President's Report AGM 2025
QUEENSLAND COUNCIL OF CIVIL LIBERTIES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
19 OCTOBER 2025
MCILWRAITH CROQUET CLUB
PRESIDENT’S REPORT
1. EXECUTIVE
This year, the executive consisted of, in addition to me:
· VP’s-Terry O’Gorman and Angus Murray
· Secretary Katherine Gough
· Treasurer John Drew
· ordinary executive members-Greg Jones, John Ransley, Eugene O’Sullivan, Siegfried Clarke, David McIlveen (newsletter editor) and Nicola Murray
I once again, thank them for their contributions to the Council this year.
I do wish to acknowledge the contribution of John Drew over I think about 10 years as treasurer. It is a job that for understandable reasons very few people want to take on. But John has done so for a long time and in his inimitable style has kept on reminding us about our parlous financial position.
2. ISSUES
As is the tradition with these reports, I set out below the issues with which we have been concerned throughout the year. Except for the confidential submissions, all the submissions referred to below are to be found on the website.
(a) Youth justice
I am not going to say much about this issue because Matt will be having a fair bit to say and no doubt what he says will reflect what we have said.
(b) Free speech
Issues relating to free speech have become more intense in recent years, given the increasing moral panic about social media and related issues.
QCCL condemned the Brisbane City Council’s decision to withdraw its funding from the Queensland Music Awards, following musician and award winner Kellee Green’s acceptance speech for her composition ‘River to Sea and called on the State Government not to follow suit.
The QCCL has continued its opposition to the entirely misconceived ban on under 16-year-olds having access to social media.
(c) Discrimination
We criticized the state government for deciding to delay the implementation of amendments to the Anti-Discrimination Act including a new positive duty that requires duty holders such as employers to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination, sexual harassment, harassment on the basis of sex and other objectionable conduct as far as possible
.
(d) Human Rights Act
The government binned the review of the Human Rights Act without giving it any consideration and has continued the tradition of the previous government of overriding the Act on a regular basis including most recently in relation to Daniel's Law.
(e) Police
The Council opposed the making permanent of Jack’s Law which authorizes the suspicion less search of people in public with a magnetometer.
QCCL opposed Daniel’s Law, which would provide a full introduction of a public sex offender register. The recently released report of the Parliamentary Committee into the bill was notable for the lack of any evidence that the system provided for in the bill would protect the children and families. All we were left with was an assertion by the Minister that there was a "rational connection" between the measures and the protection of children and families. This is a statement which is made in direct contradiction of some 30 years of evidence which is that this type of measure does not protect the children or families. To the contrary, it leads to a false sense of security by placing the focus on strangers when the main source of danger to children is family members and other people they know.
We continued our calls for the implementation of recommendation 68 of the Richards report into Queensland Police Service responses to domestic and family violence which called for the establishment of an independent Police Integrity Unit separate from the Crime and Corruption Commission to deal with all complaints in relation to police.
The Council also opposed Police Protection Directions. These turn police into judge jury and executioner enabling police not courts – to make an order against a person lasting for up to 12 months including being excluded from their home for that period.
A number of reactionary proposals appeared to be on the agenda of the government including reinstating the offence of public drunkenness which we have opposed and in respect of which I addressed an Indigenous Group.
(f) Criminal Law
Terry O'Gorman made a submission on behalf of the council to the Queensland Law Reform Commission in relation to its review of criminal defences
(g) Freedom of information
On behalf of the Council, I made a submission in relation to the Federal Government's proposed changes to freedom of Information law which appear to be dead in the water given the lack of support for them from the Opposition and the Greens
(h) Terrorism
For the first time in a while, antiterrorism laws have been the focus of our attention in the last couple of months. First, we joined a joint submission with our colleagues in New South Wales and Victoria which rejected the proposal to make the ASIO questioning powers permanent.
We also made a submission to the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor in relation to his review of the definition of "terrorist act". The position taken was that the definition should not be expanded because of all the repugnant powers which hang off the definition.
(i) Homelessness
I issued a number of releases on the policy of local councils to evict homeless people from parks with a public camping ban. I said it is entirely possible to acknowledge and balance the issues facing local governments with the humanity and dignity of homeless people. No doubt the council should be able to deal with the hazards posed by camps, such as the risk of disease associated with living outside with inadequate toilet and washing facilities, the risk of fire from campfires and harassment of those passing by. But long as there is no option of sleeping indoors, the government must not criminalize, homeless people for sleeping outdoors, on public property
Subsequently an interlocutory injunction was obtained restraining the Moreton Bay Council from implementing its policy on the basis it was a possible breach of the Human Rights Act
Angus will no doubt fill you in on his work in the privacy and digital technology areas.
Michael Cope
President