Australasian Parliamentary Counsel's Committee
OrganisationReferenced in 4 bills
Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Bill 2025
This bill reforms the national law governing heavy vehicles (trucks and other vehicles over 4.5 tonnes) to improve road safety, simplify regulation, and update penalties. It introduces a new legal duty for all heavy vehicle drivers to be fit to drive, requires transport operators to have safety management systems, and rebalances penalties so serious offences attract higher fines while minor paperwork errors are treated more leniently.
Defamation (Model Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021
This bill modernises Queensland's defamation laws to match nationally agreed reforms. It makes it harder to bring trivial defamation claims by requiring proof of serious harm, gives journalists and academics stronger defences when publishing on matters of public interest, and requires people to attempt to resolve disputes before going to court. It also fixes a heavy vehicle regulation issue before it causes problems for truck operators.
Help to Buy (Commonwealth Powers) Bill 2024
This bill enables the federal Help to Buy shared equity scheme to operate in Queensland by referring specific legislative powers to the Commonwealth Parliament. Under the scheme, the Australian Government will contribute up to 40 per cent of the purchase price for a new home or 30 per cent for an existing home, helping low to middle income earners buy a home with as little as a 2 per cent deposit. Queensland is the first state to pass this legislation.
Defamation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
This bill modernises Queensland's defamation laws to address the realities of online publishing. It implements nationally agreed reforms that create clearer rules for when online platforms, search engines, internet service providers, and forum administrators can be held liable for defamatory content posted by their users. It also makes it safer to report matters to police by extending absolute privilege to those reports.