LawRight Annual Report 2025

LawRight Financial Statements 2025

Homelessness

• Inquiry into the Decriminalisation of Certain Public Offences, and Health and Welfare Responses (PDF 993KB) – Submission to Qld Parliament – 22 August 2022
• Submission on Inquiry into strategies to prevent and reduce criminal activity in Queensland » – Submission to the Legal Affairs, Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services Committee – 10 July 2014
• Homelessness Bill Branch » – 3 August 2012
• CMC – use of Qld police move-on powers » – This 2009 submission was made to the CMC enclosing 17 submissions from HPLC clients. These submissions provided details from HPLC clients about their experiences with the use of move on powers by Queensland police officers.
• Standing Committee » – Submission to Standing Committee on the inquiry into homelessness legislation – 14 August 2009
• HPLC Response to Green Paper on Homelessness » – The HPLC submitted its response to the Government’s Green Paper on Homelessness. The response is informed by the experiences of HPLC clients and puts forward recommendations for change to the Government based on these experiences – 27 June 2008

Defamation

• Part A consultation draft Model Defamation Amendment Provisions 2022 (PDF 258KB) – 8 September 2022
• Stage 2 Review of Model Defamation Provisions (PDF 990KB) – 17 May 2021
• Defamation (Model Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill (PDF 756KB) – 11 May 2021
• Draft Model Defamation Amendment Provisions (PDF 201KB) – January 2020
• Review of Model Defamation Provisions (PDF 348KB) – Submission to the Council of Attorneys-General – April 2019

Blue Cards

• Response to the Legal Affairs and Safety Committee’s Inquiry into the Working with Children (Indigenous Communities) Amendment Bill 2021 (PDF 374KB) LawRight raised concerns about timeframes and delays in responding to negative notices for blue cards and potential solutions, for First Nations communities on particular. – November 2021
• Child Protection Reform and other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (PDF 168KB) – LawRight made submissions about the impact of Blue Card processes on First Nations people and communities – October 2021
• Working With Children (Risk Management and Screening) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 (PDF 960KB) – December 2018

Parole delays

• Parole delays – Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2021 (PDF 269KB) LawRight objected to proposed amendments to the Corrective Services Act 2006, which extended the timeframes for the Parole Board to make a decision on a prisoner’s application, from 120 days to 180 days. We argued that these changes are retrospective, reversed important reforms from 2017 and did not address underlying efficiencies, community safety or access to justice concerns. – October 2021
• Parole delays (PDF 400KB) – LawRight and Prisoners Legal Service submissions to the Attorney-General, Treasurer and Minister for Police and Corrective Services about parole delays, LawRight submission to Independent Review of Parole Board Qld – March 2021

SPER fines

• State Penalties Enforcement (Modernisation) Amendment Bill 2022 – Submissions covering how SPER fines disproportionately affect vulnerable Queenslanders – 4 April 2022
• SPER Work and Development Orders – What do Caseworkers need to know? » – Resource for caseworkers outlining the new SPER Work and Development Order (WDO) scheme – 27 Jun 2017
• Senate Committee on Better Management of Social Welfare System » – Submission in response to ‘Design, scope, cost-benefit analysis, contracts awarded and implementation associated with the Better Management of the Social Welfare System initiative’ inquiry – 18 April 2017
• Finance and Administration Committee on the State Penalties Enforcement Amendment » – Submission in response to the State Penalties Enforcement Amendment Bill 2017 (Qld) – 24 March 2017
• Fair and Flexible SPER Fine Options for Vulnerable Queenslanders (PDF 663KB) » – SPER Work and Development Orders: Policy Snapshot – October 2016
• Work and Development Orders: Response to Consultation Paper (PDF 369KB) » – Response to SPER’s WDO Consultation Paper in collaboration with CLCQ and other stakeholders – 20 September 2016
• Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic SPER Discussion Paper » – Responding to homelessness and disadvantage in the fines enforcement process in Queensland – July 2013
• Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic SPER Snapshot » – Responding to homelessness and disadvantage in the fines enforcement process in Queensland – July 2013

Credit and debt

• Using the product intervention power – Consultation paper 355 – January 2022
• Using the product intervention power – Consultation Paper 316 – July 2019

Mental Health

• Review of the Mental Health Act 2000 (Qld) » – Second round of consultation – July 2014
• Review of Mental Health Act » – Submission to the Queensland Government for the review of the Mental Health ACT 2000 (Qld) – August 2013

