Parliamentary Committees

The Estimates process is a crucial one, providing opportunity to find out how public funds are being spent or not spent, whether what communities had sought was being delivered or not, and ultimately, ensure what is passes the ‘pub test’.…

Even though inflation is down from post COVID-19 highs and there is some interest rate relief, as Sandy said in Parliament, at grass roots, the reality is we have overburdened not-for-profits and volunteers delivering everything from food to accommodation through…

As Sandy has highlighted since 2018, the estimates and committee process have serious flaws that reduce their effectiveness and should be reformed to improve transparency and our democracy. With a new state government elected in October 2024, Sandy asked the…

Advocacy has continued regarding the community’s frustration around the length of time for civil court decisions. Following Sandy’s Question on Notice in Parliament, which can be viewed on our April 2024 Noosa 360 update, and the 2024 State Election, Sandy…

The Estimate Hearings follow the presentation of the Queensland 2024 Budget and gives an opportunity for State Members of Parliament (MPs) to ‘drill’ down into the details on how funds are being spent, or not spent. As mentioned in our…

Sandy’s advocacy has continued following the tabling of the Interim Report into youth justice reform with 60 recommendations to create greater safety in our communities. As included in our April 2024 Noosa 360 update, this report can be viewed in…

The Youth Justice Reform Parliamentary Select Committee, chaired by Sandy with three Members of Parliament (MPs) each from the Liberal National and Labor Parties respectively, has been working towards the completion and tabling of an interim report for six months.…

Over the last month, Sandy has chaired further Youth Justice Reform Committee Public Hearings in South- East Queensland and Rockhampton. As mentioned in our February 2024 Noosa 3360 update, this has also included another round of submissions which have now…

In response to previous advocacy from Sandy and others, the Queensland Government has announced an expanded, intensive ‘On Country’ Program trial for First Nations young people in contact with the youth justice system. The following information has been provided by…

On 21 September 2023, the Federal Government announced an independent inquiry into Australia’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the stated purpose of identifying lessons learned to improve our preparedness for future pandemics. Sandy provided the below submission to committee…