State politicians will soon hear about the priority issues facing the legal profession, but first, the Queensland Law Society (QLS) wants to hear from members.
The Call to Parties document will call upon those running in this year’s state election to commit to addressing important legal and policy issues.
Previous Call to Parties statements have led to transformative legislative and policy changes and underpin the Society’s dedication to staying ahead of the curve when it comes to advocacy and working with members to advance good law for the benefit of all.
After months of extensive consultation, a draft of the 2024 Call to Parties (CTP) has been released today to QLS members to provide feedback.
The document is split across 17 key areas, including criminal law reform, sustainability and climate response, youth justice and child protection, QCAT support, investment in court infrastructure, and privacy, data, and technology.
Calls made in the draft include:
- Long-term funding for a functional electronic filing system and digitization of registries
- The establishment and resourcing of a Queensland judicial commission
- Resourcing of a free court transcription service
- An end to the practice of holding children and young people in watch houses
- The establishment of an independent body to investigate and make prosecutorial recommendations with respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander deaths in custody
- Commitment to a whole-of-government strategy to respond to elder abuse
- Funding to support the community and the property industry with the implementation of the seller disclosure framework in the Property Law Act 2023
- Funding a small business grants program to support law practices, particularly those in regional, rural, and remote areas, in navigating technology adoption.
The draft document, which has been prepared by the QLS legal policy team in consultation with QLS legal policy committees, can be found here.
Members have until close of business on Wednesday, 12 June 2024 to provide feedback via email to calltoparties2024@qls.com.au.
Following this, the final draft Call to Parties statement will be provided to QLS Council for review and approval ahead of publication by the end of June.
If you have any general queries in relation to the Call to Parties, please get in touch via email at calltoparties2024@qls.com.au at any stage. Member contributions and expertise are central to QLS advocacy work.
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