Legislation and standards
IDS Act
The Inspector of Detention Services Act 2022 (IDS Act) provides for the appointment of an Inspector of Detention Services. It also defines the role and powers of the Inspector.
Some parts of the IDS Act commenced (by Proclamation No.1) on 9 December 2022. This supported the appointment of the Inspector and provided the Office of the Queensland Ombudsman with a period to undertake establishment activities, such as hiring of staff, before commencing operations. The remaining provisions of the IDS Act commenced on 1 July 2023, as set by Proclamation No.2.
The Inspector of Detention Services Regulation 2023 also commenced on 1 July 2023
Inspection standards
Under the IDS Act (s 8(1)(d)) we developed and published standards for inspections. The following standards are available:
Prisons
Youth detention centres
Watch-houses
Draft Inspection standards for Queensland watch-houses consultation closed, undergoing review
Under s 8(d) of the IDS Act the Queensland Ombudsman is also the Inspector of Detention Services and is required to prepare and publish standards in relation to conducting inspections.
Section 3 of the Inspector of Detention Services Regulation 2023 prescribes 5-yearly inspections of the Brisbane City and Southport watch-houses.
The IDS Act outlines that any watch-house may be inspected.
To support our upcoming inspections of watch-houses the Inspector has prepared a DRAFT for Consultation - Inspection standards for Queensland watch-houses and a DRAFT for Consultation - Guide to assessing the inspection standards for Queensland watch-houses. The guide is intended to provide practical support to inspection teams when assessing the standards.
The consultation period closed on Friday 29 May 2026, and submissions are being reviewed. The Inspection standards for Queensland watch-houses and Guide to assessing the Inspection standards for Queensland watch-houses will be published on this website once that work is complete.