Justices Act 1886
LegislationReferenced in 50 bills
Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Bill 2017
This bill replaces Queensland's 2001 law on non-State school accreditation with a modernised framework. It streamlines how independent and Catholic schools become accredited, gives the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board responsibility for deciding government funding eligibility, and strengthens inspection and investigation powers.
Local Government Electoral (Implementing Stage 1 of Belcarra) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill bans political donations from property developers to candidates, councillors, political parties and third parties at both state and local government levels in Queensland. It also significantly strengthens the rules for how local government councillors must declare and manage conflicts of interest, following recommendations from the Crime and Corruption Commission's Operation Belcarra investigation into corruption risks in local government.
Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2020
This bill overhauls Queensland's building industry payment protections by replacing project bank accounts with a new statutory trust system that holds subcontractor money in trust. It also cracks down on fraudulent behaviour in the industry, introduces a demerit point system for building certifiers, strengthens regulation of architects and engineers, and preserves review rights for retirement village transition plans.
Fisheries (Sustainable Fisheries Strategy) Amendment Bill 2018
This bill overhauls Queensland's fisheries management by introducing harvest strategies as the key tool for managing fish stocks, strengthening enforcement against black marketing of seafood, and formally recognising charter fishing and Indigenous fishing in the law. It implements the Queensland Sustainable Fisheries Strategy 2017-2027, backed by $20.9 million in funding for better monitoring, compliance and stakeholder engagement.
Co-operatives National Law Bill 2020
This bill replaces Queensland's Cooperatives Act 1997 with the Co-operatives National Law, a nationally harmonised framework already adopted by every other Australian state and territory. It modernises how co-operatives are formed, registered and managed in Queensland, while reducing red tape and ensuring consistency across the country.
Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill reforms how health practitioners who treat other health practitioners handle mandatory reporting, and toughens penalties for people who pretend to be registered health professionals. It was agreed by all Australian health ministers through COAG and applies nationally, with Queensland as the host jurisdiction.
Domestic and Family Violence Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
This bill reforms Queensland's response to domestic and family violence by giving police the power to issue 12-month protection directions without going to court, piloting GPS electronic monitoring for high-risk perpetrators, and expanding video-recorded evidence across all Magistrates Courts statewide. It aims to reduce the operational burden on police while providing faster, longer-term protection for victim-survivors.
Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2016
This bill removes the so-called 'gay panic' defence by stopping killers from using an unwanted sexual advance as grounds for reducing murder to manslaughter, except in exceptional cases. It also packages a long list of other criminal law tidy-ups, covering criminal proceeds confiscation, court evidence, juries, Magistrates Court procedure, and sentencing enforcement.
Racing Integrity Bill 2015
This bill creates the Queensland Racing Integrity Commission, a new independent watchdog for animal welfare and integrity in greyhound, thoroughbred, and harness racing. It responds directly to the 2015 Commission of Inquiry that found widespread live baiting and industry self-regulation failure. The bill strips Racing Queensland of its welfare and licensing role, leaving it to handle only commercial operations, and gives authorised officers stronger powers to investigate cruelty and share information with police.
Child Protection (Offender Reporting) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016
This bill merges Queensland's two child sex offender laws into a single combined Act, tightens the rules that reportable offenders must follow, and gives police new powers to inspect the phones and computers of offenders most at risk of reoffending. It responds to a 2013 review by the Crime and Corruption Commission and is aimed at helping police intervene before further offences occur.
Exhibited Animals Bill 2015
This bill creates a single law for exhibiting animals in Queensland, covering zoos, wildlife parks, aquariums, circuses and mobile animal shows. It replaces four overlapping Acts with one exhibition licence and a new legal duty to minimise animal welfare, biosecurity and public safety risks.
Criminal Code (Child Sexual Offences Reform) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill reforms Queensland's criminal justice system to better protect children from sexual abuse and improve access to justice for survivors. It implements key recommendations from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, strengthens sentencing for child exploitation material offences, and criminalises child abuse objects such as life-like child replicas.
Police Service Administration and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2022
This bill makes operational improvements to the Queensland Police Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services. It reforms police discipline processes, introduces automatic dismissal of officers sentenced to imprisonment, creates stronger protections for confidential police information, streamlines weapons licensing, and modernises fire safety and emergency management laws.
