A ban on property developers donating to state politicians departs "significantly" from a recommendation that followed an extensive investigation into local government, the state's crime watchdog says.
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Queensland's Crime and Corruption Commission last year investigated allegations of council corruption and recommended a donation ban at a local government level.
However, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk insisted she would not make rules for councils that she would not follow herself, extending it to state government candidates and politicians.
A bill to implement the changes was in March reintroduced to Parliament, as it lapsed in October when the state election was called, however, it would apply retrospectively to last year's campaign.
CCC chairman Alan MacSporran said the government's bill implemented several of the Operation Belcarra report's recommendations.
"However, the reform departs significantly from the intended function of recommendation 20 [which would ban local government candidates, political parties and councillors from receiving gifts from property developers]," Mr MacSporran wrote in a submission to a parliamentary committee.
"The bill intends to ban donations from property developers for purposes associated not only with local government elections but also state elections."
Mr MacSporran said a ban on property developer donations applying retrospectively also "involves a substantial departure from the CCC's recommendations".
He said the CCC did not disagree with the general proposition that given the state's significant role in Queensland's planning framework, the risk of corruption and undue influence in relation to property developer donations could also apply at a state level.
But he said the Belcarra report recommendations were as a result of detailed consideration of issues in the council context.
"The inquiry terms of reference did not include state elections," he said.
"Consequently the Belcarra report recommendations did not involve any detailed specific considerations of corruption risks in state elections and decision-making.
"Accordingly, the reforms depart from the scope of the Belcarra report recommendations."
Mr MacSporran said the CCC did not contemplate that the proposed reforms would be introduced without a preliminary review to identify and mitigate corruption risks in state elections and decision-making.
"A proper public consultation process is highly desirable," he said.
Redland City Council chief executive Andrew Chesterman, in a submission to the committee, said the council believed the donation ban should be extended to include all corporate donations and lobby groups, and adopt a public funding model of candidates.
Electoral Commission of Queensland acting commissioner Dermot Tiernan called for at least three to six months to design and deploy the administrative and enforcement policies to support the scheme.
Mr Tiernan said the ECQ expected to immediately receive a large number of requests from people seeking determinations they were not prohibited donors.
Local Government Association of Queensland acting chief executive Sarah Buckler said the group was opposed to banning donations from property developers.
Ms Buckler said prohibition drove activity underground and reduced transparency.
"Prohibitions are not proposed for other classes of donors who can seek to exert influence over policy and investment decisions of government," she said.
The Property Council of Australia argued the bill singled out the property sector for special treatment and was "unduly branding Queensland's biggest non-government employer as a corruption risk".
Queensland Law Society president Ken Taylor said laws that created offences or changed legal rights retrospectively undermined the rule of law and significant disadvantaged those affected.
The Economics and Governance Committee will hold a public hearing on Wednesday.
