Australian Government: Attorney-General's Department
Australian Government: Attorney-General's DepartmentAchieving a Just and Secure Society

Frequently asked questions

 

How do I find out whether a Bill has been introduced into Parliament?

To find out whether a Bill has been introduced into Parliament, consult the Daily Bills List on the website maintained by the Commonwealth Parliament.

How do I find out what stage a Bill is at in Parliament?

To check the progress of a Bill which has been introduced into Parliament, consult the Daily Bills List on the website maintained by the Commonwealth Parliament.

How do I find out whether a Bill, Regulation or other instrument is being drafted?

For reasons of confidentiality, neither the Office of Parliamentary Counsel (which is responsible for drafting Bills) nor the Attorney-General’s Department is able to advise you whether or not particular legislation or legislation on a particular subject is being drafted. For any information about a particular Bill, you should contact the government department or agency that is responsible for the relevant subject matter. For any information about a proposed Regulation or other instrument, you should contact the government department or agency that is responsible for the Act under which the instrument would be made.

How do I find out which government department or agency is responsible for an Act, Regulation or other instrument?

A list of the Ministers who are responsible for particular Acts, and for Regulations and other instruments under those Acts, is set out in the current Administrative Arrangements Order. These orders are approved by the Governor-General and published in the Government Notices Gazette. They are also available on ComLaw. In most cases, the Department administered by a particular Minister has direct responsibility for individual Acts administered by that Minister. In some cases, the day to day administration of particular Acts is the responsibility of other portfolio agencies, as indicated in the Government Online Directory ("GOLD").

How do I find out which Minister is responsible for an Act, Regulation or other instrument?

A list of the Ministers who are responsible for particular Acts, and for Regulations and other instruments under those Acts, is set out in the current Administrative Arrangements Order. These orders are approved by the Governor-General and published in the Government Notices Gazette. They are also available on ComLaw.

How do I find out when an Act, Regulation or other instrument commenced?

Acts:

The Act will have a commencement provision that states when the Act, or the various provisions of the Act will commence. This is usually section 2. It is quite common for different parts to commence at different times. The most common commencement times are:

  • on a day or days to be fixed by proclamation (this means that the date of commencement was not decided when the Bill was passed, but will be set by a separate instrument at a later date)
  • on the date of Royal Assent (ie signing by the Governor-General) 
  • on a specified date
  • on the commencement of another Act or provision.

If an Act for some reason does not specify its commencement, it commences 28 days after it receives Royal Assent. To find out when particular provisions commenced, you can: 

  • consult the Acts Tables, which are available on ComLaw
  • consult the text of the Act itself on ComLaw.

When a provision commences, the date is inserted into the table in the commencement provision.

Regulations and other instruments:

Regulations will have commencement provision that states when the Regulations, or the various provisions of the Act will commence. This is usually regulation section 2. Most sets of regulations commence at a single time. Other instruments will not always have commencement provisions.

The most common commencement times are:

  • on the day after registration (ie registration on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments)
  • on a specified date
  • on the commencement of a provision of an Act. If the instrument does not specify its commencement, it commences on the day after it is registered.

To find out when particular provisions commenced, you can:

  • for Regulations and Rules of Court, consult the Select Legislative Instrument Tables, which are available on ComLaw
  • consult the text of the instrument itself on ComLaw.

When a provision commences, the date is noted in a note at the end.

How do I find out when an Act, Regulation or other instrument has been made under an Act?

To find out whether a Regulation or other instrument has been made under an Act, you can:

  • check the Home Page of the Act on ComLaw (where instruments made under the Act are listed)
  • for Regulations, Rules of Court and some other instruments — check the Select Legislative Instruments Tables on ComLaw
  • if you think that it was registered within the past 2 weeks — check "What's New" on ComLaw.

How do I find out when an Act, Regulation or other instrument has been amended?

To find out whether an Act, Regulation or other instrument obtain, you can:

  • consult the Home Page of the Act or instrument on ComLaw, where amending Acts or instruments are listed
  • for Acts, Regulations and other selected instruments — consult the Acts and Select Legislative Instruments Tables on ComLaw, which list the Acts and instruments amended in the year covered by the table
  • consult the tables ("Notes") at the end of the current compilation of the Act or instrument in hardcopy or electronically on ComLaw

How do I obtain a copy of a Bill?

Printed pamphlet copies of individual Bills are available from Canprint.  See Legislation Sales on ComLaw. Electronic versions are available on ComLaw.

How do I obtain a copy of a Proclamation?

Proclamations are published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette, which is published weekly by Attorney-General’s Department. See the Government Notices Gazette. Electronic versions of the Gazette are available on Gazettes Online.

How do I obtain a copy of an Act, Regulation or other instrument?

Electronic copies of individual Acts are available on ComLaw. Printed pamphlet copies of individual Acts are available from Canprint. See Legislation Sales [link] on ComLaw. For Acts that have been amended, compilations (ie versions that incorporate the amendments) are published electronically on ComLaw. Printed pamphlet copies of some compilations (Reprints) are available from Canprint. See Legislation Sales on ComLaw.

How long does it take a Bill to receive the Royal Assent?

The exact time that it takes a Bill to receive the Royal Assent after it is passed by Parliament varies. However, it is usually between 7 and 10 working days.

What is a legislative instrument?

It is common for an Act of Parliament to allow some other person or body to make a law on matters of detail under Act.  Such a law is called a legislative instrument.  The Legislative Instruments Act 2003 requires legislative instruments to be registered and published on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments (a part of ComLaw) and tabled in Parliament.  They are normally disallowable, which means that either House of Parliament may stop their operation by a vote within a set period after they have been tabled.  They have a great variety of titles; regulations are legislative instruments, but so are many things called determinations, guidelines, rules, orders and other names.