VPRS 18987 Legislative Drafting Files for Victorian Acts

Full description

The Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (OCPC) is exclusively responsible for the drafting of all government bills for the Victorian government. OCPC drafts all Parliamentary House amendments (including for the opposition and independents) and was responsible for the preparation of all copies of the bills during the passage through Parliament.

Act files comprise a complete record of the development and progression of a bill to an Act of Parliament, from advice sought on the bill proposal, Approval in Principle (AIP) by Cabinet, instructions and notes from meetings with departments, draft bills (including exposure drafts), Cabinet decisions relating to the bill and documents relating to its passage through Parliament (including House amendments) and royal assent/proclamation.

Bills which may have reached various stages of drafting or consideration by Parliament but did not become Acts, are excluded from this series (These are temporary records in accordance with PROS 07/02, Class 1.2.0.)

All records associated with each Act were combined into a single bill file. Whilst the originating department may have certain of these records, the OCPC's central role across government and completeness of the record as a single file is unique. Records within this class have been appraised as permanent in accordance with PROS 07/02, Class No.1.1.0

The previous series VPRS 16152 Parliamentary Counsel Act Files ended in 1999. From 2000, the bill files were arranged in act number order.