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Queensland captain Daly Cherry-Evans is wary of the havoc NSW centre pairing Latrell Mitchell and Tom Trbojevic can cause but says the Maroons are a better side than the one the pair dismantled in 2021.

Mitchell is named to play left centre in the State of Origin showdown at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday night after missing NSW's 26-18 loss in game one with a calf injury.

Mitchell is working overtime with the team physios to be passed fit and join Trbojevic in the centres.

The NSW dynamic duo destroyed the Maroons in the opening two games of 2021 where the Blues won 50-6 and 26-0.

Mitchell and Trbojevic scored four tries each for the series. Trbojevic, man of the match in game one, also took out the Wally Lewis Medal as player of the series.

"They were the two main figures of that series. You could have given either of them the Wally Lewis Medal," Cherry-Evans said.

"Our side has turned over a lot since then player-wise and also with the game plan and style of footy we want to play.

"I do think the goalposts have changed in that regard. I am not taking anything away from the quality they will bring, Tom and Latrell, but I feel that where we are now as a side means that 2021 is a distant memory.

"Latrell will be a big part of NSW's game plan...and we know that. The best thing we can do is not try and handle him on our own, but handle him together."

Both Trbojevic and Mitchell missed the 2022 Origin series with injury.

Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow will mark Trbojevic in Brisbane and has a good record against him. He made his Origin debut in game three of 2021, when Queensland won 20-18, and dominated the Manly star in Adelaide.

Maroons and North Queensland centre Valentine Holmes has the job of marking Mitchell.

"It is going to be a great battle. Of course, I am backing Val," Cherry-Evans said.

"I have seen Val do some really special things on the footy field - not just with the footy but defensively as well.

"Val should feel really confident in his game and how he plays because he is a threat as well."

Former Maroons centre Brent Tate said Holmes, who made the switch from fullback to centre for the Cowboys last year, had shone in defence.

"Val is an excellent defender and I think that is the most pleasing aspect of his transition into the centres. I've been impressed with how well he has handled it,' Tate told AAP.

"Latrell is going to be fired up after talking about how much it means to him and how he wants to make a statement. Val has a big job but I am sure he is ready for it.

"Latrell is the kind of guy you give every chance to play," Tate added when asked about NSW picking him while still not 100 per cent fit.

"He hasn't played for a month but a fit and firing Latrell is worth waiting for.

"It will be an awesome battle. When the best go against each other it is good theatre."

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Queensland will modernise birth certificates to better recognise trans and gender-diverse people in reforms hailed as historic by the Palaszczuk government.

The laws passed on Wednesday make it easier for people to have their gender accurately documented without undergoing sexual reassignment surgery.

A change of name will also be able to be made at the same time as an alteration of sex in support of trans and gender-diverse people in their transition.

The laws have two pathways to alter the record of sex for a child under 16 - through the Children's Court, or with an application to the register by a parent or guardian when particular criteria are met.

The bill replaces the existing Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act and allows greater freedom over chosen gender descriptors, including non-binary recognition.

The LNP opposed the laws, arguing a bill allowing self-declaration was a threat to women's privacy in women-only spaces such as toilets and change rooms and would have a negative impact on women's sports.

"This bill is an attack on women, it is an attack on women's rights and it's an attack on young girls," deputy LNP leader Jarrod Bleijie told parliament.

Opposition MPs also raised concerns about children under the age of 16 who might apply to change the gender on their birth certificate.

Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath said the bill had proper safeguards and "does not allow a young person to just go off and randomly make a decision and get these changes made without any proper oversight".

Health Minister Shannon Fentiman, who introduced the bill last year as attorney-general, said the concerns about women's safety were unfounded.

"Despite repeated claims to the contrary, there is no evidence from any jurisdiction to suggest that women will have fewer rights or be less safe," she told parliament.

The legislation also aims to better recognise modern family structure, with same-sex couples able to register as mother/mother or father/father for the first time.

As it stands, only one person can be registered as a child's mother or father.

The changes have been welcomed by groups representing LGBTQI people and their families.

Equality Australia representative and trans woman Ymania Brown said the laws were a life-changing moment for trans and gender-diverse Queenslanders.

"What most people in Australia take for granted as a simple piece of paper is for trans and gender-diverse people the right to exist and be seen for who we are," she said in a statement.

"Everyone deserves the respect and dignity of being recognised as themselves."

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Queensland's troubled parliamentary Speaker is taking further leave and has denied being drunk in charge of the chamber after he was heard slurring his words.

Curtis Pitt struggled to maintain control of Wednesday's rowdy chamber during a fiery Question Time the day after the state budget.

He arrived late and multiple MPs from both sides of the political aisle raised concerns, knowing he returned from a mental health break on Tuesday.

"Speaker is independent, so cannot be forced to vacate chair," one MP told AAP in a text message.

"Strong advice has been given but he makes his own decision."

Mr Pitt left the chamber after Question Time and said in a statement he was taking strong pain medication for severe back pain.

"As a consequence of my ongoing medical issues, I have decided to take a further period of leave," the statement read.

"I am suffering from severe back problems and will soon be undertaking scheduled surgery.

"Consequently, I am taking strong pain relief medication on an as-required basis to manage this condition which can at times, manifest in different ways, including the onset of drowsiness.

Mr Pitt said he attended a Government House function on Tuesday night but left early to return to Parliament House by 7pm and was not drunk.

"I've had a lot on my plate," he told Nine News on Wednesday.

"Today was very challenging for me because I had severe back pain."

When asked whether alcohol played any part in his appearance during Question Time, Mr Pitt replied: "No, no. To be very clear, absolutely not."

"I'm sorry if there's been any reflection on the office that I hold (and) also in terms of the way that parliament was conducted."

Mr Pitt previously took a hiatus, citing family and mental health issues.

On the eve of his return to parliament, the five-term MP posted a picture of four Superman models, saying it was essential to seek help and not everyone had to be a man of steel.

Mr Pitt went on leave after May's Cairns sittings of regional parliament in his electorate of Mulgrave.

He later took to social media to admit he was "not doing as well emotionally as I've made out to anyone" after a divorce from a two-decade marriage and dealing with ulcerative colitis, depression and his parents' serious health issues.

Mr Pitt thanked people for their support when he returned to the chair on Tuesday.

Deputy Speaker Joe Kelly will act as Speaker.

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