2017–18 Activity Statement—Governance

Good governance empowers communities and delivers streamlined services that are efficient and meet the needs of the community. Consultation, integrity and accountability are key elements of good governance. The Queensland Government is committed to being a responsive government and employing good governance practices of consultation, integrity and accountability. Queenslanders should feel like it is easy to do business with their government, and services should respond to community needs and be accessible to all. In 2017–18, the Queensland Government:

Service delivery and accountability

• progressed the Modernising Housing Service Centres initiative that aims to improve a client’s service delivery experience, provide a more personalised approach to service and provide clients with multiple service delivery channels
• established a more efficient and effective system to deal with councillor complaints in response to the review of the councillor conduct complaints system to improve transparency and accountability of local government
• established an Audit Taskforce to conduct a targeted investigation into buildings using Aluminium Composite Panel cladding and make recommendations to government, comprising of representatives from the Department of Housing and Public Works (DHPW), QFES and the Queensland Building and Construction Commission
• attended three meetings of the Building Ministers’ Forum, responsible for overseeing governance of the built environment in relation to policy and regulatory issues impacting the building construction industry and comprises Australian Government, state and territory ministers responsible for building and plumbing matters
• funded the Right Where You Live initiative, led by peak consumer bodies and bringing together the key consumer advocates and the Queensland Government to increase awareness of changes in regulations for the retirement village, manufactured home and residential park housing sector
• delivered face to face workshops to more than 600 local government councillors and staff to improve governance practices including councillor conduct, ethical behaviour, procurement and contract management, roles and responsibilities
• strengthened the legislative obligations for councillors in dealing with conflicts of interest and material personal interest
• introduced a ban on political donations by property developers at both the state and local levels of government
• expanded the existing range of offences for which councillors will be automatically disqualified if convicted, and introduced automatic suspension of councillors charged with such offences
• provided for suspension or dismissal of councillors or councils if the Minister for Local Government considers it in the public interest to do so
• undertook and completed the Review of Grants to Local Government: Current and Future State Assessments report, which identified issues and opportunities to improve infrastructure grant funding programs for local governments
• introduced the Crime and Corruption and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2018 to widen the definition of ‘corrupt conduct’
• implemented the new grants management system, SmartyGrants, to streamline application and reporting processes for funding recipients, and to enable responsive approaches to sector needs
• commenced implementation of recommendations from the Queensland Audit Office report, Fraud risk management
• provided specialist prosecutorial services to support the Drug and Alcohol Court with court-based therapeutic outcomes for participants
• co-location of QPS with other government agencies provides an innovative model for engagement and collective decision-making to advance tailored therapeutic outcomes for participants
• delivered, in collaboration between the QPS, Department of Justice and Attorney General and interstate police and court jurisdictions, a national scheme that automatically recognises and enforces Domestic Violence Orders made in any state or territory of Australia
• continued upgrading the QLDTraffic website and app, which provide road users with real time information about traffic and road conditions to plan their travel before they embark on a trip, to improve user experience
• delivered a range of activities under Partnering for the future: advancing Queensland’s community services industry 2017–25 strategy related to improving the use of innovation, technology, and workforce capability to support the effective delivery of services to Queenslanders
• implemented reforms from Queensland’s Personalised Transport Horizon: Five-year strategic plan for personalised transport services 2016-2021, including introducing a new licensing regime that promotes greater choice for customers while ensuring safety, accessibility, affordability and accountability
• allocated $150,000 towards developing a nationally-applicable place-based evaluation framework, and a Logan Together evaluation plan, in partnership with Australian Government
• ensured that the impact on commercial fleet based in Queensland was minimised by successfully handling the transfer of safety regulation for domestic commercial vessels to the Australian Government
• launched a pilot for an online learning and assessment program that has been developed to revolutionise driver education in Queensland and replace the outdated written road rules learner driver test
• released a major upgrade of the MyTransLink app, featuring a number of improvements based on customer feedback, to provide quick and easy access to public transport information
• released the Queensland Disaster Recovery Arrangements, through the Queensland Recovery Plan, to enable a collaborative approach that brings together all agencies, stakeholders and resources for planning and coordinating delivery of recovery functions
• allocated initial funding of $300,000 per year over three years to extend the One-Stop Service statewide, which had initially been established in 2016 to assist northern Queensland agricultural development proponents with processes of government

Collaboration and engagement

• continued to collaborate with Reconciliation Australia and Reconciliation Queensland Incorporated to develop the Queensland Government Reconciliation Action Plan 2018–2021 and to support reconciliation activities and events throughout Queensland
• engaged the Ministerial Housing Council to provide feedback and recommendations on the Regulations and Approved Forms to be developed as part of the implementation of the Housing Legislation (Building Better Futures) Amendment Act 2017
• negotiated 13 strategic partnership agreements with diverse stakeholders across the government, health, resources, tourism, construction, and agriculture sectors to drive investment to develop and support Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples into employment and leverage opportunities for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses to access supply chain opportunities
• provided support for the Wik Women’s Group in Aurukun to build peacemaking and leadership
• facilitated a Strategic Advisory Group for the Queensland Government’s Toward Gender Parity: Women on Boards initiative
• held three meetings of the Community Services Partnership Forum to engage key stakeholders of the community services in relevant policy and planning, and drive improvements to capacity and service quality
• continued engagement through the Queensland Disability Advisory and Regional Councils and the Queensland Transition Advisory Group
• chaired five meetings of the Ministerial Construction Council (MCC) which provides a forum for industry to raise and discuss topics relevant to the building construction industry and presently comprises members from 21 building industry and union organisations
• major topics discussed at the MCC included security of payment reforms, QBCC licensing and inclusive communities
• established a Peer-to-Peer Economy and Short-Term Letting Industry Reference Group to discuss the role of state and local governments in regulating short term residential accommodation letting in Queensland
• continued engagement with the Advance Queensland Expert Panel, providing recommendations on future directions, opportunities and challenges in regard to science, innovation, economic development and the growth of the knowledge economy and jobs in Queensland
• continued engagement with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Business and Innovation Reference Group which aims to help increase the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander entrepreneurs and innovators, and support the development of existing businesses across Queensland
• developed a MOU between the QPS and QCS to facilitate the exchange of information relevant to the management of child sex offenders residing in the community
• continued to work under a MOU between the TMR (Fitzroy District), Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council and Central Highlands Regional Council to develop a sustainable works program for the Woorabinda Aboriginal Shire Council
• released a consultation paper to seek the views of small businesses on a Queensland Small Business Procurement Commitment
• worked with local governments across the state to ensure and enable SES unit and group capability
• MOUs are being established to ensure a collaborative approach between QFES and local governments for the management and support of local SES groups, setting out roles and responsibilities for both parties, to ensure the ongoing delivery of an effective emergency service response
• continued the Roads and Transport Alliance, an innovative partnership between state and local governments to foster a collaborative and coordinated approach to managing Queensland’s road and transport network
• commenced consultation with the disability sector on the NGR train accessibility upgrades
• conducted two roundtables in Brisbane and Townsville with community, business and government stakeholders to discuss how place-based approaches can support communities to thrive
• celebrated 10 years of joint management of national parks in Queensland
• worked with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups and communities through various forums to provide advice on fisheries management issues
• introduced five cultural liaison officers in the Queensland Boating and Fisheries Patrol, who work and build relationships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities and Traditional Owners to understand and address issues around fishing
• committed to establish an Agricultural Ministerial Advisory Council (AgMAC), which would be a joint government and industry forum created to help identify future opportunities and challenges across Queensland’s agricultural sector.