Domestic violence funding and taskforce recommendations in the spotlight
Thursday’s hearings have ended with questions about the government’s handling of domestic and family violence services, a portfolio that has faced immense scrutiny in recent weeks.
Addressing criticism of DFV funding cuts head on, after it was revealed the LNP had wiped $40 million from services, Camm accused her Labor opponents of running a media scare campaign.
“There has been no reduction in funding to our frontline domestic violence services,” she said.
But there has been a “reallocation” of funds, with Director-General Belinda Drew admitting $10.5 million to provide support and counselling services for victim-survivors of domestic violence had been diverted to other programs.
Queensland remains only state to reject Thriving Kids, DG admits key disability advisory council vacant for past year
With child safety wrapped, it’s on to Amanda Camm’s next portfolio: family, seniors and disability services.
Opposition disability services spokesperson Leeanne Enoch kicked questions off by asking Director-General Belinda Drew how many times the Queensland Disability Advisory Council had met since November 2024.
Drew said the council is an important advisory structure relied upon to engage with people with a disability, but admitted the QDAC term expired in August 2025.
“At this point, we are in the process of appointing new members, which is imminent,” Drew said.
‘What have you been doing?’: Opposition seizes on govt’s response to child safety inquiry amid staggering case backlog
Child Safety Minister Amanda Camm has kicked off the first of three sessions scrutinising her key portfolios tonight, after fronting media to deliver the government’s response to its $20 million inquiry into the children in care system earlier this morning.
Shadow spokesperson for child safety Corrine McMillan wasted no time seizing on the report’s damning findings and the government’s response, asking Camm to explain what she had been doing for the past 636 days.
“There are more children in care, more children in need of protection, and assessment response times have declined,” McMillan said.
“This morning, you said ‘work starts today’. Minister, if work starts today, what have you been doing for the past 636 days?”
Quotas, wiped phrases and women lost to domestic violence dominate afternoon hearings
After fielding questions relating to her multiculturalism and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander partnerships portfolios, Fiona Simpson has fronted the budget estimates for the final session of the afternoon to discuss women and women’s economic security, which she also oversees.
Opposition spokesperson for women Shannon Fentiman asked Simpson how many women have been killed by a partner or former partner in Queensland so far this year.
After some back and forth about whether the Minister for Women could answer such a question, Simpson said she understood the number to be between 37 and 40 – which captures data for women killed across Australia so far this year.
She later confirmed nine women were from Queensland.
Minister lashes Labor over rejected First Nations ‘invisibility’ claims
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships Minister Fiona Simpson has accused Labor of planting claims of a government strategy to wind back First Nations representation and policies via the partner of a federal MP.
Opposition Closing the Gap and Reconciliation spokesperson Leeanne Enoch questioned Simpson this afternoon over the plan, which former truth-telling inquiry chair Joshua Creamer has described having heard called “Project Invisibility”.
A barrister and Waanyi and Kalkadoon man, Creamer is married to Labor’s federal member for Bonner, Kara Cook.
“This is simply something that’s been made up,” Simpson said of the existence of such a strategy. “It’s then quoted from somebody who is married to a Labor member of parliament and put in the media, [that] does not make it the truth.
Minister played down LNP candidate’s appointment to multicultural advisory group
Two-time LNP candidate Pinky Singh OAM joined the overhauled Multicultural Queensland Advisory Council earlier this year, but a Friday afternoon media release announcing the change appeared to downplay her appointment.
Multiculturalism Minister Fiona Simpson was asked about the make-up of the paid group which advises her on such matters on Thursday, referring to Singh and Michael Choi – a former Labor MP also appointed to multiple boards.
While the group’s departmental website lists “Pinky Singh OAM” and features a photo and extensive bio referencing her community work and involvement in state politics, the media release announcing the changes on February 6 lists only “Gurpreet Singh”.
The Queensland Register of Appointees to Government Bodies lists her as “Gurpreet ‘Pinky’ Singh”. Six of the other 11 council members, including one of the two reappointed and Choi, had elements of their bios spruiked in the media release – Singh did not.
Speaker boosts security after airing detail of plan to ‘disrupt proceedings’
Speaker Pat Weir has returned from the lunch break with a warning that he has “received credible information that there will be an attempt to disrupt proceedings from the public gallery later today”.
“I have also received credible information of the involvement of members [of parliament] in this plan,” he said.
While saying was hopeful the information would prove incorrect or that “wiser heads will prevail”, he said he had further restricted entry to the floor of the Legislative Council and boosted security and screening for members of public wishing to attend.
“I warn anyone attempting to disrupt the proceedings that such conduct will not be tolerated, and the full force of the law will be applied,” Weir said, noting relevant provisions of the Criminal Code, but also parliamentary rules specific to MPs.
In November 2022, a group of climate protesters were charged who hung banners and chanted from the gallery were charged with a little-used offence which ultimately saw one, Lee Coaldrake, fined $5000.
Minister pushes back on ‘offensive’ suggestion around First Nations board removals
Queensland Arts Minister John-Paul Langbroek has denied he or his department removed First Nations figures from cultural organisation boards.
“I would reject that absolutely, and it’s offensive that anyone might suggest it,” Langbroek said.
The minister made the comments after a series of questions from his Labor opposition counterpart, Leeanne Enoch, to departmental officials about the loss of Indigenous directors.
Those departures have been suggested by the opposition and former truth-telling inquiry chair Joshua Creamer to be part of a government approach dubbed “Project Invisibility”.
Schools in Bleijie’s electorate funded for upgrades against policy
Five schools in Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie’s electorate – including at least one private school – have been granted a combined $1 million in funding against department policy, a budget estimates hearing has been told.
Following probing from opposition education spokeswoman Di Farmer, the education department confirmed five schools within the Kawana electorate received $166,000 each to install air conditioning in sports halls.
These schools included Meridan State College, Talara Primary College, Kawana Waters State College, and non-government school Pacific Lutheran College.
The director-general said the department policy was to not fund air conditioning for school halls, and added the policy had been in place “for quite some time”.
40 per cent of primary school help scheme unclaimed
Over 40 per cent of the state’s back to school boost – pitched as the headline item in the education budget – has yet to be claimed by families halfway into the school year.
The funds were increased by $50 for each primary school student, and sit in credit accounts with schools for use in education costs including uniforms, school camps, and extracurricular activities.
Langbroek said the “enhanced back to school boost”, now at $150 for each student, had been renewed for five years.
Just over 59 per cent of families had redeemed their credits, he said, adding that the government would allow the fund to roll over each year until the end of primary school.
The minister said many schools had noticed decreases in the number of unpaid fees since the scheme was rolled out at the start of the year.
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