Attorney-General Christopher Finlayson today announced the establishment of the Legislation Design and Advisory Committee to improve the quality and effectiveness of legislation.

'The new committee is similar to the former Legislation Advisory Committee but will provide advice to government agencies about the design and content of bills earlier on in their development."

The formation of the committee is part of the Government's increased focus on legislative design that was identified as an area for improvement in the Productivity Commission's 2014 report on regulatory institutions and practices.

The committee will work with agencies when proposals for bills and drafting instructions are first being developed to address problems in the basic architecture of legislation and identify potential legal and constitutional issues before bills are introduced.

'I am pleased Paul Rishworth QC from the Crown Law Office has agreed to chair the committee that will be made up of twelve other government officials with policy, legal or economics backgrounds."

The committee is expected to be consulted on up to 25 bills each year.

The committee also takes on responsibility for the 2014 revised Legislation Advisory Committee Guidelines on Process and Content of Legislation and the related website.

Source: Office of Christopher Finlayson