Queensland's Legal Profession Act requires the Legal Services Commissioner to set performance criteria for handling complaints and to report against them each year (s 489). Until 2021-22 the criteria for investigations were 75% finished within six months and all within 18 months. In 2021-22 the Commission met the first for 10.9% of investigations and the second for 51.18%.
In 2022-23 the targets became 60% within 18 months and all within 24 months. The summary dismissal target went from 80% within one month to 70% within four months. The Commission said the old timeframes "were unreasonable and put too much emphasis on the speed at which matters were closed".
It has not met the new investigation targets either: 58.01% and 75.64% in 2022-23, 55.02% and 70.48% in 2023-24, and 51.30% and 68.40% in 2024-25. In 2024-25 the enquiry target moved again, from all enquiries answered within five working days to all within 14. The website now tells people to expect to hear back "within 28 days".
Sources: Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) s 489; LSC Annual Report 2021-22, PDF p 30; Annual Report 2022-23, pp 29-30; Annual Report 2023-24, pp 39-40; Annual Report 2024-25, pp 45-46; lsc.qld.gov.au, Make an enquiry, read 26 October 2026.