Department of Local Government, Racing and Multicultural Affairs
OrganisationReferenced in 8 bills
Electoral and Other Legislation (Accountability, Integrity and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2019
This bill reforms Queensland's electoral and integrity laws to reduce the influence of money in politics and strengthen accountability for elected officials. It caps political donations and election spending, restricts signage at polling booths, creates new criminal offences for Ministers and councillors who dishonestly hide conflicts of interest, and establishes a statutory framework for political staff (councillor advisors) in local government.
Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2019
This bill provides formal Parliamentary approval for $1.397 billion in supplementary government spending that occurred during 2018-19. The spending exceeded the original 2018 Budget and was initially authorised by the Governor in Council, but Queensland's Constitution requires all government expenditure from the Consolidated Fund to be approved by Parliament.
Local Government (Councillor Complaints) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill replaces Queensland's system for handling complaints about local government councillors with an independent, streamlined framework. It creates an Independent Assessor to investigate all complaints, a Councillor Conduct Tribunal to hear serious misconduct cases, and a mandatory code of conduct for councillors. The reforms address longstanding concerns about conflicts of interest when council CEOs assessed complaints against their own councillors.
Appropriation Bill 2018
This bill authorises the Queensland Government to spend $53.2 billion from the Consolidated Fund in the 2018-19 financial year. It is the annual appropriation bill that gives every government department legal authority to access its budget allocation for delivering public services including health, education, transport, policing, and community support.
Betting Tax Bill 2018
This bill introduces a 15% point-of-consumption betting tax on the net wagering revenue of betting operators from bets placed by customers in Queensland. It replaces the previous point-of-supply wagering tax and aligns Queensland with similar reforms in other Australian states. The bill also removes outdated prohibitions on interstate interactive wagering.
Appropriation Bill 2019
This bill authorises the Queensland Government to spend $54.7 billion from the Consolidated Fund for the 2019-20 financial year. It is the standard annual appropriation bill that gives 28 government departments and agencies the legal authority to spend their allocated budgets on services for Queenslanders, and provides interim supply of $27.3 billion for 2020-21.
Local Government Electoral (Implementing Stage 2 of Belcarra) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill implements the second stage of reforms arising from the Crime and Corruption Commission's Operation Belcarra investigation into corruption risks at several Queensland councils. It strengthens donation transparency, overhauls how councillors manage conflicts of interest, expands the State's power to intervene in local government, brings Brisbane City Council under the same rules as other councils, and changes local government elections to full-preferential voting.
Local Government Electoral and Other Legislation (Expenditure Caps) Amendment Bill 2022
This bill introduces spending caps for Queensland local government elections, limiting how much candidates, political parties and third parties can spend on campaigning. It was prompted by the Crime and Corruption Commission's Operation Belcarra findings about uneven financial competition in council elections and implements recommendations from a parliamentary committee inquiry.