Proposals around law enforcement can often stir debate—especially when past injustices are still fresh in the public memory.

A recent policy consideration in Queensland has reignited concerns among community leaders and civil rights advocates.

What’s at stake goes far beyond policing powers.

A controversial proposal in Queensland has sparked fresh outrage among Indigenous leaders and civil liberties advocates, who fear it could reignite a dark chapter in the state’s policing history.

Less than a year after Queensland decriminalised public drunkenness, the state government signalled it was reconsidering the move—a shift critics warned would once again put marginalised communities in the crosshairs.

Queensland Police Minister Dan Purdie defended the potential reversal, claiming that police had been ‘hamstrung’ by the previous Labor government’s decision.

Queensland law rethink sparks racial profiling fears. Image source: Pexels/cottonbro studio

‘The Crisafulli government is listening to communities who are alarmed that Labor’s watering down of the laws has led to more anti-social behaviour and crime on our streets,’ Mr Purdie said.

‘Our government is working with the Queensland Police Service to ensure they have the laws and resources they need to keep people safe.’

But for many Indigenous voices, the proposal raised red flags.

At a snap community meeting in Brisbane’s Musgrave Park, elders and advocates gathered at Jagera Hall to express deep concern. The potential reintroduction of these laws, they said, would amount to ‘open season’ for racial profiling by police.

Brisbane Murri Action Group organiser Adrian Burragubba warned that laws targeting public drunkenness had historically been applied unequally, often giving police excessive discretion.

‘We feel like we’ve been criminalised, stereotyped, marginalised, and picked on by the police when they’ve been given too much power,’ Mr Burragubba said.

He pointed out that police had rarely enforced such laws in nightlife hotspots like Fortitude Valley or Surfers Paradise—areas known for rowdy partygoers—but had disproportionately targeted Aboriginal and homeless people.

‘These laws will criminalise our people again and our human rights will be denied, as the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody found over 30 years ago,’ he added.

The 1991 Royal Commission recommended that public drunkenness be treated as a health issue rather than a criminal offence. Despite this, Queensland had only removed the offence in late 2024—making it the last state to do so.

Reinstating the law now would undo that progress, said Queensland Council for Civil Liberties president Michael Cope.

‘Alcoholism and alcohol abuse should be dealt with via health and social support systems, rather than in the criminal justice system,’ Mr Cope said.

‘The offence of public drunkenness effectively criminalises poverty and has a disparate application to Indigenous peoples.’

He also pointed out that police already had powers to detain individuals if they were violent, threatening, or posed a safety risk.

Marjorie Nuggins, who also spoke at the meeting, shared fears that criminalising public intoxication would unfairly target homeless people rather than addressing root causes.

‘I believe the Indigenous custodial people of this land need to make a stand now,’ she said.

‘There’re so many injustices going on around this place.’

‘It needs to stop and we need to come together in unity and love.’

Key Takeaways

• Queensland may recriminalise public drunkenness less than a year after decriminalising it, prompting backlash.
• Indigenous leaders warned the change would allow police to racially profile Aboriginal and homeless communities.
• Critics said the laws had historically been applied unequally and ignored recommendations from the 1991 Royal Commission.
• Advocates argued alcoholism should be treated as a health issue, not a criminal matter.

With Queensland’s laws potentially taking a step backwards, many are wondering what real progress looks like after decades of hard-won change. Do you think returning to old policing powers will do more harm than good? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

In a previous story, we looked at new legislation that could see Australians fined up to $55,000 for making racist remarks—a sign that attitudes toward discrimination are shifting in serious legal ways.

For many seniors who’ve witnessed decades of change, it’s a stark reminder of how far society has come—and how far we still have to go.

If you're interested in how these developments connect with broader concerns around fairness and justice, it’s worth a look.

