keep CCC reports about Trad and Carne secret, and supporting the DNA evidence preservation amendments.
“When we say to our constituents in our electorates that $300,000 was spent by the previous Labor government to keep reports about Trad and Carne secret, it does not pass the pub test.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
As Attorney-General, delivered the speech in reply, defending the bill as delivering on an election promise to restore CCC reporting powers, and justified the amendments to pause the Respect at Work Act and preserve DNA evidence.
“We went to the election with a simple promise to restore the CCC's powers, and today we deliver on that promise for the benefit of all Queenslanders.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
▸In Detail30 Apr 2025View Hansard
Amendment to update the short title of the bill to include 'and Other Legislation', enabling unrelated amendments to be attached to the Crime and Corruption bill.
Amendments Nos 2 and 3 to amend CCC notice-by-email provisions, expanding the types of notices that can be given by email and allowing blanket email consent for categories of notices.
Amendment No. 4 inserting new section 85AB to allow the CCC chairperson to enter into standing email agreements with entities (particularly financial institutions) for efficient service of notices.
Amendment No. 7 to validate prior email agreements entered into by the CCC chairperson before the commencement of the new provisions.
Amendment No. 8 to change CCC commissioner appointment terms from a fixed 7 years to a non-renewable term of up to 7 years, implementing a PCCC recommendation.
Amendment No. 10 amending the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 to delay the application of new burden-of-proof provisions for discrimination complaints, retrospective to 1 December 2024.
Amendment No. 11 amending the Evidence Act 1977 to clarify that preliminary complaint evidence remains admissible in sexual offence proceedings started before 23 September 2024, fixing a transitional gap.
Amendment No. 12 amending the Forensic Science Queensland Act 2024 to fix employment framework provisions for staff who transferred from Queensland Health to the Department of Justice, validated retrospectively from 1 July 2024.
Amendment No. 13 amending the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 to extend DNA sample destruction timeframes from 3 years to 7 years for samples taken during the DNA lab debacle period, and extending the review period to 2030.
Amendment No. 14 amending the Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Act 2024 to indefinitely delay its commencement from 1 July 2025 to a date to be fixed by proclamation, pausing workplace anti-discrimination and anti-harassment provisions.
Supported the core CCC reporting amendments and DNA preservation amendments but strongly opposed the Respect at Work pause, arguing it delays protections for workers, victims of domestic violence, and people with disabilities.
“Indefinitely delaying these protections is akin to condoning discrimination and harassment.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Supported the DNA evidence preservation amendments and the Forensic Science Queensland amendments but strongly opposed the pause to the Respect at Work Act, arguing it would delay protections for women, DFV victims, and people with disability.
“Indefinitely delaying these protections is akin to condoning discrimination and harassment.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Supported the core CCC reporting powers but objected to the Respect at Work amendment being rushed through without committee process, arguing it makes a mockery of stakeholders who worked on the reform for over three years.
“Rushing it through as an amendment, bypassing a committee process and not allowing a full debate and consideration of this, as I said yesterday, makes a mockery of this House and makes a mockery of the people who have worked so hard on this particular reform.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Supported the bill and the Respect at Work pause, arguing Labor had waited until the last days of parliament to introduce these changes without proper debate.
“It is perfectly sensible for the Attorney-General to take the steps she has. Humbug, I say, to those over there. They are completely without policy principle.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Defended the amendment to pause the Respect at Work Act as a sensible step, criticising the former Labor government for introducing those reforms only three days before parliament was dissolved without proper debate.
“I remember coming back in here for the debate on the third last day of the last sitting week of this House, and the then attorney-general got up and moved a passage of amendments arising from the recommendations of the Building belonging report that the Queensland Human Rights Commission had proposed, to be passed on three hours' notice.”— 2025-04-30View Hansard
Assent date: 19 May 2025