In October 2017 the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Yvette D'Ath, asked the Council to review the penalties imposed on sentence for criminal offences arising from the death of a child (child homicide). The Council was asked to consider and analyse current penalties imposed in Queensland, determine whether penalties adequately reflect the particular vulnerabilities of children, identify trends and anomalies in sentencing, examine the approach in other Australian jurisdictions and to consult with the community and key stakeholders.

This report makes eight recommendations to better reflect the vulnerability and defencelessness of victims of child homicide in sentencing and to improve system responses for family members of child victims.