Major Sports Facilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016

Introduced: 30/8/2016By: Hon C Pitt MPStatus: PASSED with amendment

Transport & Roads Business & Economy Environment Government & Elections

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Plain English Summary

This is an omnibus bill covering multiple policy areas.

Overview

This bill bundles changes across gambling, land, sport and transport laws. It cuts gaming machine tax for clubs with multiple premises, lets Queensland keno join interstate jackpot pools, allows the State to lease the beds of working rivers and lakes, streamlines stadium event advertising rules, and relaxes a toll freeze on the Logan and Gateway Motorways to fund a $450 million upgrade.

Who it affects

Community clubs, keno players, landowners near rivers and lakes, Stadiums Queensland board members, local advertisers near stadiums, and drivers using the Logan and Gateway Motorways (especially heavy vehicles).

Gaming machine tax for clubs

Clubs that run more than one venue will be taxed on each venue's gaming revenue separately instead of having it added together first. The state-wide cap of 24,705 club gaming machines stays the same.

Gaming machine tax for multi-site clubs calculated per premises instead of aggregated
About $2.52 million less state revenue in 2016-17 from this change
State-wide club gaming machine cap of 24,705 unchanged

Keno jackpot pooling

Queensland's sole keno licensee (owned by Tabcorp) can join interstate jackpot pools with other states' keno operators, so a slice of ticket sales in each state goes into a shared prize pool.

Queensland keno can pool jackpot growth with New South Wales, Victoria and future partners
Synchronised draws allowed even during Queensland's prescribed prohibited periods
Minister can require a copy of pooling agreements and order the licensee to exit if integrity or public interest is at risk

Leasing beds of rivers and lakes

The State can now lease the bed and banks of a working non-tidal boundary watercourse or lake to itself (and sublease to others) for infrastructure projects, but only with adjoining landowner consent and Water Act chief executive approval.

State can lease functioning non-tidal river or lake beds for infrastructure
Each adjoining landowner must consent before a lease can be granted
Water Act chief executive must also consent and can attach conditions
Adjoining owners' grazing and access rights are limited by the lease

Stadium events and governance

The bill adds a second way to declare sporting events for advertising protection (prescribed in regulation rather than by the Governor in Council), allows police criminal history checks for Stadiums Queensland board appointees, and formally renames Suncorp Stadium to Brisbane Stadium in all affected laws.

New streamlined process to prescribe sporting events for advertising protection
Advertising restrictions for prescribed events run 6am to midnight on event days only
Chief executive can seek criminal history reports on Stadiums Queensland board candidates with written consent
Directors must notify chief executive of any indictable conviction during their term (100 penalty units if they do not)
Suncorp Stadium renamed Brisbane Stadium across the Major Sports Facilities Act, Liquor Act and related legislation

Logan Motorway tolls

A 2010 law preventing toll increases above CPI on the Logan and Gateway Motorways is relaxed so the Transport Minister can authorise new toll arrangements to fund the Logan Motorway Enhancement Project, which is a Transurban-led market-led proposal.

Minister can approve new toll declarations if necessary to deliver the Logan Motorway Enhancement Project
Heavy vehicle tolls can increase and new tolls can apply at upgraded Compton Road south-facing ramps
Other existing toll restrictions on the network remain in place
Project to be funded at no cost to government

How this affects you

Transport & Roads

•Drivers using the Logan and Gateway Motorways could face new toll arrangements to fund a $450 million motorway upgradeClause 35Amends section 93AA so the Minister can approve a new toll declaration if necessary to facilitate the Logan Motorway Enhancement Project.
•Heavy vehicles will pay higher tolls and new tolls will apply at upgraded south-facing ramps at Compton RoadClause 35The Government has announced the project would be funded through toll increases for heavy vehicles and a toll point for all vehicles on new south-facing ramps at Compton Road.
•Existing toll increase protections on the rest of the QML network remain in place for motoristsClause 35

Business & Economy

•Community clubs with more than one venue will pay less gaming machine tax because each venue is taxed separatelyClause 4Amends section 312 of the Gaming Machine Act so tax is applied on a per-premises basis rather than aggregating metered win across a club's premises.
•The Queensland keno operator can join interstate jackpot pools and offer bigger shared prizesClause 6 (new section 137A)Allows a keno licensee to enter a keno pooling agreement with an interstate entity to retain, apply and transfer pooling contributions.
•Local advertisers near stadiums face shorter restriction windows for prescribed events, running only 6am to midnight on event daysClause 28New definition of 'restricted advertising period' sets the period for prescribed events at 6am to midnight on event days.
•Transurban Queensland gains the legal pathway to fund the Logan Motorway Enhancement Project at no cost to governmentClause 35

Environment

•If you own land next to a river or lake, the government must get your written consent before leasing the bed next to your propertyClause 13 (new section 13AB)Non-tidal watercourse land or non-tidal lake land may only be leased if each adjacent owner consents and the chief executive (water) consents.
•Your existing rights to cross or graze stock on the bed of an adjoining river or lake can be limited if the bed is leasedClause 12Adds subsection (6) to section 13A limiting riparian rights where the adjacent area is subject to a lease.
•The State can now lease the bed of a functioning river or lake for infrastructure projects like bridges or pipelinesClause 13 (new section 13AA)Non-tidal watercourse land and non-tidal lake land may be leased under the Land Act as if they were unallocated State land.

Government & Elections

•Stadiums Queensland board candidates can be asked to consent to a police criminal history check before appointmentClause 18 (new section 17A)The chief executive may ask the commissioner of the police service for a report about the criminal history of a person, but only with the person's written consent.
•Stadiums Queensland directors must tell the chief executive straight away if they are convicted of a serious offence while in officeClause 18 (new section 17C)A director convicted of an indictable offence during their term must immediately notify the chief executive, with a maximum penalty of 100 penalty units for failing to do so.
•Criminal history reports held by department staff must stay confidential, with a penalty of up to 100 penalty units for leaksClause 18 (new section 17B)
•Suncorp Stadium is formally renamed Brisbane Stadium across Queensland legislationClauses 22, 26, 27 and Schedule 1Replaces 'Suncorp' with 'Brisbane' in the Major Sports Facilities Act, the Liquor Act and the Planning (Consequential) and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2016.

Bill Journey

Introduced30 Aug 2016

First Reading

Committee

Committee Report10 Oct 2016

Committee report tabled

Second Reading

In Detail

Third Reading

Royal Assent11 Nov 2016

Referenced Entities

Sectors Affected

Land Management Public Administration Gambling Sport Transport Infrastructure

Classified using AGIFT/ANZSIC Australian government standards

Major Sports Facilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016

Plain English Summary

Overview

Who it affects

Gaming machine tax for clubs

Keno jackpot pooling

Leasing beds of rivers and lakes

Stadium events and governance

Logan Motorway tolls

Bill Journey

Referenced Entities

Legislation

Organisations

Programs & Schemes

Places

Roles & Offices

Sectors Affected

Source Documents