Other areas of law

• Transport and Public Works Committee (PDF 263KB) » – Submissions to the Transport and Public Works Committee’s Inquiry into the operations of toll roads in Queensland – 7 August 2018
• Parliamentary Inquiry into Wage Theft in Queensland (PDF 710KB) » – Submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry into Wage Theft in Queensland – 30 July 2018
• ACNC repeal and replacement » – Submission in response to the Options Paper, Australia’s Charities and Not-for-profits – 21 July 2014
• Productivity Commission submission » – May 2014
• Environmental Governance Project » – December 2013
• RTI Reform Submission » – November 2013
• Productivity Commission Inquiry into Access to Justice Arrangements » – September 2013
• Feedback Submission – Child Protection Inquiry Discussion Paper » – QPILCH Feedback Submissions on the Queensland Child Protection Commission of Inquiry Discussion Paper – March 2013
• Review of the Residential Tenancies and Rooming Accommodation Act 2008 (158KB) » – January 2013
• LPITAF Review » – 22 October 2012
• Commission of Inquiry into the Child Protection System (649KB) » – September 2012
• Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 – Offender Levy » – Submission to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee on the Offender Levy – 17 July 2012
• Revision of the Coal Seam Gas Water Management Policy (PDF 405KB) » – Submission to the Department of Environment and Resource Management on the revision of the Coal Seam Gas Water Management Policy – 23 December 2011
• Constitutional Recognition of Local Government (PDF 147KB) » – Submission to the Expert Panel on the Constitutional Recognition of Local Government – 4 Nov 2011
• Hansard of committee evidence » – 4 October 2011
• PPRA Parliamentary Committee » – Submission to Legal Affairs, Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services Committee on the Police Powers and Responsibilities and Other Legislation Amendment Bill – 22 September 2011
• Government lawyers in pro bono work (PDF 57KB) » – Submission to the Queensland Attorney-General for the involvement of government lawyers in pro bono work – December 2010
• Strategy for Reducing Homelessness 2010-2020 Discussion Paper (PDF 144KB) » – The HPLC drafted this submission to the Department of Communities Discussion Paper – December 2010.
• Unbundling (PDF 157KB) » – Proposal for protection of community-based lawyers providing discrete task assistance to parties in the same proceedings submitted to the National Legal Reform Taskforce – 23 July 2010.
• Public Trustee – Incapable of Justice (PDF 249kb) » – Submission produced by the Self-Representation Civil Law Service about capacity and self-represented litigants – November 2009
• Response to the report of the Access to Justice Taskforce (PDF 315kb) » – November 2009
• National Human Rights Consultation (PDF 230KB) » – June 2009
• National Human Rights Consultation – HPLC submission » – enclosing 24 client questionnaires. Questionnaires asked clients to provide details of their human rights related experiences to help to answer the Consultation question, ‘are rights currently sufficiently protected?’ In the interests of maintaining client confidentiality, copies of client questionnaires are not available.
• Productivity Commission on the Contribution of the Not For Profit Sector (PDF 164KB) » – A submission addressing the terms of reference of the Commission’s study – 29 May 2009
• LCARC on Access to Justice (PDF 234KB) » – Submission to the LCARC on the accessibility of administrative justice, freedom of information and accessibility of information about government decisions – 3 Oct 2007
• Review of the Residential Tenancies Act 1994 (103KB) » – This submission outlines the HPLC’s concerns about proposed changes to the Residential Tenancies Act 1994 – June 2007
• National Youth Commission Inquiry into Youth Homelessness (PDF 286KB) » – A collaborative submission representing the concerns of the QPILCH Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic, Brisbane Youth Service, Australian Red Cross (through its Youth Night Cafe) and the Salvation Army Youth Outreach Service – June 2007
• Attorney-General on civil law services (PDF 331KB) » – Achievable initiatives to improve civil law services in Queensland – 17 Nov 2006
• Voluntary Practising Certificates (PDF 168KB) » – A submission to the Queensland Law Society to introduce a voluntary practising certificate for community legal centre volunteers – Sep 2006
• Litigation funding (PDF 305KB) » – QPILCH submission to SCAG review of litigation funding – 13 Sep 2006
• CMC Review of Public Nuisance (PDF 216KB) » – Submission by the QPILCH Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic in response to the Crime & Misconduct Commission’s Issues Paper regarding the Summary Offences Act 2005 public nuisance offence – July 2006
• Accessibility of Administrative Justice (PDF 255KB) » – Submission to the Legal, Constitutional and Administrative Review Committee – 6 April 2006
• LAQ’s Review of Civil Law Legal Aid Services (PDF 277KB) » – Submission to Legal Aid Queensland’s Review of Civil Law Legal Aid Scheme (CLLAS) – Feb 2006
• LAQ’s Review of the Civil Law Legal Aid Scheme (PDF 46KB) » – LAQ’s Discussion paper – Dec 2005
• Brisbane City Council Move On Powers (PDF 148KB) » – Objection in response to Brisbane City Council’s public notification that it intends to apply for more “notified areas” within which police can exercise move on powers pursuant to ss 40 and 41 of the Police Powers and Responsibilities Act 2000 (Qld) – 28 Oct 2005
• A guide to Navigating the Magistrates Court (PDF 1.41MB) » – Submission to improve the signage systems for Brisbane City’s Magistrates Courts with a view to increasing the accessibility of the courts for disadvantaged defendants, particularly those who are unrepresented in criminal proceedings. The submission outlines shortcomings of the current signage systems and recommends specific solutions to those shortcomings.
• Legal Aid Queensland’s Review of Civil Law Services (PDF 126KB) » – Submission to Legal Aid Queensland – July 2005
• Summary of responses (PDF 188KB) » – Summary of responses to the LAQ consultation paper on the review of Civil Law Services, compiled by Legal Aid – November 2005
• Provisions of the Migration Litigation Reform Bill 2005 (PDF 236KB) » – Submission to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Committee – 6 Apr 2005
• Vagrants, Gaming and Other Offences Act 1931 (Qld) (PDF 1.2MB) » – Submission to the Minister for Police and Corrective Services – Aug 2004
• Legal Aid and Access to Justice (PDF 334KB) » – HPLC submission to the Parliament Senate Inquiry into Legal Aid and Access to Justice – 20 Aug 2003
• Class Actions (PDF 40KB) » – Submission to the Honourable Rod Welford MLA, Attorney-General and Minister for Justice – 5 Feb 2002
• Costs and Fees in Public Interest Litigation (PDF 44KB) » – Submission to the Hon Rod Welford MLA, Attorney General and Minister for Justice regarding costs and fees in public interest litigation – 5 Feb 2002