Parliamentary update: 30 November to 2 December

Queensland Parliament sat from 30 November to 2 December 2021.

Bills introduced

The Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 was introduced into the Legislative Assembly.

Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021

The Health and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 was introduced on 1 December 2021 by the Minister for Health and Ambulance Services, Yvette D’Ath. The Bill amends a number of Acts to improve the operation of health portfolio legislation and to support the provision of health services in Queensland.

The Bill amends:

• Ambulance Service Act 1991

The amendments are designed to ensure the framework for managing confidential information is robust, clear and aligned with the Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011 and to remove the requirement for the Queensland Ambulance Service Commissioner to be no older than 65 years of age.

• Environmental Protection Act 1994

The Bill provides that development or use of premises that cause environmental nuisance is not an offence under the Act, to the extent it has been assessed and is explicitly regulated by a requirement of an infrastructure designation, by the Planning Minister under the Planning Act 2016.

• Hospital and Health Boards Act 2011

The amendments enable allied health professionals to access ‘The Viewer’ (an online Health Provider Portal) to achieve better health outcomes for patients, and allow designated persons and prescribed health professionals to disclose confidential information to a person performing functions under the Mental Health Act 2016.

• Mental Health Act 2016

The Bill makes a number of amendments to the Mental Health Act 2016 which seek to clarify and improve the operation of key provisions in the Act relating to, amongst other things, disputed facts in the Mental Health Court, electroconvulsive therapy and interstate transfer of patients.

• Public Health (Infection Control for Personal Appearance Services) Act 2003

The Bill seeks to improve the operation of the Act in relation to the restoration and renewal of business licences.

• Radiation Safety Act 1999

The Bill amends the Radiation Safety Act 1999 to remove the requirement to prescribe identity verification documents by regulation for particular applications, with identity requirements to be included in departmental policies informed by the National Identity Proofing Guidelines.

• Termination of Pregnancy Act 2018 and the Criminal Code Act 1899

The Bill seeks to allow students registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law who are undertaking a clinical placement with a health service to assist in a termination of pregnancy.

• Transplantation and Anatomy Act 1979

The Bill excludes human milk from the definition of tissue in the Act to ensure sick and pre-term infants can be efficiently provided donated human milk to prevent or treat serious health conditions.

• Corrective Services Act 2006 and Water Support (Safety and Reliability) Act 2008

The Bill makes consequential amendments to remove references to the repealed Health Act 1937 and the Pest Management Act 2001 following the commencement of the Medicines and Poisons Act 2019.

The Bill has been referred to the State Development and Regional Industries Committee for inquiry. See more information on the committee inquiry page.

Useful resources:

• Bill
• Explanatory note
• Statement of compatibility
• Explanatory speech
• Committee

Legislation passed this Parliament

The following legislation was passed by the Legislative Assembly:

• Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021
• Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Bill 2021

Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021

The Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 was introduced on 15 September 2021 by the Minister for Police and Corrective Services and Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Mark Ryan. The Bill was referred to the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee for detailed consideration. 

The Bill was passed without amendment on 30 November 2021. 

The purpose of the Bill is to:

• reduce knife crime by expanding the police banning notice regime to apply to a person (adult) who unlawfully possesses a knife in a relevant public place
• limit re-traumatisation of victims’ families and friends by introducing a new framework for parole decisions about a life-sentenced prisoner who has committed multiple murders or who has murdered a child
• strengthen the ‘No Body, No Parole’ framework to incentivise earlier prisoner co-operation to locate a homicide victim’s remains
• provide the Parole Board Queensland with greater flexibility to respond to increased workload and the risks different prisoners pose to community safety
• create administrative and operational efficiencies for the Queensland Police Service, enhance intelligence gathering about dangerous drugs and ensure Commonwealth child sexual abuse offences are updated in Queensland legislation
• create indictable offences for wilfully and unlawfully killing or seriously injuring a Queensland Corrective Services dog, or Queensland Police Service dog or horse, reflecting the seriousness of the offences in line with community expectations.

Useful resources:

• Bill
• Explanatory note
• Statement of compatibility
• Explanatory speech
• Queensland Law Society submission
• Committee report

Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Bill 2021

The Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Bill 2021 was introduced on 27 October 2021 by the Premier and Minister for the Olympics, Annastacia Palaszczuk, and referred to the Economics and Governance Committee for detailed consideration. 

The Bill was passed with amendment on 2 December 2021.

The primary objectives of the Bill are to:

• establish the Brisbane Organising Committee for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games to undertake and facilitate the organisation, conduct, promotion and commercial and financial management of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games
• establish a board of directors of the corporation to ensure it performs its functions in a proper, effective and efficient way.

Useful resources:

• Bill
• Explanatory note
• Statement of compatibility
• Explanatory speech
• Committee report
• Amendment in Committee government agreed
• Amendment in Committee explanatory note
• Amendment in Committee statement of compatibility
• Report No.20, 57th Parliament – Brisbane Olympic and Paralympic Games Arrangements Bill 2021

Adjournments

The second reading to the Small Business Commissioner Bill 2021 was moved on 26 November 2021.

Useful resources:

• Bill
• Explanatory note
• Statement of compatibility
• Explanatory speech
• Committee report
• Queensland Law Society submission

Subordinate legislation

Subordinate Queensland Legislation notified in 2021 is available online.

Subordinate Legislation notified on the Queensland Legislation website from 19 November 2021 to 3 December 2021.

• SL No.176 of 2021: Resources Legislation (Safety and Health Fees) Amendment Regulation 2021
• SL No.175 of 2021: Rural and Regional Adjustment (Variation of Work in Paradise Incentive Scheme) Amendment Regulation 2021
•  SL No.174 of 2021: Biosecurity and Other Legislation Amendment Regulation 2021
•  SL No.173 of 2021: Animal Care and Protection (Code of Practice about Rodeos) Amendment Regulation 2021
•  SL No.172 of 2021: Gaming Machine Amendment Regulation 2021
• SL No.171 of 2021: COVID-19 Emergency Response and Other Legislation Amendment (Postponement) Regulation 2021
• SL No.170 of 2021: Agents Financial Administration Amendment Regulation 2021
• SL No.169 of 2021: Public Health (Further Extension of Declared Public Health Emergency—COVID-19) Regulation (No. 4) 2021
• SL No.168 of 2021: Professional Standards (The Institute of Public Accountants Professional Standards Scheme) Notice 2021
• SL No.167 of 2021: Education (General Provisions) (Prescribed State Schools) Amendment Regulation 2021

Queensland Government Gazette

The Queensland Government Gazettes for 2021 are available online.

Parliamentary sitting dates

As indicated on the parliamentary website, the Queensland Parliament is currently scheduled to next sit on 22 to 24 February 2022.