About the investigation

On the 14 May 2017 the Queensland Government announced an independent investigation into the removal of parked vehicles from publicly accessible private car parks and roads by tow truck operators.

Former District Court Judge, Mr Michael Forde conducted the investigation. 

The investigation considered the operation of the tow truck and vehicle removal industry not currently covered by the regulatory framework. The regulation currently only applies to the operation of tow trucks in specified areas and when removing vehicles from the scene of a crash or seized by police from a regulated area controlled by a local government or the Department of Transport and Main Roads.

Mr Forde examined the practice of removing vehicles from private property, considering community expectations, consumer protections, private property owners’ rights and the professional operation of the towing industry. Read the detailed terms of reference.

A report was provided to the Queensland Government in August 2017.

The Queensland Government approved all 22 recommendations and 8 matters for consideration, contained in the report. 

On 8 March 2018, the Queensland Government passed legislation to introduce the recommendations from 16 April 2018.

The report recommended the development of signage guidelines for private property owners – see the signage guidelines for parking on private property. 

Release of the report

The Queensland Government publicly released the report on 6 August 2017 and the government’s response on 8 August 2017.

You can read the:

• Independent Investigation into the Towing Industry: Removal of Vehicles from Private Property Report August 2017
• Government’s response to the report.