Highlighting the Council’s 2019-20 achievements

Media release

Saturday, 3 October 2020

The Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council’s 2019-20 Annual Report was tabled last Thursday in Queensland Parliament.

Covering the previous financial year, the Annual Report highlights the Council’s achievements and its work to inform the community about sentencing matters.

This year’s report also details how the Council refocused services and projects during the COVID-19 pandemic and embraced technology and new media to safely engage with stakeholders, the community and staff, during the height of the global health event.

Some of the Council’s highlights from 2019-20 include:

• Delivering the final Terms of Reference report to the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, the Honourable Yvette D’Ath MP, on Community-based sentencing orders, imprisonment and parole options, making 74 recommendations to reform the sentencing framework in Queensland
• Receiving a new Terms of Reference from the Attorney-General on penalties for assaults on public officers. The Issues Paper for the Terms of Reference was released in April, with the Council releasing the Final Report for the Terms of Reference in the 2020-21 financial year
• Launching the Doing Justice Differently video series focused on informing Queenslanders about the specialist courts and program. The first two videos highlight the work of the Queensland Drug and Alcohol Court and the Court Link program
• Producing new educational resources, including four Sentencing Spotlights and a new suite of teaching resources for high school teachers and students
• Collaborating with the Council’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel to produce a Sentencing Definition series providing simple spoken explanations of commonly used legal terms and a straightforward written definition
• Producing the first Court reporting guide for Journalists, developed in consultation with journalists from television, radio and print, the Supreme and District Courts and the Queensland Law Society. The Guide provides a plain English overview of the courts to assist journalists to cover court proceedings accurately and support enhanced community understanding of Queensland courts, and
• Producing a Stakeholder Engagement Framework to guide our interactions with the community and ensure our engagement on sentencing matters is meaningful.

Download the Council’s Annual Report 2019-20 to read more about the work the Council has undertaken to inform, engage and advise Queenslanders about sentencing.

Media inquiries

Jane Coates
Media and Engagement Manager
0459 887 077 /  (07) 3738 9498

Laura Mac Kenzie
Senior Engagement Officer
0437 967 376 / (07) 3738 9501