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The law made by parliament and often referred to as an Act of Parliament. Sometimes referred to as a statute or legislation.
Change or alteration to existing legislation or acts.
Acts as originally passed by parliament without amendments. Also referred to as Sessional Acts or Acts as passed.
An assented bill is one that has passed both Houses and has been signed by the Governor. When assented to, a bill becomes an act.
An act comes into force 28 days after it is assent to, or on a day or days to be appointed by proclamation. A clause, stating whether the act comes into force by assent or proclamation, usually appears at the beginning of each bill.
Consolidated Acts incorporate amendments made by other legislation since the original legislation was made. A consolidated Act refers to the combination of a number of Acts of Parliament into one codifying statute. This term is commonly used for electronic versions of legislation.
The term delegated legislation describes many types of instruments made by a delegate (a person or body that Parliament authorises to make laws). The most common is regulations, although there are many types of delegated legislation.
Environmental planning instruments (State environmental planning policies and local environmental plans) are legal documents that regulate land use and development.
Explanatory notes explain the purpose of the Bill and outline the provisions of the Bill. In NSW this document is called an explanatory note, in the Commonwealth parliament it is called an explanatory memorandum. Explanatory notes may be used by a Court as a source of information about the meaning of a specific provision of an Act or regulation if it is unclear.
Hansard is the official record of the debates in Parliament. It is not a strictly verbatim record, but rather a verified and accurate record.
Point in time legislative research means establishing the content of an Act at a specific point in time. Point in time Act is used interchangeably with the term Historical Act or Reprint.
Regulations are made under the authority of an Act. Regulations contain details necessary to carry out specific matters relating to the Act. Regulations are 'delegated' or 'subsidiary' legislation. Other delegated legislation includes rules, ordinances and by-laws.
A reprinted Act incorporates all changes made to the Principal Act, at the date shown on the reprint.
The most important stage of a bill is the second reading. At this stage, the Minister responsible for introducing the Bill explains its purpose and the general principles of the Bill are debated. The second reading debate may also cover such things as why the Bill should be supported (or opposed), the necessity for its proposals and alternative means for achieving the same objectives. Second reading speeches are published in the relevant jurisdiction's Hansard.
