The sitting week’s legislative agenda included significant proposed amendments to E-mobility use in Queensland and the legislative frameworks surrounding coal seam gas activities in the Condamine Alluvium.
Further amendments were also proposed to Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme along with the passage of a Bill which strengthens powers to stop unsafe electrical equipment and removes a planned change that would have given safety representatives extra access to workplace safety notice information.
Bills introduced this sitting
- Transport and Other Legislation (Managing E-mobility Use and Protecting Our Communities) Amendment Bill 2026
On 25 March 2026, the Transport and Other Legislation (Managing E-mobility Use and Protecting Our Communities) Amendment Bill 2026 was introduced into Parliament and referred to the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee for detailed consideration.
As per the Explanatory Notes, the Bill’s objectives are to:
- Ensure only appropriately qualified riders use e-mobility devices;
- Enhance enforcement powers and offences regimes to deter unsafe and illegal behaviour;
- Ensure all parties involved in e-mobility use contribute to safety outcomes;
- Modernise e-mobility device definitions and standards;
- Protect pedestrians by improving the use of footpaths and other shared spaces.
These objectives will be achieved through mechanisms including, but not limited to:
- introducing a minimum rider age limit of 16 years;
- requiring riders to hold a valid driver licence of any type or class;
- introducing fit-for-purpose police powers to seize and dispose of “prohibited bikes”;
- enhancing the drink riding framework for riders of e-mobility devices and bicycles, including by allowing random breath testing and introducing new offences for low and mid-range drink riding;
- enabling enforcement action against parents where a child under 16 rides an e‑bike, PMD or prohibited bike unlawfully, unless the parent proves they did not know of the conduct or took all reasonable steps to prevent it;
- prohibiting the sale of e-mobility devices and motorbikes not eligible for full registration to a child under 16;
- providing a consistent 10km/h speed limit for all e-mobility devices on footpaths and shared paths.
Submissions to the Committee are invited, with a closing date of Friday, 10 April 2026. The Committee is due to table its report on Friday, 8 May 2026.
Relevant material:
Regional Planning Interests (Condamine Alluvium) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
On 25 March 2026, the Regional Planning Interests (Condamine Alluvium) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 was introduced into Parliament and referred to the Primary Industries and Resources Committee for detailed consideration.
The Bill’s purpose is to amend the planning, environmental and resources legislative frameworks to ensure that new coal seam gas activities in the Condamine Alluvium are subject to strong protections, including prohibiting long‑term detrimental impacts on the Condamine Alluvium groundwater resource.
The Bill also seeks to:
- streamline coal seam gas approvals by removing the requirement for a regional interest development approval and relying on the environmental authority process; and
- clarify and expand compensation arrangements for landholders for coal seam gas‑induced subsidence impacts.
Submissions to the Committee are invited, with a closing date of Monday, 13 April 2026. The Committee is due to table its report on Friday, 8 May 2026.
Relevant material:
Waste Reduction and Recycling (Strengthening the Container Refund Scheme) Amendment Bill 2026
On 26 March 2026, the Waste Reduction and Recycling (Strengthening the Container Refund Scheme) Amendment Bill 2026 was introduced into Parliament and referred to the Health, Environment and Innovation Committee for detailed consideration.
As per the Explanatory Notes, the Bill’s primary objective is to improve oversight and governance arrangements of Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme (the Scheme). Specifically, the Bill amends the Waste Reduction and Recycling Act 2011 to enhance oversight mechanisms and arrangements, improve governance and accountability and increase transparency of the Scheme.
This Bill comes in response to the Improving Queensland’s Container Refund Scheme, Report No. 14 (the Report) of the Health, Environment and Innovation Committee after conducting an inquiry into the Scheme. The Committee made 21 recommendations which included improving the governance, transparency and accountability of the scheme.
Submissions to the Committee are invited, with a closing date of Wednesday, 15 April 2026. The Committee is due to table its report on Friday, 15 May 2026.
Relevant material:
Bills passed this sitting
- Electrical Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 – with amendment
On 28 October 2025, the Electrical Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025 was introduced into Parliament and referred to the State Development, Infrastructure and Works Committee for detailed consideration. The Committee tabled its report on 19 December 2026, and the Bill was passed with amendment on 25 March 2026.
The Bill amends the Electrical Safety Act 2002 (ES Act) and the Electrical Safety Regulation 2014 (ES Regulation) to:
- confirm that electricity entities can continue to give electrical equipment defect notices, by providing a clearly defined and limited power to prescribe this ability under the ES Regulation;
- empower the regulator (Electrical Safety Office) to give unsafe equipment directions to prohibit the sale, installation and use of unsafe electrical equipment under the ES Act, by elevating the regulator’s existing prohibition power for unsafe electrical equipment from the ES Regulation to the ES Act;
- clarify the operation of unsafe equipment directions.
The Bill also amends the Work Health and Safety and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2024 to omit a provision which removes an additional avenue for health and safety representatives and WHS entry permit holders to request information contained in improvement, prohibition and non-disturbance notices from the regulator (Workplace Health and Safety Queensland).
The amendments to the Bill revised the James Cook University Act 1997 to remove the Council’s discretionary power to set its own membership structure and replaced it with a fixed, legislated model. The new structure reduces the Council to 16 members and adjusts the mix of official, appointed, elected, and additional members, including increasing elected staff and student representatives from four to five.
QLS contributed to the Committee’s inquiry through a formal submission and appearance before the Committee, represented by Rohan Tate, Member of the QLS Industrial Law Committee, and Kate Brodnik, QLS Principal Policy Solicitor. QLS raised concerns about the removal of the provision in the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
Relevant material:
- Bill
- Exp Note
- Statement of Compatibility
- Explanatory Speech
- AinC govt agreed
- AinC exp note
- AinC statement of compatibility
- Act
Subordinate legislation
Subordinate Queensland Legislation notified in 2026 is available online.
Queensland Government Gazette
The Queensland Government Gazettes for 2026 are available online.
Parliamentary sitting dates
As indicated on the parliamentary website, the Queensland Parliament is currently scheduled to next sit from 21 to 23 April 2026.
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