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In October 2022, the Surveyors Board of Queensland successfully prosecuted an unregistered individual in the Magistrates Court, who pleaded guilty to offences of sections 75(1), 76(1) and 76(2) of the Surveyors Act 2003.
The Board is usually constrained by confidentiality provisions of the Act, meaning it is not permitted to explain the outcome of an investigation, the reasons for a Board’s decision or to inform the public about the findings of a disciplinary matter.
However, Magistrates Court proceedings are not bound by the same confidentiality provisions of the Surveyors Act 2003.
The parties agreed that the Board may make the details of the proceedings, including the outcome, publicly available in the following terms:
Mr Samuel Slama, has been ordered to pay a penalty of $13,345 to the Surveyor’s Board of Queensland after pleading guilty to offences under the Surveyors Act 2003 (Qld) of carrying out a cadastral survey while not registered as a cadastral surveyor (section 75(1)), carrying on a business providing cadastral surveys while not registered as a consulting cadastral surveyor (section 76(1)) and charging a fee for carrying out a cadastral survey while not registered as a consulting cadastral surveyor (section 76(2)).
The proceedings were commenced by the Surveyor’s Board of Queensland in the Magistrates Court of Queensland following an investigation that identified Mr Slama had conducted cadastral surveys in 2020, within south-east Queensland whilst unregistered. Mr Slama was carrying on business under the name Geometric Solutions Qld Pty Ltd.
David Jenkins, Executive Officer of the Surveyors Board Queensland, said the successful outcome was indicative of the Board’s strong commitment to enforcement of the Surveyors Act.
“The Surveyors Board is dedicated to ensuring that surveys are carried out in a professional and competent way, in order to ensure that the standard of practice within the profession is upheld and to otherwise maintain public confidence,” said Jenkins in a statement posted on the SBQ website on 18 November.
“The Surveyors Board will continue to monitor and investigate potential breaches of the Act, and will commence prosecutions as necessary”.
