AGY-1216 | Parliamentary Counsel [II]

Full description

On 1 July 1991 the Parliamentary Counsel was transferred from the Attorney General's Department to the Premier's Department with its status changing from sub-department to one as a separate Administrative Office. The Parliamentary Counsel's Office reported to the Premier through the Director-General of the Cabinet Office. Two Deputy Parliamentary Counsels and two Assistant Parliamentary Counsels assisted the Parliamentary Counsel.

The main work of the Parliamentary Counsel's Office involved the drafting of legislation - Bills for Acts and Regulations, amendments, environmental planning instruments, Law Reform Commission work, and uniform or complementary Australian legislation. Advice was given on the legality of draft legislation and the government's legislative timetable. Documents were produced for the legislative process while explanatory notes were prepared for the written law. The Parliamentary Counsel participated in the Statute Law Revision Program and new statutory instruments for the staged repeal program under the Subordinate Legislation Act, 1989 (No.146 1989) were devised. A legislation publishing service was provided to Parliament while a comprehensive Legislation Database is maintained.

The Parliamentary Counsel's Office ceased to be a department on 3 March 2006. It was then established as the Parliamentary Counsel's Office within the Cabinet Office. (1)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette, No. 30, 3 March 2006, p.1055.