Queensland Consolidated Acts

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SUMMARY OFFENCES ACT 2005 - SECT 6

Public nuisance

6 Public nuisance

(1) A person must not commit a public nuisance offence.
Penalty—
Maximum penalty—
(a) if the offence involves circumstances of aggravation—25 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment; or
(b) otherwise—10 penalty units or 6 months imprisonment.
(2) A person commits a public nuisance offence if—
(a) the person behaves in—
(i) a disorderly way; or
(ii) an offensive way; or
(iii) a threatening way; or
(iv) a violent way; and
(b) the person’s behaviour interferes, or is likely to interfere, with the peaceful passage through, or enjoyment of, a public place by a member of the public.
(3) Without limiting subsection (2)
(a) a person behaves in an offensive way if the person uses offensive, obscene, indecent or abusive language; and
(b) a person behaves in a threatening way if the person uses threatening language.
(4) It is not necessary for a person to make a complaint about the behaviour of another person before a police officer may start a proceeding against the person for a public nuisance offence.
(5) Also, in a proceeding for a public nuisance offence, more than 1 matter mentioned in subsection (2) (a) may be relied on to prove a single public nuisance offence.
(6) It is a circumstance of aggravation for this section for a person to commit a public nuisance offence in either or both of the following circumstances—
(a) within licensed premises, or in the vicinity of licensed premises;
(b) the circumstance of aggravation stated in the Criminal Code , section 52B , as if this section were a prescribed offence mentioned in that section.



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