The Queensland Law Society made a submission on the Youth Justice (Circuit Breaker) Amendment Bill 2026, which was passed on 17 September 2026 without amendment.
Other Bills passed at the September sitting include the Criminal Code (Dangerous Driving) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026.
Bills introduced this sitting
Domestic and Family Violence Protection and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Queensland Parliament on 17 September 2026 and referred to the Education, Arts and Communities Committee for detailed consideration.
Its objectives are to:
- increase protection for victim-survivors of domestic and family violence;
- streamline the legislative framework for police responding to DFV through amendments to the PPD framework, repealing the framework for police protection notices and amending the custody framework in the DFVP Act;
- strengthen justice responses to domestic family violence by establishing new offences for repeated contravention of a PPD or domestic violence order (DVO) and, increasing the maximum penalty for contravention of a PPD;
- enhance protections for victim-survivors in court proceedings by clarifying the process related to restricting cross-examination, and clarifying how sensitive material is viewed, obtained or copied during and after civil domestic and family violence court proceedings;
- establish a specific power for police to request and be provided monitoring device information, including for any law enforcement purpose; and
- expand the electronic monitoring Pilot statewide, and require courts to consider imposing a monitoring device condition in particular circumstances.
The closing date for submissions is 2 October 2026. The report due date is 6 November 2026.
Useful resources:
Education Legislation (Registration of Early Childhood Teachers) Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Parliament on 17 September 2026 and referred to the Education, Arts and Communities Committee for detailed consideration.
It amends the Education (Queensland College of Teachers) Act 2005 and Education (Queensland College of Teachers) Regulation 2016 to make it mandatory for persons employed as early childhood teachers in approved education and care services to be registered teachers.
The closing date for submissions is 2 October 2026. The report due date is 6 November 2026.
Useful Resources:
Justice Legislation (Strengthening Victims’ Rights) Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Queensland Parliament on 16 September 2026, and referred to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee for detailed consideration.
It seeks to strengthen victims’ rights within the justice system by reforming the Victim Impact Statement process, and improving opportunities for victims and communities to have their experiences recognised during court proceedings.
Its objectives are to:
- implement recommendation 21 of the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council’s Sentencing of Sexual Assault and Rape: The Ripple Effect Report by introducing a more trauma-informed approach to Victim Impact Statements;
- expand the range of offences for which a Victim Impact Statement may be provided, including all indictable offences and summary offences resulting in death or bodily harm;
- broaden who may provide a Victim Impact Statement and reduce requirements for statements to be edited before being considered by the court;
- introduce Community Impact Statements to allow the impacts of certain offences on affected communities to be considered during sentencing proceedings; and
- clarify notification requirements under the Coroners Act 2003 to help ensure family members are informed of decisions relating to inquests and death investigations.
Submissions are welcome until 30 September 2026. The Committee is due to table its report on 6 November 2026.
Useful resources:
Mineral Resources and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Parliament on 15 September 2026 and referred to the Primary Industries and Resources Committee for detailed consideration.
Its key objective is to deliver a more efficient framework for the assessment of mining lease applications and associated environmental authority applications while ensuring appropriate opportunities for community participation, amongst other matters.
The closing date for submissions has not yet been announced. The report due date has also not been announced.
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Protecting Queenslanders from Dangerous Prisoners and Strengthening Victims’ Rights Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Parliament on 15 September 2026 and referred to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee for detailed consideration.
It amends the Corrective Services Act 2006 and other legislation to deliver significant reforms to the Queensland Parole Framework and enhance the rights and participation of victims.
The aims include to:
- expand the restricted prisoner framework to all prisoners serving a sentence of life; imprisonment and require a restricted prisoner declaration for a minimum period of five years;
- strengthen the ’No Body, No Parole’ framework by closing legislative loopholes;
- make community safety the paramount consideration in parole decision-making
- enhance victims’ participation in, and access to information about, the parole process; and
- improve the transparency, accountability and governance of Parole Board Queensland.
Submissions on the Bill are welcome until 30 September 2026. The Committee is due to table its report on 6 November 2026.
Useful resources:
- Bill
- Explanatory Notes
- Explanatory Speech
- Statement of Compatibility
- Statement of Exceptional Circumstances
Victims of Crime Assistance (Victims’ Advocate Service) Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Queensland Parliament on 16 September 2026 and referred to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee for detailed consideration.
It responds to concerns that victims of crime can face a fragmented and complex support system, requiring them to navigate multiple agencies and repeatedly recount traumatic experiences to access information and assistance.
