Carolyn’s Pine Rivers News March 2010
State Member for Pine Rivers
Leadership Ceremony
It was a pleasure to be invited to Dayboro State School’s leadership ceremony on Friday 12 February.
I look forward to seeing the leaders growing during the year with assistance from the School Community. Remember leadership is about teamwork and working with others with a strong team spirit.
Education Green Paper
The Education Green Paper, A Flying Start for Queensland Children, has been released for public consultation. This discussion paper is about the future of education in Queensland. It outlines proposals in a number of areas including:
Improving children’s development, wellbeing and school readiness
· A campaign to encourage families to read to their children
· New school literacy program enlisting an army of volunteer QLD Ready Readers
Getting a ‘Flying Start’ to Secondary School
· Investment in teacher training and new education infrastructure
· Moving year 7 to secondary school
Boosting performance in all schools
· Review of teacher training courses provided by universities
· Increasing support for training teachers during school placements
· A new single independent education authority and inspectors to monitor school standards
Education is a partnership of parents, teachers, the community and government – they have the right to say how our children are educated.
The Queensland Government has already lifted Queensland education by introducing a prep year and undertaking one of the biggest education infrastructure programs ever seen.
We are making a significant investment in our schools and education system so it is important we get it right by debating the paper’s recommendations.
The Green Paper reflected the Queensland Government’s Toward Q2 Smart goals for 2020 – that all children would have access to a quality early childhood education and three out of four Queenslanders would hold trade, training or tertiary qualifications.
Community Forums will be held across the state to discuss the ideas put forward in the Education Green Paper.
Queenslanders have until 30 June 2010 to contribute to the discussion paper via email, post or through consultation forums to be held across the state from February to June 2010. There will be a forum held in the Pine Rivers High School Auditorium (entry off Gympie Road, Strathpine) on 22 March from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. I look forward to seeing you there.
For more information or for a copy of the Green Paper, please call my office on 3205 6779 or email pine.rivers@parliament.qld.gov.au.
Criminal Code Amendments
The Queensland Parliament has passed two important changes to the Criminal Code to protect the rights of Queenslanders.
The Amendments established a partial defence for victims of abuse domestic relationships as well as creating a new offence that outlaws the possession of equipment used in identity crime.
The passage of the Criminal Code (Abusive Domestic Relationship Defence and Another Matter) Amendment Bill 2009 marked an important step in the protection of Queenslanders’ rights.
The new partial defence of ‘killing in an abusive domestic relationship’ is the first of its kind in Australia and provides victims of serious abuse with legal protection.
The new defence has been developed after detailed consideration of the issue of the government, the Queensland Law Reform Commission, academics and other key stakeholders in the judiciary, the legal profession and the community.
Research reviewed during the development process found that victims of seriously abusive relationships often commit offences in circumstances that fall outside existing defences, such as self-defence and provocation.
The changes included safeguards to ensure the defence would only be available to victims of abuse under particular circumstances, such as where:
· the person killed was in an abusive domestic relationship with the accused and had committed acts of serious domestic violence against the accused in the course of that relationship.
· At the time of the killing, the accused believed his or her acts were necessary to avoid death or grievous bodily harm
· There were reasonable grounds for this belief, having regard to the abusive relationship and all the circumstances of the case.
We recognise that domestic violence is a serious issue for our community and condemn all forms of domestic violence.
This defence will be available for victims of serious domestic violence where all the necessary criteria for its use have been met.
It doesn’t excuse victims but it does broaden the court’s sentencing options.
The defence is framed in a way that will ensure it is reserved for genuine victims and not misused.
The Amendments also increased Queenslanders’ protection against identity theft by inserting into the Criminal Code the new offence of possessing equipment for the purpose of obtaining or dealing with identification information.
These new laws strengthen existing measures by creating a new offence that makes it unlawful to possess equipment to obtain or deal with identification information.
Under the amendments, equipment could include items such as credit card-skimming devices, mobile phones with cameras or Bluetooth technology, and laptop computers.
To prevent the mere possession of common items becoming unlawful, the offence would require proof of an unlawful purpose.