Read more: Racist remarks could land you a fine of up to $55,000—learn more about the latest legislation now

 

[meighLeigh]

I am utterly fed up with Aborigines/Indigenous Peoples/First Nations People But Not Amerindians, the Original First Nations People moaning that a law is 'aimed at them' when it involves protecting the public - black, white and brindle - from offensive, objectionable or downright dangerous behaviour.
Public drunkenness can be all of the above, depending on the drunk involved - not the colour of the drunk's skin, the actions of the drunk involved. Europeans, Asians, Africans, people of Middle Eastern Extraction, Polynesians, Melanesians, north and south American 'First Nations' people AND Australian Indigenous People can all get drunk and become obnoxious, aggressive, or fall down drunk and risk getting run injured by some means or another, or simply catching pneumonia or dying of exposure.
To the Aboriginal Activists who protest any law that might be applied to any member of the ethnic group they claim to be representing and supporting: GET REAL. If you don't want to be penalised under a law, don't break it. The law applies to all those in Australia - even visitors to the country.

 

[mylittletibbies]

I was going to say similar, except that I do agree that there are many places where white people are constantly inebriated and a larger police presence is definitely required, eg ,Northbridge in Perth.
However as far as the other issues thst were raised
If you don't want to be arrested for public drunkenness then stay at home and drink.
It could be said that ignoring public drunkenness is discriminating against the people who don't carry on like this.

 

[Oaklegs]

If you are intoxicated i.e. drunk and you are out and about you are a danger to yourself and the public so the police should lock you up and fine you.

 

[NoNoNoNoNoNo]

interesting regarding racisim remarks I was told if I said a particular remark to an aboriginal I would be racist, and could be charged, but if they said the same remark back to me it would not be racist - so where's the fairness in that!!!!!!!!!

 

[GrannyJA!]

I was going to say similar, except that I do agree that there are many places where white people are constantly inebriated and a larger police presence is definitely required, eg ,Northbridge in Perth.
However as far as the other issues thst were raised
If you don't want to be arrested for public drunkenness then stay at home and drink.
It could be said that ignoring public drunkenness is discriminating against the people who don't carry on like this.

And where do the homeless and those living in overcrowded accommodation drink? Maybe just once in a while they wish to escape their reality for a few hours. Maybe money should be spent on the root causes rather than punishment.

 

[Hieme]

Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha. If public drunkenness is a health issue then call an ambulance. They will be sober by the time an ambulance arrives.

 

[Rain72]

interesting regarding racisim remarks I was told if I said a particular remark to an aboriginal I would be racist, and could be charged, but if they said the same remark back to me it would not be racist - so where's the fairness in that!!!!!!!!!

Yes. Reverse racism (as it is often called - though I choose to just call it what it is: RACISM) is alive and well. And I, for one, am fed up with it. Just apply the law equally to everyone - including any laws restricting freedom of speech. We have had to tolerate hideous tirades of abuse calling us 'invaders'', 'abusers' , etc, accusing us of genocide and of stealing land (something nobody alive today was involved in), and endless demands for preferential treatment. It's time the wealthy activists and loud-mouthed trouble-makers (most of whom are not Aboriginal anyway, or have minimal Aboriginal blood, and are wealthy and privileged) were told to shut it and show some respect for the descendants of the men and women who built this country and fought to defend it from threats.

 

[Rain72]

Tell these whining 'Elders' this is not about racism. It's about public safety. And public safety must always come first. If they fear their people being arrested, educate them to obey the law and respect the rights of others. It's not hard!

 

[Gerrit H. Schorel-Hlavka]

The Framers of the Constitution embedded a legal principle that every person born in Australia and those who naturalized are all equal. Those who often claim "racial discrimination" are rather seeking to enforce the opposite of racial discrimination to have certain people having more rights than others. Everyone should be equal before the law!

 

[Da Freddo]

To all you people who think the Aboriginals are being picked on because of Alcohol,
Let Me enlighten you, Go to Fitzroy Crossing and see for yourself ,
When I was there {years ago} was a sign No Fighting No Gambling No Humbug.
The pub had an armoured cage, if you wanted to buy booze you would front up at the cage ,tell the fellow what you wanted, then the small hand cage would open and you put the money in, then the server would open the otherside of the cage and take the cash,
Then He would put your order in the bigger cage lock that door and open the outer door so you can collect your goods, I KID YOU NOT... Driving into Fitzroy Crossing was a sign it read,
NO FIGHTING NO DRINKING, NO HUMBUG.
This sign was on the road coming from Derby into Fitzroy Crossing when I was there back in 2004.
This was not the place to visit ,I lived there for 5 Months on assignment... NEVER AGAIN...

