Knowledge Hub

What Changed, and When

A dated record, kept because most legal information online does not say when it was written — and in this area that is the most important fact about it.

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In short

Queensland and Commonwealth law changed substantially between 2024 and 2025. The family law parenting framework changed on 6 May 2024 and the property framework on 10 June 2025. Coercive control became a criminal offence in Queensland. The Making Queensland Safer Act 2024 altered sentencing for certain offences. Each entry below carries its date and its official source.

Section 3

What changed, and when

The last three years have produced more change in the areas we practise in than the decade before them. Commencement dates matter: several of these reforms apply only to conduct or proceedings after a particular day.

1 March 2024

Costs disclosure thresholds raised

Amendments to the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) lifted the full costs disclosure threshold from $1,500 to $3,000, with abbreviated disclosure for matters between $1,500 and $3,000.^[7] ^[8] Where total legal costs excluding disbursements and GST are not likely to exceed $1,500, no disclosure is required.^[8]

May 2024

Family law parenting framework changed

The Family Law Amendment Act 2023 reformed the parenting provisions of the Family Law Act 1975, with the parenting and information-sharing amendments commencing in May 2024.^[21] ^[23]

11 December 2024

Superannuation splitting and information orders

Parts of the Family Law Amendment Act 2024 dealing with Commonwealth Information Orders and the superannuation splitting framework commenced on 11 December 2024, ahead of the main property reforms.^[21]

13 December 2024

Making Queensland Safer Act 2024 assented

The Act received assent on 13 December 2024, introducing the Adult Crime, Adult Time sentencing scheme under section 175A of the Youth Justice Act 1992.^[25] It initially applied to 13 specified offences.^[25]

26 May 2025

Coercive control became a criminal offence

The standalone offence commenced on 26 May 2025, carrying a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment, and applies to a course of conduct committed from that date.^[18] It sits in Chapter 29A of the Criminal Code (Qld) at section 334C.^[18] See section 4 below.

10 June 2025

Family law property reforms commenced

The Family Law Amendment Act 2024, passed on 10 December 2024, changed how courts determine a property settlement and what they must consider — including the economic effect of family violence — from 10 June 2025, and applies whether a settlement is decided by a court or negotiated outside one.^[21] ^[22]

2025

Adult Crime, Adult Time expanded

The Making Queensland Safer (Adult Crime, Adult Time) Amendment Act 2025 added 20 further offences, and the amended section 175A applies only to offences committed after commencement.^[24] The Queensland Government now describes the scheme as covering 47 offences.^[26]

Proposed — 1 Jan 2027

District Court civil limit to $1.5 million Not yet law

Proposed by the Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, with a commencement date of 1 January 2027.^[20] ^[10]

Common questions

What changed in Australian family law in 2024 and 2025?

Two separate reform packages. The Family Law Amendment Act 2023 commenced on 6 May 2024 and changed the parenting framework, removing the presumption of equal shared parental responsibility and replacing the list of best interests factors. The Family Law Amendment Act 2024 commenced on 10 June 2025 and changed the property framework, codifying the approach to property settlement and requiring the economic effect of family violence to be considered.

Is coercive control a criminal offence in Queensland?

Yes. Queensland legislated to create a standalone offence directed at patterns of controlling behaviour in a domestic relationship, alongside the existing civil protection order regime under the Domestic and Family Violence Protection Act 2012. Because the commencement and elements of the offence are specific, the official source should be checked before relying on any summary, including this one.

Sources

Reviewed 26 August 2026

The bracketed numbers in this article refer to the master numbered source list on the Knowledge Hub, which is maintained in one place so a citation cannot fall out of step between pages. Every source is an official primary source: Queensland and Commonwealth legislation, the courts, or the relevant regulator.