Queensland Human Rights Commission
OrganisationReferenced in 16 bills
Victims' Commissioner and Sexual Violence Review Board Bill 2024
This bill creates a Victims' Commissioner to advocate for crime victims and handle complaints about breaches of their rights. It also establishes a Sexual Violence Review Board to examine systemic problems in how sexual offences are reported, investigated and prosecuted. The reforms follow the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce's Hear Her Voice reports.
Human Rights Bill 2018
This bill creates Queensland's first Human Rights Act, establishing statutory protections for 23 fundamental rights including the right to life, liberty, privacy, freedom of expression, and fair treatment. It requires government agencies to act compatibly with human rights and creates a complaint mechanism through the Queensland Human Rights Commission.
Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2023
This bill makes a wide range of health reforms to improve patient safety and expand access to healthcare. Key changes include allowing nurses and midwives to provide early medical terminations of pregnancy, counting babies as separate patients for midwife staffing ratios, requiring disclosure of serious patient safety risks identified by quality committees, and allowing Mental Health Court documents to be used in criminal proceedings.
Child Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2020
This bill clarifies that adoption is an option for achieving permanent homes for children in out-of-home care, responding to coronial recommendations following the death of Mason Jet Lee. It requires case plan reviews after two years for children under the chief executive's long-term guardianship, to ensure better permanency options are actively considered.
Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill makes wide-ranging amendments to over 35 justice-related Acts to improve court and tribunal efficiency. It modernises the coronial system, strengthens protections for vulnerable witnesses, expands when property offences can be dealt with in Magistrates Courts, and closes gaps in dangerous prisoner supervision laws.
Inspector of Detention Services Bill 2021
This bill creates an independent Inspector of Detention Services to oversee Queensland's prisons, youth detention centres, work camps, and police watch-houses. The Inspector will conduct regular inspections, review how people in custody are treated, and report publicly to Parliament on conditions and any concerns about harm or ill-treatment.
Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023
This bill makes wide-ranging updates to Queensland's justice system, covering courts, tribunals, the legal profession, electoral processes, and victim recognition. It brings significant changes including allowing public identification of sexual offence defendants before committal, better recognition of unborn children's deaths in criminal proceedings, stronger oversight of JPs, and various administrative improvements.
Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021
This bill responds to a small group of repeat young offenders responsible for nearly half of youth crime by tightening bail laws and allowing GPS monitoring. It also gives Gold Coast police new powers to scan people for knives in entertainment areas, and makes it easier to prosecute drivers involved in hooning offences.
Industrial Relations and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
This bill implements major reforms to Queensland's industrial relations system following a five-year review. It strengthens workplace sexual harassment protections, creates a framework for minimum standards for gig economy courier drivers, modernises parental leave, and enhances equal remuneration requirements in enterprise bargaining.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
This bill modernises Queensland law to recognise trans and gender diverse people in police and health search procedures, while also making changes to the parole system and prisoner safety assessments. It passed with amendment in 2024.
Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Bill 2022
This bill modernises Queensland's birth, death and marriage registration system with significant reforms for trans and gender diverse people. It removes the requirement for surgery to change sex on a birth certificate, instead allowing people 16 and over to self-declare their sex with a supporting statement. It also recognises contemporary family structures by allowing same-sex parents to both be recorded as 'mother' or both as 'father'.
Criminal Law (Raising the Age of Responsibility) Amendment Bill 2021
This bill sought to raise the age of criminal responsibility in Queensland from 10 to 14 years old. It would have prevented children under 14 from being charged, prosecuted, detained or given criminal records, and required the release of children already in custody for offences committed before age 14. The bill failed at the second reading and did not become law.
Respect at Work and Other Matters Amendment Bill 2024
This bill strengthens Queensland's anti-discrimination and workplace protections by requiring employers to actively prevent discrimination and harassment, expanding the grounds on which discrimination is prohibited, and creating new protections against sex-based harassment and hostile work environments. It also increases penalties for violence against workers and clarifies judicial immunity for magistrates.
Corrective Services (Promoting Safety) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
This bill reforms Queensland's corrective services system with a focus on victim safety and rights. It enhances the Victims Register, puts victims' representatives on the Parole Board, cracks down on prisoners contacting victims via phone, and strengthens monitoring of dangerous child sex offenders after release.
Local Government Electoral and Other Legislation (Expenditure Caps) Amendment Bill 2022
This bill introduces spending caps for Queensland local government elections to create fairer campaigns. It limits how much candidates, political parties, and third parties can spend on advertising and other campaign activities, and requires detailed disclosure of campaign finances.
Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021
This bill makes wide-ranging amendments to Queensland health legislation, with major reforms to mental health law including stronger rights for patients in electroconvulsive therapy decisions and transfers, better access to patient records for allied health professionals, improved support for victims of unlawful acts, and various technical updates across multiple Acts.