 

[Jest]

time for you, the aborigines to get off your bums, get a life, stop squandering your money, i would say on booze at a guess.
I am sick of listening to you complaining, have a look at the millions you squander now.
what is your problem every tom dick and harry wants to be an aborigine.
you have every human rights that is possible to have.

 

[mylittletibbies]

And where do the homeless and those living in overcrowded accommodation drink? Maybe just once in a while they wish to escape their reality for a few hours. Maybe money should be spent on the root causes rather than punishment.

They can have a few drinks without getting inebriated and making a public nuisance of themselves. Thousands of people do it every day.
I would have thought that if your homeless, etc you would have more important things to worry about without wasting money on getting inebriated in public and getting yourself arrested.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to that the general public have a right to walk down the street, take their children to the park, etc without being annoyed by inebriated people.

 

[Gerrit H. Schorel-Hlavka]

As a constitutionalist I have questioned why the Commonwealth provides about $39 Billion for Aboriginals when this doesn't even fall within Subsection 51(xxvi) of the constitution! See my blog https://www.scribd.com/inspectorrikati

 

[Miss Chris]

I am utterly fed up with Aborigines/Indigenous Peoples/First Nations People But Not Amerindians, the Original First Nations People moaning that a law is 'aimed at them' when it involves protecting the public - black, white and brindle - from offensive, objectionable or downright dangerous behaviour.
Public drunkenness can be all of the above, depending on the drunk involved - not the colour of the drunk's skin, the actions of the drunk involved. Europeans, Asians, Africans, people of Middle Eastern Extraction, Polynesians, Melanesians, north and south American 'First Nations' people AND Australian Indigenous People can all get drunk and become obnoxious, aggressive, or fall down drunk and risk getting run injured by some means or another, or simply catching pneumonia or dying of exposure.
To the Aboriginal Activists who protest any law that might be applied to any member of the ethnic group they claim to be representing and supporting: GET REAL. If you don't want to be penalised under a law, don't break it. The law applies to all those in Australia - even visitors to the country.

I’m with you…..it’s very confronting to come across drunk people, especially those who think they should be able to do whatever they want, the entitled and the local……it’s also really quite scary when they watch you and then call you names and swear at you as you walk by……I’d be very happy if the law made it a crime to be intoxicated in our streets…. And let’s face it, it’s always the same sad group of people…

 

[Miss Chris]

They can have a few drinks without getting inebriated and making a public nuisance of themselves. Thousands of people do it every day.
I would have thought that if your homeless, etc you would have more important things to worry about without wasting money on getting inebriated in public and getting yourself arrested.
At the end of the day, it all boils down to that the general public have a right to walk down the street, take their children to the park, etc without being annoyed by inebriated people.

I agree that a couple of drinks are fine, if it could be kept to that, but in a lot of cases a couple of drinks lead to a couple more. I mean, when you’re on holiday or something many people have a drink at breakfast and at lunch and then go shopping or site seeing, I’ve done it myself..…you have to be able to know how much alcohol is appropriate……sadly some people cannot control their intake….

 

[7777]

You would have to ask yourself, why do Aboriginal communities feel that they are not treated equal, why they feel that this change in laws regarding it be a criminal offences if found drunk in public is targeting their community. And when they do speak up they are told to stop complaining. No one knows how an Aboriginal person feels if they did not grow up in their community, if they did not experience the history that they did, and if they never had people distance themselves from the Aboriginal man or woman. How many Aboriginal people are employed in our public schools, our public hospitals, in parliament, in well known stores like Myers, David Jones, Kmart, Safeway, Banks, insurance companies, Universities, Social venues, restaurants, police force, barristers, solicitors, in courts and the list goes on and on. How many Aboriginal people are employed at these places, very few. Why, because those who conduct the interview, have already made up their minds no to employ them because they are Aboriginal. How racist is that. They can't even live amongst the white community because they would be ostracized in the neighbourhood, in shopping centres and in schools. How rasist is that. Do you think Aborigines think it is fun or adventures to get drunk and be looked down upon by everyone, to feel shame, to loose respect for yourself as a human being. No, it's not a choice, and it's not fun. These people probably drink out of frustration and despair, knowing that their children don't have a chance to have a prosperous and successful opportunity in life, knowing that white people will always find a way to tell them to stop complaining, when infact they have a lot to complain about with good reason. During my school years from primary school to University, I can honestly tell you, out of the entire student population, there may have been only one or two Aboriginal students. How rasist is that. How easy it is to point the finger and tell someone off when we are all white skinned, and can I add very aggagant, very uncivil and very racist. Yes, it is wrong to be drunk in public, but this is where the government needs to provide funding to employ people who are not racist. People who will open the door to the Aboriginal communities and help them with their alcohol addiction , and give them equal rights to live within our community, to be educated and employed, just like every other person in this country.

