Premier Campbell Newman's Government has pressed ahead with new laws that give his government more power to not only make laws, but to apply them, undermining the role of an independent judiciary in Queensland. Judges play an important role in maintaining accountability and interpretation of laws in our justice system. 

The Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie has also moved to threaten Queensland's independent judiciary through amendments to the Dangerous Prisoners (Sexual Offenders) Act which will give the Attorney-General unfettered power to deny a person liberty, without court review. 

The Government's new draconian 'anti-bikie' laws are another example of undermining judicial independence by a government that has gone too far, beyond what it promised to Queenslanders before it was elected and threaten one of the central tenets of our democratic structures, by weakening the separation of powers. This means more power in the hands of Campbell Newman and Jarrod Bleijie. In a state with no upper house, that means little ability for review of these laws, for individuals to seek redress for an attack on their civil liberties or for judges to be able to properly do their job free from executive interference. 

These attacks on the judiciary, and its independence, represent a major step back for Queensland and for maintaining the rule of law for all Queenslanders, with checks and balances, not a legal system designed for Campbell Newman's political expediency.