July 16, 2026 — 5:28pmQueensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie has brushed off questions raised by a leading domestic violence prevention figure about the LNP’s approach to key parts of her landmark work, suggesting she was more interested in working with Labor.Bleijie’s remarks about former Women’s Safety and Justice Taskforce chair Margaret McMurdo AC come after a rare public intervention, via this masthead, to share her worry that critical calls from the taskforce seem to have been abandoned.“I have not seen what Margaret McMurdo has said. I haven’t had any engagement with Margaret McMurdo,” Bleijie said when asked about the comments at a Thursday morning media conference in Brisbane.Queensland Deputy Premier Jarrod Bleijie.Matt Dennien“I’m not sure she’s engaged as enthusiastically with this government as she did with the Labor government previously. So, I’m not sure what she’s said, so I can’t possibly comment on it.”As the alleged murder of a mother heaped pressure on the LNP over funding priorities, McMurdo – a retired judge and past Court of Appeals president – said the government seemed to have “abandoned a critical part of the taskforce recommendations”.The taskforce made almost 300 calls through major reports published in 2021 and 2022, and McMurdo was particularly concerned about the fate of independent and regular monitoring of progress until all were completed.“This has not been done. The new group formed to take on the role of the implementation supervisor has not done it either,” McMurdo said in a statement – her first public remarks about the taskforce’s work since its final report.Labor Opposition Leader Steven Miles, at a media conference in Gladstone, said the continued scourge of violence against women showed the reforms stemming from the work of the “highly respected judge” remained important.“We know that it’s Amanda Camm who’s dropped the ball here – a minister under significant pressure,” Miles said on Thursday.McMurdo’s taskforce was set up by the Palaszczuk government after it made an election vow to outlaw coercive control and hear experiences of women across the justice system.In the first of the group’s two reports, calls were made for sweeping reforms across the criminal justice, policing and corrections systems.The eventual supervisor’s final progress report in November 2024 noted that while extensive effort had been put into the reform program, some foundational elements “remain in the early stages”. The office was quietly wound up last year.Camm confirmed to this masthead the Domestic and Family Violence Reform Advisory Panel that replaced the supervisor role continues to meet, but has refused to provide more information about its work and if it would be made public.Despite last year saying she would consider “appropriate reporting models” in developing the recent high-level 10-year domestic and family violence strategy, Camm’s May document contained little such detail.Camm’s office was approached for a response to McMurdo’s statement on Wednesday, but was yet to respond. Premier David Crisafulli’s office is also yet to respond. McMurdo was given an opportunity to respond to Bleijie’s comments.Start the day with a summary of the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.From our partners