Toowoomba
PlaceReferenced in 6 bills
Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation (Rent Freeze) Amendment Bill 2022
This private member's bill proposed a two-year freeze on all residential rents in Queensland at August 2022 levels, with ongoing caps of 2% every two years thereafter. It responded to record rent increases (over 20% annually in Brisbane) and near-zero vacancy rates across the state. This bill was discharged and did not become law.
Pharmacy Business Ownership Bill 2023
This bill replaces Queensland's 20-year-old pharmacy ownership law with a modern licensing and regulatory framework. It establishes the Queensland Pharmacy Business Ownership Council as an independent body to oversee who can own pharmacies, introduces mandatory annual licensing, and strengthens protections against commercial interference in pharmacy health services.
Land Tax and Other Legislation (Empty Homes Levy) Amendment Bill 2022
This bill proposed an Empty Homes Levy to tackle Queensland's housing crisis by taxing vacant residential properties and undeveloped land at 5% of their capital improved value each year. Modelled on Vancouver's empty homes tax, which reduced vacancies by 24%, it aimed to push an estimated 20,600 vacant homes back onto the rental market over four years. This was a private member's bill introduced by Dr Amy MacMahon MP (Member for South Brisbane). It was discharged and did not become law.
Racing Integrity Amendment Bill 2022
This bill overhauls how disciplinary decisions by racing stewards are reviewed in Queensland's thoroughbred, harness and greyhound racing industries. It establishes an independent Racing Appeals Panel to replace the existing system of internal review by QRIC and external review by QCAT, aiming to resolve disputes within days rather than months. The bill also authorises the online publication of stewards' reports and makes several technical improvements to bookmaker licensing rules.
Youth Justice (Monitoring Devices) Amendment Bill 2025
This bill extends Queensland's trial of electronic monitoring devices for children on bail by one year, to 30 April 2026. The trial allows courts to order children aged 15 and over who are charged with serious offences and have a history of offending to wear a monitoring device as a condition of bail. The extension gives the government time to properly evaluate whether the devices are effective before deciding the trial's future.
Evidence and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021
This bill makes changes across several areas of Queensland's justice system. It introduces shield laws to protect journalists' confidential sources in court, creates a framework for a pilot where police-recorded video statements can be used as evidence in domestic and family violence criminal proceedings, and establishes a process for viewing deceased persons' remains in criminal cases following the Daniel Morcombe inquest.