Its overarching objectives are to:
- establish a new Victims’ Advocate Service as a central entry point for victims of crime to access information, support and referrals;
- improve victims’ experiences of the justice system by providing coordinated information, navigation assistance and connections to existing support services;
- establish the functions of the chief executive in administering the Victims’ Advocate Service;
- enable information sharing between government entities to support the delivery of services to victims; and
- protect the confidentiality of information and clarify who may access and receive information through the Victims’ Advocate Service.
Submissions are welcome until 30 September 2026. The Committee is due to table its report on 6 November 2026.
Useful resources:
Bills passed this sitting
Youth Justice (Circuit Breaker) Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced into Parliament on 25 June 2026 and passed on 17 September 2026 without amendment.
In our written submission, the Society expressed support for efforts to reduce youth offending and improve community safety but submitted the Bill required stronger safeguards to ensure any restrictions imposed on children were proportionate, rehabilitative, and consistent with fundamental legal principles.
The Society also expressed specific concern about the potential for excessive restrictions on children on bail, reduced judicial discretion, and inadequate protections for vulnerable children, and recommended stronger procedural safeguards, oversight mechanisms, and access to legal representation.
Read our submission here.
Useful resources:
Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced on 26 June 2026 and passed with amendment on 17 September 2026.
Aims of the amendments include to:
- introduce transitional arrangements for speed camera calibration testing, preserving the validity of existing approvals and evidentiary certificates while the new framework is implemented;
- refine the severe hardship permit review framework by replacing appeals with reviews, clarifying court powers and procedures, strengthening procedural fairness, and providing clearer review and appeal rights; and
- improve clarity, correct legislative references, and ensure the legislation operates consistently without changing its substantive effect.
The Society made a submission to the Bill and appeared at the public hearing. QLS was represented by Patrick Quinn, Chair of the Criminal Law Committee, and Adam Moschella, member of the Criminal Law Committee and accredited specialist in criminal law. The Society’s representatives said it did not support the introduction of minimum court-imposed fines for impaired driving offences as it removes a Magistrate’s discretion to assess the circumstances of each case individually. Read more about our appearance on Proctor.
Useful resources:
- Bill
- Explanatory Notes
- Explanatory Speech
- Statement of Compatibility
- AinC govt agreed
- AinC explanatory note
- AinC statement of compatibility
Criminal Code (Dangerous Driving) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced on 26 June 2026 and passed with amendment on 17 September 2026.
The amendments:
- ensure that the new combined drink and drug driving offence is treated the same as existing drink and drug driving offences when determining whether dangerous driving offences are aggravated and whether mandatory imprisonment applies for repeat offenders;
- consequential amendments to align the Criminal Code (Dangerous Driving) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 with the Transport and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 and avoid inconsistencies between the two Bills;
- introduce specific minimum and maximum penalties for the new combined drink and drug driving offence; and
- establish a longer automatic licence disqualification period for convictions involving the combined drink and drug driving offence than for other comparable offences.
The Society made a submission on the Bill and appeared at the public hearing. QLS was represented by Patrick Quinn, Chair of the Criminal Law Committee, and Adam Moschella, member of the Criminal Law Committee and accredited specialist in criminal law. The Society supported the underlying objective of improving road safety for the community and commended the Government’s focus on this issue. However, it raised concerns including the practical impact of the new offence framework on jury directions and deliberations, and a specific drafting concern regarding the use of the phrase “in place” in the new non-motor vehicle offence. Read more about our appearance on Proctor.
Useful resources:
- Bill
- Explanatory Notes
- Explanatory Speech
- Statement of Compatibility
- AinC govt agreed
- AinC exp note
- AinC statement of compatibility
Waste Reduction and Recycling (Strengthening the Container Refund Scheme) Amendment Bill 2026
This Bill was introduced on 26 March 2026 and passed on 15 September 2026 with amendment.
The amendments:
- clarify that the current Product Responsibility Organisation (PRO) for Queensland’s container refund scheme is, and has always been, a unit of public administration under the Crime and Corruption Act 2001;
- remove any uncertainty about the Crime and Corruption Commission’s ability to assess and investigate alleged corrupt conduct involving the PRO;
- retrospectively validates actions already taken by the Crime and Corruption Commission or other entities, including investigations or proceedings relating to the PRO; and
- implement a recommendation of the parliamentary committee to ensure the PRO’s status and related investigative powers are beyond doubt.
Useful resources:
- Bill
- Explanatory Notes
- Explanatory Speech
- Statement of Compatibility
- AinC govt agreed
- AinC explanatory notes
- AinC statement of compatibility
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 scheduled to next sit from 13 to 15 October 2026.
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