Transport Legislation (Road Safety and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2022
This bill makes a wide range of transport-related changes including broadening how speed and red-light camera fine revenue can be spent on road safety, expanding the types of motorised mobility devices legally allowed on paths, improving court processes for vehicle modification offences, and protecting health professionals who report medically unfit interstate drivers.
Agriculture and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2019
This bill makes a broad range of changes across agriculture, biosecurity, animal welfare, forestry, racing and nature conservation law. Its most prominent measures double penalties for trespassing on farming land, strengthen biosecurity obligations for anyone entering places where biosecurity matter is present, clarify that leaving animals in hot vehicles is an offence, and expand access to farm debt mediation.
Termination of Pregnancy Bill 2018
This bill decriminalises termination of pregnancy in Queensland by removing century-old Criminal Code offences and creating a new health-based legal framework. Based on 28 recommendations from the Queensland Law Reform Commission, it allows medical practitioners to perform terminations on request up to 22 weeks gestation, with clinical safeguards for later terminations. It also establishes safe access zones around clinics and protects women from criminal liability.
Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Bill 2017
This bill overhauls how subcontractors get paid in Queensland's building and construction industry. It creates 'Project Bank Accounts' that quarantine money owed to subcontractors in trust, combines existing security of payment laws into a single Act, and gives the Queensland Building and Construction Commission stronger powers to tackle unlicensed work and illegal phoenixing.
Work Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
This bill introduces a new criminal offence of industrial manslaughter in Queensland, with up to 20 years jail for employers or senior officers whose negligence causes a worker's death and up to $10 million for companies. It follows a government review prompted by the Dreamworld and Eagle Farm worker fatalities and also creates an independent WHS Prosecutor, expands workplace safety dispute powers to the Industrial Relations Commission, and brings back Workplace Health and Safety Officers.
COVID-19 Emergency Response Bill 2020
This bill established temporary emergency powers to help Queensland respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. It protected renters and small businesses from eviction, allowed Parliament and courts to operate remotely, and gave government broad powers to modify legal requirements around documents, time limits, and proceedings. The entire Act expired on 31 December 2020.
Criminal Justice Legislation (Sexual Violence and Other Matters) Amendment Bill 2024
This bill implements the third wave of reforms from the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce, focusing on sexual violence and improving how women and girls experience the criminal justice system. It creates new offences to protect young people from sexual exploitation by people in authority, strengthens protections for vulnerable witnesses, allows expert evidence to help juries understand victim behaviour, and modernises rules about how past behaviour evidence can be used in criminal trials.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023
This bill makes several changes to policing and emergency services laws in Queensland. It expands the Police Drug Diversion Program so people caught with small quantities of any dangerous drug — not just cannabis — can be diverted to health services instead of going to court. It also increases the maximum penalty for drug trafficking to life imprisonment, creates tougher penalties for evading police in dangerous circumstances, and introduces a new offence for assaulting fire and emergency services workers.
State Penalties Enforcement Amendment Bill 2017
This bill overhauls how Queensland collects unpaid fines through the State Penalties Enforcement Registry (SPER). It creates Work and Development Orders so people in hardship can clear their fines through unpaid work, medical treatment, counselling or courses instead of paying cash, while giving SPER stronger tools against people who refuse to engage.
Building Queensland Bill 2015
This bill creates Building Queensland, an independent statutory body that provides expert advice to the Queensland Government on major infrastructure projects. It is modelled on the Commonwealth's Infrastructure Australia and was a 2015 election commitment. The body will assess business cases, publish cost-benefit analysis summaries, and maintain a priority pipeline of infrastructure proposals.
Counter-Terrorism and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016
This bill expands police powers to respond to terrorist attacks and other declared emergencies in Queensland. It lets police compel anyone to hand over information needed to manage an emergency, creates new 'evacuation area' powers, allows detention orders against terrorism suspects whose name isn't known, and makes operational changes to corrective services and Commonwealth intelligence agency assumed identities.
Mental Health Bill 2015
This bill completely replaces Queensland's Mental Health Act 2000 with a new framework for treating people with serious mental illness who cannot consent to their own treatment, and for dealing with people with a mental illness who are charged with serious crimes. It tightens the criteria for involuntary treatment, strengthens patient rights, limits the use of restraint and seclusion, and creates a new role - the chief psychiatrist - to oversee the system.
