LEGISLATION ACT 2003 - SECT 16 Measures to achieve high drafting standards for legislative instruments and notifiable instruments
LEGISLATION ACT 2003 - SECT 16
Measures to achieve high drafting standards for legislative instruments and notifiable instruments(1) To encourage high standards in the drafting of legislative instruments and notifiable instruments , the First Parliamentary Counsel must cause steps to be taken to promote the legal effectiveness, clarity, and intelligibility to anticipated users, of legislative instruments and notifiable instruments .
(2) The steps referred to in subsection ( 1) may include, but are not limited to:
(a) undertaking or supervising the drafting of legislative instruments and notifiable instruments ; and
(b) scrutinising preliminary drafts of legislative instruments and notifiable instruments ; and
(c) providing advice concerning the drafting of legislative instruments and notifiable instruments ; and
(d) providing training in drafting and matters related to drafting to officers and employees of Departments or other agencies ; and
(e) arranging the temporary secondment to Departments or other agencies of APS employees performing duties in the Office of Parliamentary Counsel ; and
(f) providing drafting precedents to officers and employees of Departments or other agencies .
(3) The First Parliamentary Counsel must also cause steps to be taken:
(a) to prevent the use of gender - specific language in legislative instruments and notifiable instruments in circumstances where it is not necessary to identify persons by their sex; and
(b) to advise rule - makers for registered legislative instruments or notifiable instruments if those instruments use gender - specific language in those circumstances; and
(c) to notify both Houses of the Parliament about any occasion
when a rule - maker is advised under paragraph ( b).