State Government data shows that while people who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torre Strait Islander account for 5 per cent of total Blue Card applicants, from 2017-2020,First Nations people made up 22% of rejected applicants.

This is despite, during the same period, these applicant are more likely to provide a submission relating to police and/or disciplinary information than non-indigenous applicants.

Mr Katter said, under this Bill, many (though not all) of these individuals would have been granted a restricted Blue Card and empowered to secure work.

"The purposes of this legislation is to enable local decision-making around the Blue Cards, only in certain circumstances and never when an applicant had a history of harming children," he said.

"In these instances, final decision on a BlueCard for that community area only would be undertaken by Local Justice Groups, rather than a faceless bureaucrat in Brisbane who doesn't realise their 'tick or flick' on an application could change someone's life."

Mr Katter said child safety, the cornerstone of the Blue Card system, would remain paramount.

The Bill has received strong support from stakeholders within the communities and its design ensures there is zero tolerance regarding sexually related convictions, to ensure children's safety.

The Mornington Shire Council has officially endorsed the Bill, with Mayor Kyle Yanner saying it would empower his community.
He said he had personally faced issues being approved for a Blue Card in the past, and knew how frustrating the Brisbane-based bureaucratic processes associated with the system could be.

"It's absolutely insulting - there are so many people here in our community who want to change and get into work and the Blur Card system just knocks them down," He said.

"The effects of this is it takes the fire out of people's bellies to try and get into work and then they rebel"

"It's the people up here on the ground, including the Elders, who should be able to make these sorts of decisions around who is suitable for what jobs."

Cr Yanner said the impact of the current system was pervasive across his community.

"We only have one worker at our kindergarten because everyone who wants to work there can't get a Blue Card," He said.

"What jobs have we got available to us up here?

"We know people's stories and circumstances; of course anyone with serious criminal offences are going to be excluded.

"But when something is historic and an individual has worked really hard to improve themselves, then they should be supported to get into work.