It will have to be proved that the items were possessed for purposes of committing an identity theft offence.
The new offence will carry a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.
Education Green Paper
The Education Green Paper, A Flying Start for Queensland Children, has been released for public consultation. This discussion paper is about the future of education in Queensland. It outlines proposals in a number of areas including:
Improving children’s development, wellbeing and school readiness
· A campaign to encourage families to read to their children
· New school literacy program enlisting an army of volunteer QLD Ready Readers
Getting a ‘Flying Start’ to Secondary School
· Investment in teacher training and new education infrastructure
· Moving year 7 to secondary school
Boosting performance in all schools
· Review of teacher training courses provided by universities
· Increasing support for training teachers during school placements
· A new single independent education authority and inspectors to monitor school standards
Education is a partnership of parents, teachers, the community and government – they have the right to say how our children are educated.
The Queensland Government has already lifted Queensland education by introducing a prep year and undertaking one of the biggest education infrastructure programs ever seen.
We are making a significant investment in our schools and education system so it is important we get it right by debating the paper’s recommendations.
The Green Paper reflected the Queensland Government’s Toward Q2 Smart goals for 2020 – that all children would have access to a quality early childhood education and three out of four Queenslanders would hold trade, training or tertiary qualifications.
Community Forums will be held across the state to discuss the ideas put forward in the Education Green Paper.
Queenslanders have until 30 June 2010 to contribute to the discussion paper via email, post or through consultation forums to be held across the state from February to June 2010. There will be a forum held in the Pine Rivers High School Auditorium (entry off Gympie Road, Strathpine) on 22 March from 6.30pm to 8.30pm. I look forward to seeing you there.
For more information or for a copy of the Green Paper, please call my office on 3205 6779 or email pine.rivers@parliament.qld.gov.au.
Criminal Code Amendments
The Queensland Parliament has passed two important changes to the Criminal Code to protect the rights of Queenslanders.
The Amendments established a partial defence for victims of abuse domestic relationships as well as creating a new offence that outlaws the possession of equipment used in identity crime.
The passage of the Criminal Code (Abusive Domestic Relationship Defence and Another Matter) Amendment Bill 2009 marked an important step in the protection of Queenslanders’ rights.
The new partial defence of ‘killing in an abusive domestic relationship’ is the first of its kind in Australia and provides victims of serious abuse with legal protection.
The new defence has been developed after detailed consideration of the issue of the government, the Queensland Law Reform Commission, academics and other key stakeholders in the judiciary, the legal profession and the community.
Research reviewed during the development process found that victims of seriously abusive relationships often commit offences in circumstances that fall outside existing defences, such as self-defence and provocation.
The changes included safeguards to ensure the defence would only be available to victims of abuse under particular circumstances, such as where:
· the person killed was in an abusive domestic relationship with the accused and had committed acts of serious domestic violence against the accused in the course of that relationship.
· At the time of the killing, the accused believed his or her acts were necessary to avoid death or grievous bodily harm
· There were reasonable grounds for this belief, having regard to the abusive relationship and all the circumstances of the case.
We recognise that domestic violence is a serious issue for our community and condemn all forms of domestic violence.
This defence will be available for victims of serious domestic violence where all the necessary criteria for its use have been met.
It doesn’t excuse victims but it does broaden the court’s sentencing options.
The defence is framed in a way that will ensure it is reserved for genuine victims and not misused.
The Amendments also increased Queenslanders’ protection against identity theft by inserting into the Criminal Code the new offence of possessing equipment for the purpose of obtaining or dealing with identification information.
These new laws strengthen existing measures by creating a new offence that makes it unlawful to possess equipment to obtain or deal with identification information.
Under the amendments, equipment could include items such as credit card-skimming devices, mobile phones with cameras or Bluetooth technology, and laptop computers.
To prevent the mere possession of common items becoming unlawful, the offence would require proof of an unlawful purpose.
It will have to be proved that the items were possessed for purposes of committing an identity theft offence.
The new offence will carry a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment.
Until next time
Carolyn
