Committee Details

About the inquiry

On 10 December 2024 the Legislative Assembly agreed to a motion that the Education, Arts and Communities Committee (the committee) inquire into and report on Elder Abuse in Queensland.

Inquiry flyer

What is elder abuse?

The terms of reference call upon the committee to consider:

1. The abuse of older people in Queensland (elder abuse), defined as a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, in the context of a relationship of trust, causing harm or distress, including the: 
   
   1. nature and extent, including for vulnerable cohorts, of:
      1. forms of neglect and abuse, such as physical, sexual, psychological, emotional and financial;
      2. relationships where elder abuse occurs, including family and kinship relationships;
      3. risk and protective factors, and barriers and enablers for people to access support.
   2. effectiveness and cohesiveness of responses to elder abuse, including Queensland laws, policies, programs and services, in preventing, safeguarding, identifying and responding to elder abuse, including:
      1. adult guardianship and violence protection services, other funded services, and community-based interventions;
      2. civil and criminal legal frameworks;
      3. community awareness, education and engagement initiatives;
      4. monitoring, evaluation and reporting processes;
      5. human rights protections.
   3. opportunities to improve responses to elder abuse in Queensland, within the government, broader community, non-government, and private sectors, including ensuring responses are trauma informed and culturally appropriate.
       
2. The inquiry will consider:
   
   1. voices of people with lived experience of elder abuse (with appropriate assistance to be provided for people to engage with the inquiry where required);
   2. views of other stakeholders; and
   3. relevant findings, reports and prevalence studies (insofar as they relate to elder abuse).

Further information

Further information (including written briefings, correspondence, response to submissions, transcripts and any answers to questions taken on notice at public proceedings) will be published under the Related Publications tab, as it becomes available.

Call for submissions

The committee invites submissions on any aspect of the Inquiry, from all interested parties. Guidelines for making a submission to a parliamentary committee are available here: Guide to making a submission. Please ensure your submission meets these requirements.

Click here to download and print a paper submission form.

Click here to make an online submission to the Inquiry. 

If you are unable to provide a written submission, please contact the secretariat to discuss other options.

The closing date for written submissions is 5pm on Thursday 10 April 2025.

Submissions must include:

• the author’s full name
• if the submission is made on behalf of an organisation, the level of approval (e.g. a local branch, executive committee or national organisation), and 
• at least two of the following:
• email address
• mailing address, and
• daytime telephone number.

Please ensure your submission includes the above or it may not be considered by the committee.

Please note: Your name and submission may be published on the committee’s inquiry webpage, which will mean it can be viewed on the internet. You can request for your name to be withheld from your published submission, or for both your name and your submission to be kept confidential (i.e. not published). Decisions about whether and how submissions are published are at the discretion of the committee.

Committee’s report

The committee is due to table its report on 12 December 2025. The report will be published here.

Timeline

Register for public hearings

If you wish to attend one of the committee’s upcoming public hearings (as a witness or as an observer), you can register online below:

• Hervey Bay, Maryborough or Cherbourg

See the timeline above for venue locations.