Public Health (Water Risk Management) Amendment Bill 2016
This bill amends the Public Health Act 2005 to make Queensland hospitals and residential aged care facilities actively manage the risk of Legionella and other waterborne hazards in their water supplies. It was introduced after a 2013 Legionnaires' disease outbreak at The Wesley Hospital in Brisbane.
Police Legislation (Efficiencies and Effectiveness) Amendment Bill 2021
This bill streamlines Queensland Police Service operations by cutting red tape and updating outdated processes. It lets senior police officers witness certain affidavits instead of requiring a Justice of the Peace, expands police powers to seek court-ordered access to seized digital devices, introduces faster saliva drug testing for officers after critical incidents, and makes several changes to weapons licensing administration.
Grammar Schools Bill 2016
This bill replaces Queensland's 1975 grammar schools law with modern legislation covering the eight grammar schools at Brisbane, Ipswich, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Townsville. It modernises board governance, cuts financial red tape, and permanently closes the door on new grammar schools being created.
Electoral Legislation (Political Donations) Amendment Bill 2018
This bill sought to ban for-profit corporations from making political donations to candidates, parties and elected members at both state and local government level in Queensland. It was introduced by the Greens member for Maiwar, building on the Crime and Corruption Commission's Operation Belcarra findings about corruption risks from corporate donations. The bill's second reading was defeated and it did not become law.
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, creates a pilot program allowing domestic violence victims' police-recorded statements to be used as court evidence, and establishes new rules for handling deceased persons' remains in criminal cases following the Daniel Morcombe inquest.
Energy Roadmap Amendment Bill 2025
This bill reshapes Queensland's energy legislation by repealing renewable energy targets, renaming the Act to the Energy (Infrastructure Facilitation) Act 2024, and shifting planning towards a market-driven approach focused on affordable, reliable and sustainable energy. It creates a new legislative framework for the CopperString transmission project to connect North and North West Queensland to the national electricity grid, and strengthens public ownership provisions for existing government-owned power assets.
Criminal Law (Domestic Violence) Amendment Bill 2015
This bill toughens Queensland's response to domestic violence by increasing penalties for breaching protection orders, flagging domestic violence offences on criminal histories, and giving victims better protections when they give evidence in court. It delivers three recommendations from the 'Not Now, Not Ever' Taskforce report on domestic and family violence.
Crime and Corruption and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
This bill reforms Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission to make it more accountable, independent and effective. It overhauls the CCC's enforcement powers into a unified framework, requires the Director of Public Prosecutions to advise on corruption charges before they are laid, extends journalist shield laws to CCC proceedings, and introduces fixed seven-year non-renewable terms for commissioners.
Local Government (Councillor Complaints) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill reforms how complaints about local government councillors are handled in Queensland. It creates an Independent Assessor to investigate complaints instead of council CEOs, establishes a Councillor Conduct Tribunal for misconduct hearings, and introduces a mandatory code of conduct for all councillors outside Brisbane.
Workers’ Compensation and Rehabilitation (National Injury Insurance Scheme) Amendment Bill 2016
This bill creates a lifetime no-fault scheme for Queensland workers who suffer catastrophic injuries at work, such as spinal cord injury, major brain injury, severe burns or loss of limbs. It guarantees them ongoing treatment, care and support regardless of who caused the accident, starting from 1 July 2016. The bill also reforms self-insurance rules, blocks injury costs being shifted onto subcontractors, and protects compensation payments from dropping when wages fall.
Domestic and Family Violence Protection (Combating Coercive Control) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
This bill strengthens Queensland's response to domestic and family violence by implementing recommendations from the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce. It recognises coercive control as a pattern of behaviour, modernises stalking laws to cover technology-facilitated abuse, reforms how courts handle competing domestic violence claims, and improves evidence rules so juries better understand DFV dynamics. It also makes unrelated changes to the Coroners Act, Oaths Act, and Telecommunications Interception Act.
Rail Safety National Law (Queensland) Bill 2016
This bill brings Queensland into Australia's national rail safety regime from 1 July 2017. It applies the Rail Safety National Law as a law of Queensland, repeals the Transport (Rail Safety) Act 2010, and makes the Office of the National Rail Safety Regulator responsible for rail safety here. It also strengthens drug and alcohol rules for rail workers and funds federal investigators to look into rail accidents.
