About us

Constitution of the commission

The Law Reform Commission is an independent statutory body which is established under the Law Reform Commission Act 1968.

Function of the commission

Its general function, as provided under the Law Reform Commission Act 1968, is to review specific areas of Queensland law which are referred to it by the Attorney-General.

Commission members

Members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor in Council on the advice of the Attorney-General. The Law Reform Commission Act 1968 provides that the Commission must consist of at least three members, who may be full-time or part-time members. Each person appointed to be a Commission member must be a person appearing to the Governor in Council to be suitably qualified by the holding of judicial office or by experience as a barrister or as a solicitor or as a teacher of law in a University.

The Commission’s current establishment is five part-time members (including the Chairperson) and one full-time member.

Secretariat

The Secretariat’s usual establishment consists of the Director, the Assistant Director, two Legal Officers, the Commission Secretary and one Administrative Officer. From time to time, the Commission is funded to employ additional staff, on a temporary basis, for a particular review.

The staff of the Secretariat, together with the full-time member, have the day to day responsibility for the carriage of the Commission’s reviews. The Secretariat also provides the Commission with administrative and secretarial support. This includes the management of all corporate governance, human resources and financial matters for the Commission.

The work of the commission

The Commission is currently working on four reviews:

The Guardianship Review
Jury Directions
Jury Selection
The law in relation to the disposal of a dead body

Last reviewed: 01 July 2009