Committee Details

About the BILL 

On Wednesday, 4 March 2026, Mr Robbie Katter MP, Member for Traeger, introduced the Criminal Code (Defence of Dwellings and Other Premises—Castle Law) Amendment Bill 2026 (Bill) into the Queensland Parliament. The Bill was referred to the Justice, Integrity and Community Safety Committee for detailed consideration. 

View: Explanatory speech
View: Bill
View: Explanatory Notes
View: Statement of compatibility

The objective of the Bill is to amend section 267 of the Queensland Criminal Code (the Code) to provide clearer guidance and legal protection for individuals who use force to defend themselves or others within their homes. This amendment is commonly referred to as the ‘Castle Doctrine’. 

The Bill strengthens the rights of law-abiding Queenslanders to defend their dwellings and other premises from unlawful intrusion, seeks to broaden the circumstances in which an individual can lawfully respond to a home invasion with such force that may result in grievous bodily harm or even death to the intruder. 

The amendments: 

• Codify “castle law” principles within the Criminal Code;
• Extend protection beyond dwellings to other premises;
• Clarify when force may lawfully be used against an intruder;
• Recognise that certain aggravated intrusions justify stronger defensive action; and
• Provide legal certainty for both homeowners and courts.

Call for submissions

The committee invites submissions on any aspect of the Bill, 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 make an online submission to the Bill. 

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

The closing date for written submissions is 10.00am Tuesday, 21 April 2026. 

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 Monday, 7 September 2026. The report will be published here.

Further information

Further information including written briefings, correspondence, response to submissions, transcripts and answers to questions taken on notice will be available in due course.

Timeline