Hemi Goodwin-Burke was 18 months old when he was beaten and killed by his drunken babysitter at a home in central Queensland.

The toddler suffered almost 80 bruises, a broken rib, ruptured organs and a severed brain stem.

The man responsible for his death, Matthew Ireland, was sentenced to eight-and-a-half years in jail, with parole eligible after four years served.

Ireland was originally charged with murder.

Hemi Goodwin-Burke's killer was charged with murder but convicted of manslaughter. ( Supplied: Richard Goodwin )

Hemi's parents Shane Burke and Kerri-Ann Goodwin were distraught when the crown allowed an early guilty plea to the lesser offence of manslaughter.

"Devastated … we just thought it wasn't real, it couldn't be real — he [Ireland] beat him all day before his [Hemi's] death," Mr Burke said.

He and Ms Goodwin want tougher sentences and no-plea deals for child killers.

They have taken their campaign to the Queensland Sentencing Advisory Council (QSAC), which is reviewing penalties for child homicides.

"The prosecution told us it would be hard to prove intent, even though he [Ireland] admitted to doing everything, to kicking and punching," Mr Burke said.

"This is not justice — it's not acceptable — this is just saving some money, accepting a plea."

Mr Burke said they were calling for amendments to Queensland law to diminish the importance of proving intent in the case of a child death due to abuse or neglect.

'Child killers should serve 75pc of sentence'

The Queensland Homicide Victims Support Group has also made a submission to the QSAC, suggesting child killers serve a minimum of 75 per cent of manslaughter prison sentences.

Support group general manager Brett Thompson said the community expected tougher penalties.

"We don't feel that 30 per cent is at all appropriate and we know the community doesn't feel that's the case," Mr Thompson said.

"It's a very difficult part for the law enforcement and DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] to be able to prove intent, and that's the difference between murder and manslaughter.

"We can get tied down in the rules of law and the tests and the precedents — ultimately society looks at it and says that doesn't make sense."

'It's a myth to say courts are soft on justice'

The Queensland Law Society (QLS) has strongly warned against any form of mandatory sentencing and instead called for better public education about how the court process works.

Bill Potts said courts needed to better explain their decisions. ( AAP: Dan Peled )

QLS deputy president Bill Potts said courts needed to be able to take into account all circumstances that might have led to the death of a child when determining an appropriate sentence.

"The seriousness of the offence, the vulnerability of the victim, the relationship with the victim, the circumstances of the offending — that is whatever the motivations, whatever was going on in a person's life, the mental health of the person, who in fact committed the crime," Mr Potts said.

"Bad cases often make for bad laws, so what we need to do is to allow the courts to better explain themselves.

"If a court gets it wrong, let's appeal it. But the general view that the courts are soft on justice, that they are weak on crime, is quite simply a myth."

The Sentencing Advisory Council's report is due to be handed to the Queensland Government in October.