Queensland Academy of Sport Act 2025

How It's Run

• A Board (5–8 members) governs the academy. Board members are appointed by the Governor in Council (the formal executive government) on the Minister's recommendation. The board must include people with experience in Olympic sport and Paralympic sport, and may also include people with backgrounds in business, law, governance, or high-performance sport.
• A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) handles day-to-day operations and is accountable to the board.
• The Minister can issue written directions to the academy (in the public interest) and set a "statement of expectations" — a document outlining what the government wants the academy to focus on. Any directions or expectations must be disclosed in the academy's annual report.

Integrity and Accountability

• The academy must operate consistently with national sport integrity standards set by Sport Integrity Australia — covering things like anti-doping, competition manipulation, and athlete safeguarding.
• Board members and the CEO must disclose conflicts of interest and cannot have serious criminal convictions or be bankrupt.
• The academy is subject to Queensland financial accountability laws and the Crime and Corruption Act (meaning it can be investigated for corruption).
• Personal information held by the academy is protected by strict confidentiality rules.

In Plain Terms

The QAS is being upgraded from a government department unit into its own independent statutory body — think of it like converting an internal team into a standalone company, but one that's still owned and overseen by the Queensland Government. It gets more autonomy to run elite sport programs, enter sponsorships, charge fees, and partner with national sporting bodies — all aimed squarely at helping Queensland athletes win at the Olympics and Paralympics.