The purpose of this Bill is to facilitate visits by the United Nations Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture (the Subcommittee) to places of detention in Queensland. QAI welcomes this Bill following the Subcommittee’s failed visit to Australia in October 2022 when it was denied access to several places of detention in both Queensland and New South Wales and was forced to suspend its visit.
Despite its stated intention, the Bill does not provide adequate access to all places of detention, nor does it facilitate access to all information required by the Subcommittee. It also contains clauses regarding issues of consent that risk introducing barriers to the Subcommittee achieving its purpose under the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT).