About the legislation

 

How up-to-date is the legislation on this website?

• Reprints     

We aim to have reprints available as soon as possible after a change in the legislation has happened or new principal legislation commences (comes into force).

• Acts as passed   

New Acts as passed are available on the website as soon as possible after an Act has been assented to by the Governor.

• Subordinate legislation   

New subordinate legislation is notified by publication on this website. Notification most commonly happens on Friday morning each week but may happen on other days.

• Bills 

New Bills introduced into Parliament are available on the website as soon as possible after they are introduced.

 

Is the legislation on this website authorised?

All Bills, Acts, subordinate legislation and reprints published on this website from 2013 are ‘authorised’. More information about authorised legislation can be found on our About authorised legislation page.

 

What is the status information page?

The status information page is the landing page for all legislation on this website—whether you access Bills, Acts, subordinate legislation or reprints (in force or repealed). This page operates like a ‘control centre’ for the legislation, giving you information about the title and access to the range of file formats available for the title. You can also access other functionality for each title can via a range of buttons and links.

• Information—in the written text on this page you will find important information about the title, including, for Acts, the Minister and government agency responsible for administering the Act.

   

• File formats—there are buttons and links to view the legislation as a whole, one provision at a time using links in the contents pane, as an XML file or as a PDF.

   

• Authorising Act/subordinate legislation—you can find the authorising Act for subordinate legislation or all subordinate legislation made under an Act.

   

• History notes—you can choose whether or not to view the history notes for provisions of a reprint ‘inline’ on the screen (available for reprints only).

   

• Legislative History—you can view the legislative history for the title.

   

• Search—you can use the website’s powerful search functionality within a single title.

   

• Atom feed—you can receive updates for the legislation by subscribing to the Atom feed.

   

• Printing—you can print the legislation yourself or order a commercially printed copy.

   

• Font—you can change the size of the font being displayed on your screen.

   

• Timeline—you can access point-in-time reprints of the legislation using the radio buttons or timeline search functionality (not available for Bills).

 

What is the legislative history?         

The legislative history is where you’ll find historical and other legislative information at the document level for all Queensland legislation and reprints (except backcaptured files). This information was previously found in the Current and Repealed annotations publications and in the endnotes for reprints.

For principal Bills/Acts and principal SLs and the reprints of that legislation, the legislative history is cumulative over the legislation’s lifecycle.

For amendment Bills/Acts, amendment SLs, proclamations and postponement regulations, the Legislative history ends when all provisions have commenced (though the legislative history for the affected reprints will change).

You can find the legislative history via the Legislative history button on the status information page. You can find more information on our Finding legislative information page.

 

What is the creation history?

The creation history has links to documents and a record of dates relating to the legislative history of the title before it is reprinted—for Bill to Act, and for as made subordinate legislation.

You can find the creation history for Bills, Acts, subordinate legislation and reprints at the bottom of the legislative history page.

 

What is ‘backcaptured’ legislation?

‘Backcaptured’ legislation is the name generally given to copies of legislation reproduced in electronic format by scanning printed copies that were published before legislation was routinely produced electronically. In Queensland, publishing in electronic format began in mid-1991.

On this website, backcaptured copies of Acts as passed before mid-1991 and statutory instruments published in the Queensland Government Gazette before mid-1991 will progressively be made available for users. A note on the Acts as passed and SL as made landing pages will clearly identify which legislation has been reproduced by scanning.

You may also be interested in accessing other backcaptured Queensland legislation—

You can view a whole title by clicking on the View whole Act or View whole SL button on the status information page of the title. Alternatively, you can click on links in the contents pane to view selected provisions—a single section or an entire chapter, part or division.

 

In what formats are the documents available?

Legislation published recently is available in HTML, XML and PDF formats. Older documents are available in PDF format only.

 

How can I find a PDF version of the legislation on this website?

You can view a PDF of the legislation by clicking on the PDF button along the top of the status information page. Our PDF documents have bookmarks with both provision numbers and headings to make navigating the legislation easy.

 

What is XML and how do I download it?

To download XML, click the XML button along the top of the status information page.

 

How can I get a printed copy of authorised Queensland legislation?

You can link directly to the website of the commercial printer authorised by the Queensland government to order a printed copy of most of the legislation on this website. Subscription services to Queensland legislation are also available.

 

How do I find out when a Bill has been introduced into Parliament? 

Bills don’t appear on the website until they’ve been introduced into Parliament. You can look for a Bill by clicking the Bills link and the year of introduction. Click the link for the Bill and find the introduction date on the status information page.

The most recently introduced Bills are also listed in the ‘What’s new’ column on the home page and you can subscribe to the ‘What’s new’ Atom feed  to get the latest updates.

 

I’m looking at an Act as passed but can’t see the long title—where can I find it?

The long title doesn’t appear if you are viewing it as either a whole Act or provision by provision in the HTML version. You can see the long title by clicking the PDF button to view that version of the Act.

 

I understand that new principal legislation is reprinted but what happens to amending legislation?

Under the Acts Interpretation Act 1954, section 22C, amending Acts are automatically repealed after all the amendments have commenced.

Similarly, under the Acts Interpretation Act 1954, section 22C and the Statutory Instruments Act 1992, section 14(1) and schedule 1, amending subordinate legislation is also automatically repealed after all the amendments have commenced.

 

What subordinate legislation was notified this week?

You can find information about notification of subordinate legislation each week via the Notifications link—click on the link for the week you want.

Alternatively, you could use the Legislative tables link and run the cumulative tables report for subordinate legislation made—simply select the date range for your report. 

 

How do I find the Act under which subordinate legislation is made?

You can view the Act under which particular subordinate legislation is made by clicking the Authorising Act button when viewing a reprint of the subordinate legislation.

 

How do I find the subordinate legislation made under an Act?

You can view all the subordinate legislation made under a particular Act by clicking the Subordinate legislation button when viewing a reprint of the Act.

 

How do I find out which Minister/agency is responsible for legislation?

We extract this information from the Administrative Arrangements Orders and you can find it at the top of the status information page or legislative history page for an Act.

 

What is a penalty unit and what is its value?

You can find information about penalty units in the latest reprint of the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992, sections 5 and 5A.

The value of a penalty unit changes from time to time by legislative amendment. You can find the current penalty unit value for certain infringements, including penalties mentioned in the State Penalties Enforcement Regulation 2014 and infringements under the local laws of local governments, by checking the latest reprint of the Penalties and Sentences Regulation 2015, section 3.

 

What is a fee unit and what is its value?

Most Queensland Government fees are now expressed in legislation as a number of fee units rather than dollar amounts. You can find information about fee units in the latest reprint of the Acts Interpretation Act 1954, part 12B. The value of a fee unit is set by the Acts Interpretation (Fee Unit) Regulation 2022.