Our legislation

We are responsible for administering, or jointly administering, legislation that directly influences the delivery of our services.

Child and family

 

The Adoption Act 2009

The Adoption Act 2009 provides for the adoption of children in Queensland, and access to information about parties to adoptions in Queensland. The Adoption Regulation 2009 is a subordinate piece of legislation.

The Child Protection Act 1999

The Child Protection Act 1999 provides for the protection of children in Queensland. It underpins the work of child and family services, providing the framework for the child protection and family support system. The Child Protection Regulation 2011 is a subordinate piece of legislation.
The Queensland Government is considering the next stage of reforms to the Child Protection Act 1999 to ensure it provides a contemporary legislative framework for the child protection and family support system.

Other legislation

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Youth Justice

Youth Justice Act 1992

The Youth Justice Act 1992 commenced on 1 September 1993 (as the Juvenile Justice Act 1992). It provides laws for young people aged 10 to 17 years old who commit offences, or are alleged to have committed offences. Major amendments occurred in 1996, 2002, 2010, 2016 and 2019.
The Act provides a code for dealing with young people who come in contact with the youth justice system including:

  • procedures for police to respond to young people
  • diversionary options such as cautioning and restorative justice conferencing
  • outlining how courts deal with young people
  • a range of sentencing options
  • the operation of youth detention centres
  • recognising the importance of families and communities in the rehabilitation and reintegration of young people, in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities
  • establishing the youth justice principles.

The Act has a wide range of options to address offending. These attempt to address the broad spectrum of offending that can occur, ranging from minor, one-off offending (which represents the majority) to serious, persistent offending.
Legislation that interacts with the Youth Justice Act 1992includes:

Community Services Act 2007

The Community Services Act 2007 is also relevant to the youth justice system. It governs the administration of government funding to organisations, if a declaration is made for it to apply.
The Community Services Act 2007 applies to the following funded programs:

  • young offender support services
  • specialist counselling services
  • bail support services

Other legislation

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Multicultural affairs

Multicultural Recognition Act 2016

The Multicultural Recognition Act 2016 commenced on 1 July 2016.
The Act:

  • promotes Queensland as a united, harmonious and inclusive community and will foster opportunities for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds to participate in all aspects of life in our prosperous state
  • acknowledges that a diverse, dynamic and cohesive society will deliver important benefits for all Queenslanders, including the community, government and business sectors
  • recognises our diverse cultural heritage and aims to ensure that government services are responsive to the needs of our multicultural communities.

 

The Act also:

  • establishes the Multicultural Queensland Charter
  • establishes the Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council
  • provides for the Queensland Government multicultural policy and action plan
  • establishes reporting obligations for government entities.

The Multicultural Recognition Act complements the

It follows consultation with stakeholders to ensure contemporary community views on promoting community harmony and inclusiveness are reflected in the legislation.

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