 

[mylittletibbies]

You would have to ask yourself, why do Aboriginal communities feel that they are not treated equal, why they feel that this change in laws regarding it be a criminal offences if found drunk in public is targeting their community. And when they do speak up they are told to stop complaining. No one knows how an Aboriginal person feels if they did not grow up in their community, if they did not experience the history that they did, and if they never had people distance themselves from the Aboriginal man or woman. How many Aboriginal people are employed in our public schools, our public hospitals, in parliament, in well known stores like Myers, David Jones, Kmart, Safeway, Banks, insurance companies, Universities, Social venues, restaurants, police force, barristers, solicitors, in courts and the list goes on and on. How many Aboriginal people are employed at these places, very few. Why, because those who conduct the interview, have already made up their minds no to employ them because they are Aboriginal. How racist is that. They can't even live amongst the white community because they would be ostracized in the neighbourhood, in shopping centres and in schools. How rasist is that. Do you think Aborigines think it is fun or adventures to get drunk and be looked down upon by everyone, to feel shame, to loose respect for yourself as a human being. No, it's not a choice, and it's not fun. These people probably drink out of frustration and despair, knowing that their children don't have a chance to have a prosperous and successful opportunity in life, knowing that white people will always find a way to tell them to stop complaining, when infact they have a lot to complain about with good reason. During my school years from primary school to University, I can honestly tell you, out of the entire student population, there may have been only one or two Aboriginal students. How rasist is that. How easy it is to point the finger and tell someone off when we are all white skinned, and can I add very aggagant, very uncivil and very racist. Yes, it is wrong to be drunk in public, but this is where the government needs to provide funding to employ people who are not racist. People who will open the door to the Aboriginal communities and help them with their alcohol addiction , and give them equal rights to live within our community, to be educated and employed, just like every other person in this country.

I have aboriginal friends and acquaintances who all have good jobs and live in nice houses and lead good lives, because they made the effort.
Many unfortunately do not.

This not an aboriginal problem solely. Take a good look around thrre is a large.society of "white trash" out there.In fact there's a lot more white trash than Aboriginal owing to the fact there is a lot more of us.

Welfare is paid to white and Aboriginal people and although it is not a fortune by any means many people still live decent respectable lives even if they have to rely on welfare.

There are thousands of white people who can't get jobs and there are thousands of white and Aboriginal people who just plain don't want a.job.
It's a social problem. Australia is a welfare country, we hand out money like it's going out of fashion but no proper control is kept on where it's going.
Through my extended family I know of many who are receiving welfare payments they are not entitled to and through them I see many, many others .
I know some of these have been dobbed in. But nothing ever seems to happen.
They spend most of their welfare on drugs or alcohol.
Plenty of money is given to Aboriginal entities, but it doesn't seem to end up in the right places unfortunately.
Misappropriation and fraud is not just a white problem.
Neither is public drunkenness, and appropriate action should be taken irregardless of your skin colour.

 

[Hieme]

When I grew up true Aboriginals were black. Their racial skin colour was black. They lived in small shanty towns of their own tribes and didn't want to mix with white communities and lose their culture. Now they are white, claim to be Aboriginal, claim the benefits of the true Aboriginals and live and work in the suburbs. Welcome to their Aboriginal Land.