Court of Appeal
OrganisationReferenced in 7 bills
Human Rights Bill 2018
This bill creates a Human Rights Act for Queensland, establishing statutory protections for 23 human rights drawn from international law. It requires all government agencies, councils, police and contracted public service providers to act compatibly with these rights, and sets up a complaints process through a renamed Queensland Human Rights Commission.
Criminal Code and Other Legislation (Double Jeopardy Exception and Subsequent Appeals) Amendment Bill 2023
This bill strengthens Queensland's criminal justice system in two ways: it allows convicted people to make further appeals when new evidence of their innocence emerges, and it expands the ability to retry people who were acquitted of serious crimes when fresh evidence comes to light. Queensland was one of the last Australian jurisdictions without a subsequent appeal framework, and the double jeopardy exception previously only applied to murder.
Criminal Code (Child Sexual Offences Reform) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill reforms Queensland's criminal justice response to child sexual abuse, implementing key recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. It creates mandatory reporting obligations for all adults, introduces new offences for possessing child abuse objects, strengthens sentencing for child sexual offenders, and establishes a pilot scheme to help vulnerable witnesses give evidence in court.
Community Based Sentences (Interstate Transfer) Bill 2019
This bill allows adults serving community-based sentences in Queensland — such as probation, community service, or drug and alcohol treatment orders — to have their sentences formally transferred to another state or territory when they move interstate. It replaces informal arrangements that had no enforcement powers with a proper legal framework based on nationally agreed model legislation.
Forest Wind Farm Development Bill 2020
This bill enables the construction and operation of a major wind farm of up to 226 turbines in Queensland State forests, and separately fixes planning controls for the Springfield development area in Ipswich. The wind farm component creates special tenure arrangements that override forestry and land laws to allow a $2 billion renewable energy project to coexist with existing plantation forestry in the Toolara, Tuan and Neerdie State forests.
Criminal Code and Other Legislation (Mason Jett Lee) Amendment Bill 2019
This bill sought to introduce mandatory minimum prison sentences for the murder of children and create a new criminal offence of 'child homicide'. Named after Mason Jett Lee, a toddler who was killed, it aimed to ensure sentencing for child deaths reflects community expectations and aligns with other Australian jurisdictions. The bill was defeated at the second reading and did not become law.
Crime and Corruption (Reporting) Amendment Bill 2024
This bill would have given the Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) clear legal powers to publicly report on corruption investigations and make public statements about corruption matters. It was introduced after the High Court ruled in 2023 that the CCC had no authority to publish reports on individual corruption investigations, leaving a gap in public accountability. This bill lapsed at the end of the 57th Parliament and did not become law.