AgForce Queensland
OrganisationReferenced in 4 bills
Planning and Development (Planning for Prosperity) Bill 2015
This bill was a complete rewrite of Queensland's planning laws, aimed at replacing the 700-page Sustainable Planning Act 2009 with a simpler, faster system. It simplified development categories, cut State planning instruments from four to two, increased maximum fines for illegal development to over $500,000, and gave councils new powers over party houses. The bill was introduced by the Newman LNP government shortly before the 2015 election and did not pass; Queensland's planning system was instead replaced by the Labor government's Planning Act 2016.
Animal Management (Protecting Puppies) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016
This bill sets up a compulsory registration scheme for anyone who breeds a dog in Queensland, so authorities can find and shut down cruel puppy farms. It also modernises the Biosecurity Act — aligning animal feed rules with national standards, letting officials place restrictions on contaminated animals or materials rather than only on places, and updating the lists of banned pests, diseases and weeds. A smaller change clarifies the offence of using an animal as a 'kill or lure' to blood a hunting dog.
State Development and Public Works Organisation and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015
This bill restores the right of community members to formally object to mining projects' environmental authorities, even when the Coordinator-General has already set the conditions. It also clarifies that Land Court judges, registrars, lawyers and witnesses have full legal immunity when handling mining objection matters, fixing uncertainty caused by a recent Supreme Court decision.
Gasfields Commission and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
This bill restructures the GasFields Commission Queensland to clearly separate its strategic board from its day-to-day management, and to allow a part-time chairperson. It also makes it easier for biodiscovery businesses to on-license the use of native biological material, and fixes a technical gap in how port planning overlays apply to development.