Tobacco and Other Smoking Products (Vaping) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024
This bill gives Queensland much stronger powers to crack down on the illegal sale of vaping products and illicit tobacco. It creates new offences for supplying, possessing, advertising and promoting vaping products, with penalties of up to 2,000 penalty units or 2 years imprisonment. It also introduces powers to shut down non-compliant businesses and makes it a specific offence to litter vaping devices.
Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018
This bill updates police powers and several related laws to improve community safety and front-line policing. It creates new search powers for high-risk missing persons, simplifies crime scene rules, strengthens evade police provisions, streamlines parole board processes, and adds Commonwealth child sex offences to Queensland's reportable offender scheme.
Planning Bill 2015
This bill replaces Queensland's entire planning and development system with a simpler framework, repealing the Sustainable Planning Act 2009 and introducing a new Planning Act. It reduces red tape, streamlines how councils make planning schemes, clarifies the rules for approving or refusing development applications, and increases penalties for breaking planning laws.
Local Government Electoral (Implementing Belcarra) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
This bill responds to the Crime and Corruption Commission's Operation Belcarra report by banning political donations from property developers to candidates, councillors, political parties and state MPs in Queensland. It also tightens the rules on how councillors must handle conflicts of interest at council meetings, with new criminal offences and the possibility of being barred from office for four years.
Health Practitioner Regulation National Law and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2022
This bill strengthens how Australia's health practitioner registration scheme protects the public. It makes public safety the paramount principle, creates new powers to stop unregistered people from providing health services, dramatically increases penalties for misleading health advertising, and embeds cultural safety for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as a guiding principle of the scheme.
Criminal Law (Historical Homosexual Convictions Expungement) Bill 2017
This bill creates a scheme for people to apply to have historical convictions or charges for consensual adult homosexual activity wiped from their criminal records. It covers offences from before homosexuality was decriminalised in Queensland on 19 January 1991. Once expunged, a person is treated in law as never having been convicted or charged.
Criminal Law (Coercive Control and Affirmative Consent) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2023
This bill makes coercive control a criminal offence in Queensland and introduces an affirmative model of consent for sexual offences. It implements recommendations from the Women's Safety and Justice Taskforce to better protect victims of domestic, family and sexual violence, while also reforming how courts handle bail, sentencing and evidence in these cases.
Crime and Corruption (Reporting) Amendment Bill 2024
This bill restores the Crime and Corruption Commission's ability to publicly report on corruption investigations, after the High Court ruled in 2023 that the CCC had no such power. It creates a structured framework for the CCC to prepare reports and make public statements about corruption, balanced by a public interest test, identity protections, and procedural fairness for people affected.
Penalties and Sentences (Drug and Alcohol Treatment Orders) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2017
This bill brings back a drug court in Queensland by creating a new sentencing option called a Drug and Alcohol Treatment Order. Designated magistrates can suspend a prison sentence of up to four years while the offender completes a court-supervised treatment program of at least two years. The bill also tightens the dangerous drug definition, clarifies that long prison sentences can never be 'spent', and gives extra court protections to victims of domestic strangulation.
Heavy Vehicle National Law Amendment Bill 2018
This bill strengthens national heavy vehicle regulation by giving enforcement officers new powers to address safety risks, improving road access for certain high-productivity trucks, and streamlining how fatigue offences are prosecuted in Queensland courts. It implements reforms agreed by all participating Australian states and territories.
Monitoring of Places of Detention (Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture) Bill 2022
This bill creates a Queensland law to allow the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to visit and inspect all places of detention in the state. It implements Australia's commitments under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT), ratified in 2017, by giving UN inspectors access to prisons, youth detention centres, mental health facilities, the forensic disability service, police watch-houses, court cells, and prisoner transport vehicles.
Victims of Crime Assistance and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2016
This bill strengthens support for victims of crime in Queensland. It makes financial assistance easier to claim, extends it to victims of domestic and family violence including elder abuse and economic abuse, and creates a new Charter of Victims' Rights. It also introduces legal protection for sexual assault counselling records and automatically treats sexual offence victims as 'special witnesses' in court.
Youth Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2015
This bill rolls back a package of tough-on-youth-crime laws introduced in 2013 and 2014. It abolishes youth boot camps, ends the offence of breaching bail for children, restores a ban on naming children in the media, and reinstates the principle that detention or imprisonment should only be used as a last resort.