The latest Queensland Government news

In the media

ICC insists nothing sinister in accessing residents details
Ipswich City Council leads the way in its requests for residents' metadata amongst councils in eastern states but has defended its actions amid criticism, with six local councils in eastern states now requesting residents' metadata to chase minor infringements. Councils are permitted under the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to request metadata without a warrant (08 August 2015). More...

Man to face drink-drive charge after High Court rules on bungled second test
Doctors are not legally obliged to take blood samples effectively in drink-drive cases, the High Court found. The High Court this week ruled that allowing the police breath test results to be used as evidence in the trial would not result in an "unacceptable risk of miscarriage of justice" (07 August 2015). More...

Release of Workplace Gender and Equality Strategy results
The Workplace Gender and Equality Strategy funded by the Department of Employment and undertaken by the Centre for Workplace Leadership has been released. The study was in response to worrying gender equality indicators released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency (06 August 2015). More...

Sex work: Australia's most permissive and restrictive states
Laws on brothels, soliciting and escort services differ wildly from state to state, a parliamentary research paper has found. The results show that sex workers experience vastly different levels of regulation and criminalisation depending on which state they work (04 August 2015). More...

Two men to appear in court over alleged fraud: CCC
Two men will appear in court to face charges of defrauding a local Council and a beneficial enterprise, following a Crime and Corruption Commission (CCC) investigation (03 August 2015). More...

In Practice and Courts

E-Alert: Building Code 2013 - Freedom of Association
The FWBC considers that allowing a union representative/shop steward to meet with inductees or conduct inductions without supervision by site management is not consistent with the requirements of section 15 of the Building Code. Site inductions should be conducted by or supervised by site management (04 August 2015). More...

Published – articles, papers, reports

Fraud against the Commonwealth: report to government 2010–11 to 2012–13
Australian Institute of Criminology, 31 July 2015, Penny Jorna, Russell G. Smith. This report presents the results of a longitudinal census of fraud incidents experienced by Commonwealth entities and the ways in which fraud risk has been managed and controlled. More...

Cases

Admissibility of Evidence and "General Unfairness Discretions" in Police v Dunstall [2015] HCA 26
The High Court has unanimously allowed an appeal from South Australian Supreme Court in Police v Dunstall [2015] HCA 26. The case considered the discretionary powers of courts to exclude evidence where the admission of the evidence would render the trial unfair (06 August 2015). More...

Smith v The Queen [2015] HCA 27: Procedural Fairness and Majority Jury Verdicts
On the 5 August 2015, the High Court unanimously dismissed an appeal from a decision of the Queensland Court of Appeal on procedural fairness and majority jury verdicts in the case of Smith v The Queen [2015] HCA 27. More...

Gilbey v Central and Northern Queensland Regional Parole Board [2015] QSC 217
ADMINISTRATIVE LAW – JUDICIAL REVIEW – GROUNDS OF REVIEW – RELEVANT CONSIDERATIONS – where the respondent cancelled the applicant's parole order – where the applicant applied for judicial review of the respondent's decision – rules of natural justice – applicant's opportunity to address concerns – effect of respondent's failure to request further information. More...

BAW v Department of Justice and Attorney-General, Office of Fair Trading [2015] QCAT 285
INFORMATION PRIVACY – where workers compensation claim – where workers compensation requested a response to the claim from the employing agency – where agency disclosed the claim to a person named in it and requested comments from that person to include in the agency response – whether breach of information privacy principles. More...

Legislation

Queensland

Subordinate legislation as made

No 80 Crime and Corruption Regulation 2015 – 07 August 2015. Crime and Corruption Act 2001 – outlines for search warrants, surveillance warrants and covert search warrants what information must be included for section 86(4)(c) of the Act.

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