Hon Meaghan Scanlon MP

This bill enables joint management of Moreton Island's national parks and conservation areas between the Queensland Government and the Quandamooka People, following the Federal Court's recognition of their native title in 2019. It transfers protected area land to the Quandamooka Yoolooburrabee Aboriginal Corporation as Aboriginal land while maintaining its conservation status through a jointly managed arrangement.

This bill bans single-use plastic straws, stirrers, plates, bowls and cutlery in Queensland to reduce plastic pollution. Healthcare facilities and schools are exempt to ensure people with disabilities and healthcare needs can still access these items when required.

This bill extends commercial beekeeping access in specified national parks for 20 years until 2044, creates new offences for impersonating park rangers, and updates governance arrangements for the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It delivers an election commitment to beekeepers while strengthening enforcement against people who deceive park visitors by pretending to be rangers.

This bill updates Queensland's waste laws with several environmental protection measures. It bans the outdoor release of helium balloons and sky lanterns, removes the levy exemption for clean earth sent to landfill, introduces circular economy principles, and phases out exemptions for banned plastics attached to products like juice boxes.

This bill makes major reforms to Queensland's rental laws to strengthen tenant protections in a tight housing market. It bans rent bidding, applies the 12-month rent increase limit to properties rather than individual tenancies, caps break-lease fees, requires evidence for bond claims, and protects tenant privacy. The bill also requires property agents to complete mandatory annual training and allows local government employees to reduce their superannuation contributions.

This bill reforms the law governing manufactured homes in residential parks to protect home owners—mostly seniors—from unaffordable rent increases and difficulty selling their homes. It caps rent increases at CPI or 3.5%, bans market rent reviews, and requires park owners to buy back homes that cannot be sold within 18 months.

This bill allows the Commonwealth's Help to Buy shared equity scheme to operate in Queensland by referring the necessary legislative power to the federal Parliament. Queensland is the first state to pass this legislation, enabling eligible Queenslanders to access government assistance to buy their first home with just a 2% deposit.

This bill simplifies Queensland's payment protection rules for building subcontractors and implements governance reforms for the building industry regulator. It clarifies trust account requirements, makes the QBCC Board more transparent, and streamlines licensing processes for builders and trades.

This bill modernises Queensland's environmental protection laws by streamlining approval processes, strengthening compliance powers, and better protecting the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. It introduces temporary environmental authorities for emergency situations and bans mining in the Wet Tropics.