Our independence

Under the recent legislative changes, the Chief Executive Officer of Coexistence Queensland also holds the role of Land Access Ombudsman, and Coexistence Queensland Board members serve as the LAO Advisory Council. This council monitors the LAO’s independence and provides advice on policy, procedures, operations, and funding, without any involvement in individual matters.

The LAO and Coexistence Queensland perform related but distinct functions. The LAO provides fair and impartial assistance in resolving eligible land access disputes, while Coexistence Queensland provides independent, practical information and advice and supports constructive engagement between landholders, communities, industry, and government.

Independence is established in legislation and preserved through statutory safeguards under the Land Access Ombudsman Act 2017 (Qld), including separation of functions, confidentiality provisions, and conflict of interest obligations. These are supported in practice through clear operational arrangements, including defined protocols, separation of processes where required, and appropriate delegations to ensure conflicts are identified and managed with confidence.

All staff must follow privacy and confidentiality laws, the Code of Conduct for the Queensland Public Service and legislative requirements that protect against the misuse of information.

The Land Access Ombudsman must supply an annual report to Queensland Parliament each year. No one (including the Minister) can direct us on:

• how we perform our investigations
• which complaints we investigate
• the priority we give to investigations.