Women Police in Post-Fitzgerald Queensland: A 20 Year Review

The Fitzgerald report was the catalyst for major reforms to Queensland's system of government and criminal justice, and included explicit recommendations related to women in policing. Reforms led to the removal of discriminatory barriers and significant improvements in the recruitment and promotion of women. However, these changes provoked a backlash in the 1990s that led to reductions in female recruitment. A return to less discriminatory policies eventually ensued, with steady improvements on key equity indicators. This paper provides a historical perspective on developments over the two decades since Fitzgerald, and includes a critical analysis of the implementation of contemporary equity and diversity strategies within the policing context. Recruitment of women police in Queensland has plateaued at one-third and progress in the overall number of sworn women and women in management is slow. The paper concludes by emphasising the wider lessons for a more developed and proactive gender equity program in public sector employment and policing

Reframing the lesson: promoting the continued relevance of the Fitzgerald Inquiry to policing in Queensland

The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is undergoing the most significant organisational change since the landmark Commission of Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct 25 years ago. Combined with broader public sector reforms initiated by a relatively new government, these changes will affect the way policing services are delivered and monitored within Queensland. As with any post-Fitzgerald structural change within the QPS, concerns about police integrity and supervision have again surfaced as part of the public discourse about the proposed reforms. This article draws on select post-Fitzgerald reviews of the QPS plain-clothes environment to highlight the ongoing potency of historical lessons for contemporary policing and, importantly, the current reform agenda.Arts, Education & Law Group, School of Criminology and Criminal JusticeNo Full Tex

Reducing the compliance burden of nonprofit organisations: cutting red tape

Australian governments now rely on the non-profit sector to provide essential services. Yet, anecdotally, the compliance burden imposed by governments consumes scarce service delivery resources. This study quantifies the cost of government generated paperwork for Queensland non-profit organisations. Fourteen non-profits kept logs to record government paperwork over 12 months. The non-profits also provided their experiences of government paperwork and in particular grant submission and reporting processes. The study finds that government grant paperwork forms the bulk of a non-profits total paperwork burden with grant submissions being the most costly to complete. Costs are clearly regressive with small non-profits bearing a significantly higher burden. Governments need to lead the way and empower the non-profit sector by reducing this administrative burden and releasing the funds for direct service provision