About us
The Law Reform Commission is an independent statutory body which was constituted by the Law Reform Commission Act 1968. The inaugural meeting of the Commission was held on 17 March 1969.
Function
The function of the Law Reform Commission as provided in the Law Reform Commission Act 1968 is to keep under review the law applicable to Queensland with a view to its systematic development and reform having regard to its codification, the elimination of anomalies and of obsolete and unnecessary enactments, the reduction of the number of separate enactments, and generally the simplification and modernisation of the law.
Mission
The mission of the Law Reform Commission is to meet the needs of the Queensland community by reviewing areas of law in need of reform. The Commission makes recommendations for reform to Parliament through the Attorney-General. These recommendations are based on extensive research, public consultation, impartiality, equity and social justice.
Members
Members of the Commission are appointed by the Governor-in-Council on the advice of the Attorney-General. Presently, there are five part-time members and one full-time member.
Chairperson
The Hon Justice R G Atkinson BA (Hons) BEd St LLB (Hons)
1 January 2002—20 December 2010Justice Atkinson was admitted to the Bar in 1987 and had a broad general public and private litigation practice in Courts and tribunals including constitutional, administrative, corporate and industrial cases.
While in practice at the Bar, Her Honour was also the first member and then the first President of the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Tribunal, a member of and then Deputy Chair of the Queensland Law Reform Commission, Hearing Commissioner for the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission and member of the Social Security Appeals Tribunal.
Her Honour was appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Queensland on 3 September 1998. She is also President of the International Commission of Jurists (Qld branch) and member of the Queensland University of Technology Faculty Advisory Committee for Law Courses.
Full-time Member
Mr Ian Davis BA LLB
17 July 2008–16 July 2011Ian Davis was appointed to the position of Full-time Member of the Commission on 17 July 2008.
Mr Davis served as a Commissioner of the Australian Law Reform Commission from 2000 to 2004, leading reviews of marine insurance law, the use of Federal civil and administrative penalties, and the use of security-sensitive information.
Since being admitted to practice in 1983, Mr Davis has worked principally in medium-sized commercial practices in Sydney, focussing on maritime and transport law, trade practices, insurance and commercial litigation. He has been admitted to practice in New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia.
Part-time Members
Mr John Bond SC BCom LLB (Hons)
17 March 2005–16 March 2011Mr Bond was admitted to the Queensland Bar in 1987. He has been in private practice at the Queensland Bar since then. He was appointed as a Senior Counsel for the State of Queensland in 1999. He has also been admitted to practice in New South Wales, South Australia, Western Australia and in the Northern Territory. He is entitled to practice in the Federal and High Courts.
Mr Bond’s practice is in the area of commercial litigation and advice. Within that context, areas in which he has advised or appeared have concerned, inter alia, administrative law; arbitration; banking and finance; building and construction contracts; constitutional law; contract law; corporations law; insurance; leases; mining; native title; professional liability; trade practices and trusts and equity.
Mr Brian J Herd BA LLB
15 November 2002–20 December 2010Mr Herd was admitted as a Solicitor in 1983 and has been in private practice since then.
For many years he has practised in the area of commercial law and litigation but has, in the last few years, concentrated on the area of Elder Law, or law for older people, encompassing estate and life planning, guardianship and administration, family and business succession and lifestyle options, including aged care and retirement.
He has prepared and presented numerous papers and seminars on aspects of Elder Law and is a member of the Queensland Law Society’s Aged Care and Retirement Committee and the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys of America.
Ms Rebecca Treston LLB (Hons)
21 December 2007–20 December 2010Ms Treston was admitted as a solicitor in 1991. In 1996 she was admitted to the Queensland Bar where she has remained in private practice ever since. She is also admitted to practice in the ACT and Vanuatu. She is entitled to practice in the Federal and High Courts.
Ms Treston's practice is in civil litigation and advice. In particular she specialises in estate litigation, insurance, contractual and commercial disputes, professional liability, trusts and equity, and personal injuries.
Ms Treston has presented numerous papers on Succession and Estate Litigation and Personal Injuries Litigation. She was a member of the Queensland Bar Council in 2001 and 2002.
Dr Ben White LLB (Hons) (QUT), DPhil(Oxon)
21 December 2007–20 December 2010Dr White graduated with First Class Honours and a University Medal in law from the Queensland University of Technology. He then worked as an Associate at the Supreme Court and at Legal Aid Queensland, and was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of Queensland. Dr White won a Rhodes Scholarship to complete a DPhil at Oxford University, where his doctoral thesis investigated the role that consultation plays in the law reform process of the Australian Law Reform Commission and the Law Commission of England and Wales.
Dr White is currently a Senior Lecturer in the QUT Law Faculty. His particular research interest is health law, which he has taught at both undergraduate and post graduate levels. He has also published a number of articles in this area.
Dr White served as the Commission’s full-time member from September 2005 to November 2007.
Secretariat
| Ms Claire Riethmuller | Director |
| Mrs Cathy Green | A/Assistant Director |
| Mr Philip Nase | Executive Project Consultant |
| Ms Soraya Ryan | Executive Legal Consultant |
| Ms Mary Collier | Legal Officer |
| Ms Alexandra Quayle | Legal Officer |
| Ms Paula Rogers | Legal Officer |
| Mrs Sharyn Pickett | Commission Secretary |
| Mrs Jenny Manthey | Commission Secretary |
| Ms Kahren Giles | A/Administration Officer |
| Mrs Anna Lathouras | A/Administration Officer |
Updated 05 March 2007
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