Queensland councils have welcomed State Government legal reforms to crack down on the costly scourge of copper theft.
The changes come after councils from across the state joined together in 2023 at the Local Government Association of Queensland’s (LGAQ) Annual Conference to support a call from the City of Moreton Bay Council for reform.
LGAQ President and Gladstone Region Mayor, Matt Burnett thanked the State Government for listening to councils and introducing the new draft laws, which aim to disrupt the sale and disposal of stolen scrap metal.
The laws also seek to adequately penalise associated criminal activities in an illegal trade which has cost councils millions.
“People might think copper theft doesn’t affect them, but in reality it interferes with the daily activities of thousands of Queenslanders and inflicts steep financial costs on councils,” President Burnett said.
“Copper theft affects fields, schools, farms, energy and water supplies, and community venues.
“Local community organisations, and sporting clubs in particular, have faced significant copper theft in recent times.
“Because of the brazen theft which has been going on unchecked, councils have had to provide replacement infrastructure and the use of alternative materials.
“We applaud for the State Government on these new draft laws,” he said.
In March 2023, Queensland energy providers reported thefts and attempted thefts of copper from the statewide energy infrastructure network had nearly tripled between 2020 and 2022.
City of Moreton Bay Mayor, Peter Flannery also welcomed the State Government’s strong action on copper theft.
“Since 2023, City of Moreton Bay has led the charge for copper theft to be taken seriously, putting forward a swathe of solutions,” he said.
“We were delighted to secure an election commitment from the Crisafulli Government for the introduction of new copper theft legislation, so today is a good day.
“We are 100% behind these new laws to stamp out what’s become a lucrative crime. This will save millions of dollars and stop lives being put at risk.
“We look forward to seeing how these important laws progress and actively working with the Government on their rollout.”
Townsville Mayor, Nick Dametto said copper theft had become a major problem with construction and road infrastructure projects being targeted.
“It can also put people’s lives at risk, as we saw during Cyclone Koji when telecommunications outages impacted emergency alerts,” he said.
“The stronger laws being proposed are exactly what is needed to put these crooks out of business.”
LGAQ CEO, Alison Smith said councils shouldn’t have to bear the costs associated with ongoing copper theft.
“Councils have been the driving force behind these important reforms, and communities throughout Queensland will benefit from their tireless advocacy,” Ms Smith said.
“For far too long, criminals have been exploiting legal loopholes to get away with copper theft, but their corrupt business model is about to be disrupted.
“The proposed laws are a welcome step in tackling a criminal scourge which has been needlessly impacting sporting fixtures and even internet coverage.”
The Justice and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026:
• amends the Criminal Code to increase penalties for certain offences typically charged in relation to metal theft (stealing, wilful damage and receiving tainted property);
• introduces two new offences for attempted metal theft and possession of a prescribed metal item reasonably suspected of being stolen;
• introduces a circumstance of aggravation applying to metal theft during natural disasters;
• Inserts a definition of ‘scrap metal’ into the Second-hand Dealers Act;
• imposes additional photographic identity verification requirements under the Second-hand Dealers Act on second-hand dealers transacting in scrap metal; and
• requires all transactions involving scrap metal, regardless of value, to be recorded in the transaction register.
