Law & order

The reporting time for the Covid-19 Vaccination Status (Prevention of Discrimination) Bill 2022 and the Fair Work Amendment (Prohibiting Covid-19 Vaccine Discrimination) Bill 2023 has been extended to August 25, 2023. On February 9, 2023, the Senate referred to the committee with the bill’s intention to prohibit the commonwealth, states and territories and other government and non-government entities from discriminating on the basis of whether a person has had a Covid-19 vaccination in the provision of goods, services and facilities and also in employment, education, accommodation and sport, and amend the Fair Work Act 2009 by adding Covid-19 vaccination status as an attribute protected from discrimination.

Farmers beware! Come midnight tonight [30 June 2023], don’t think you can crank up your bulldozer, grader or continue building that new hay shed and not have to worry about the new Aboriginal Cultural Heritage laws ... While some may think that the Premier's light touch and soft start might sound appealing, by law nothing has changed, and you could well find yourself prosecuted for any heritage damage you do in the coming months with no legal recourse despite the Premier's spin.

Police from the Darling Downs District have launched the Community Camera Alliance at the Denise Kable Youth Services Centre in the Toowoomba suburb of Centenary Heights. Community Camera Alliance is an opportunity for members of the community across the region to register their closed circuit television (CCTV) system with the Queensland Police Service (QPS).

The government regulator, ACMA, could soon have more powers under a proposed misinformation and disinformation bill put forth by the Albanese Government ... According to the bill, misinformation is defined as information that is false, misleading or deceptive. The devil will be in the detail and how the new laws, if passed, are enacted. During the recent Covid-19 pandemic, governments around the world conspired with tech giants to remove, suppress and even deplatform the accounts of experts whose views differed from the government line.  

It was a bumpy start to the NSW floodplain management meetings, with a media release sent on Wednesday for meetings starting the next day. An incorrect venue was listed on the Department’s website for the Friday meeting in Barham ... Having found the meeting place, there were a lonely three souls in attendance, outnumbered two to one by department staff. While only three souls, their wisdom was invaluable.

This week, the Federal parliament passed the laws that will allow the national poll to be conducted for the Albanese government’s planned Constitution Alteration Bill. The senate voted 52 votes to 19, yet many questions remain over the details of what Albo has planned ... Concerns have been raised around the lack of details and the fact the politicians appear to want Australians to “trust us” with the biggest constitutional change since Federation.