Welcome to the homepage for the scrutiny role of the Justice and Community Safety Committee. In this role, the committee scrutinises bills and subordinate legislation for best practice in law-writing and human rights compliance.

To allow time for proper consideration, the Committee requests that all amendments be submitted to the Secretariat at least 14 days before the Tuesday of the sitting week in which they will be presented.

Scrutiny reports are generally published in the late afternoon on the Tuesday before a sitting week, and on the Monday of the second week when there are two consecutive sitting weeks.


Contact the committee

You can contact the committee by emailing scrutiny@parliament.act.gov.au or by calling the Committee Secretary, Mr Hamish Finlay on (02) 6205 0171.

A committee's terms of reference come from its establishing resolution. The Assembly passes this to set out what a committee can focus on and what functions it has. It can also amend resolutions at any time to alter or expand the focus of a committee's work.

Click here to read the Assembly’s full resolution of establishment for the committee.

The Assembly resolved to establish a standing committee on Justice and Community Safety on 2 December 2020. They required it also perform a legislative scrutiny role. It laid out the following:

"(10) The Standing Committee on Justice and Community Safety is also to perform a legislative scrutiny role of bills and subordinate legislation by:

(a) considering whether the clauses of bills (and amendments proposed by the Government to its own bills) introduced into the Assembly: (i) unduly trespass on personal rights and liberties; (ii) make rights, liberties and/or obligations unduly dependent upon insufficiently defined administrative powers; (iii) make rights, liberties and/or obligations unduly dependent upon non-reviewable decisions; (iv) inappropriately delegate legislative powers; or (v) insufficiently subject the exercise of legislative power to parliamentary scrutiny; and (vi) consider whether any explanatory statement associated with legislation meets the technical or stylistic standards expected by the Assembly;

(b) reporting to the Legislative Assembly about human rights issues raised by bills presented to the Assembly pursuant to section 38 of the Human Rights Act 2004;

(c) considering whether any instrument of a legislative nature made under an Act which is subject to disallowance and/or disapproval by the Assembly (including a regulation, rule or by-law): (i) is in accord with the general objects of the Act under which it is made; (ii) unduly trespasses on rights previously established by law; (iii) makes rights, liberties and/or obligations unduly dependent upon non-reviewable decisions; or (iv) contains matter which in the opinion of the Committee should properly be dealt with in an Act of the Legislative Assembly; and

(d) consider whether any explanatory statement or explanatory memorandum associated with legislation and any regulatory impact statement meets the technical or stylistic standards expected by the Assembly.".

In this role, the committee examines all bills and subordinate legislation presented to the Assembly. It does not comment on policy contained within legislation. Its scrutiny is non-partisan, non-political, and technical, so it helps advise the Assembly pass laws which are well-written, follow best practice, and are human rights compliant.

DateDescriptionPDFWord
02/09/2024 Scrutiny Report No 45 PDF (713.6 KB) Word (3.4 MB)
20/08/2024 Scrutiny Report No 44 PDF (492.8 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
20/06/2024 Scrutiny Report No 43 (Updated) PDF (386.5 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
28/05/2024 Scrutiny Report No 42 PDF (495.9 KB) Word (3.3 MB)
07/05/2024 Scrutiny Report No 41 PDF (676.2 KB) Word (3.3 MB)
02/04/2024 Scrutiny Report No 40 PDF (453.7 KB) Word (3.3 MB)
12/03/2024 Scrutiny Report No 39 PDF (689.9 KB) Word (3.5 MB)
31/01/2024 Scrutiny Report No 38 PDF (507.5 KB) Word (3.3 MB)
21/11/2023 Scrutiny Report No 37 PDF (416.3 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
30/10/2023 Scrutiny Report No 36 PDF (525.5 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
17/10/2023 Scrutiny Report No 35 PDF (427.6 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
18/09/2023 Scrutiny Report No 34 PDF (522.4 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
05/09/2023 Scrutiny Report No 33 PDF (7.4 MB) Word (3.2 MB)
22/08/2023 Scrutiny Report No 32 PDF (477.1 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
20/06/2023 Scrutiny Report No 31 PDF (292.1 KB) Word (4.8 MB)
05/06/2023 Scrutiny Report No 30 PDF (359.4 KB) Word (3.1 MB)
23/05/2023 Scrutiny Report No 29 PDF (549.9 KB) Word (3.3 MB)
03/05/2023 Scrutiny Report No 28 PDF (433.7 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
27/03/2023 Scrutiny Report No 27 PDF (357.1 KB) Word (3.1 MB)
14/03/2023 Scrutiny Report No 26 PDF (471.6 KB) Word (3.2 MB)
31/01/2023 Scrutiny Report No 25 PDF (507.1 KB) Word (3.3 MB)
28/11/2022 Scrutiny Report No 24 PDF (375.7 KB) Word (3.1 MB)
15/11/2022 Scrutiny Report No 23 PDF (416.9 KB) Word (4.9 MB)
17/10/2022 Scrutiny Report No 22 PDF (297.2 KB) Word (3.1 MB)
04/10/2022 Scrutiny Report No 21 PDF (561.9 KB) Word (3.5 MB)
13/09/2022 Scrutiny Report No 20 PDF (647.1 KB) Word (3.4 MB)
01/08/2022 Scrutiny Report No 19 PDF (243.5 KB) Word (2.5 MB)
27/07/2022 Scrutiny Report No 18 PDF (2.8 MB) Word (3.2 MB)
06/06/2022 Scrutiny Report No 17 PDF (275.8 KB) Word (92.6 KB)
19/05/2022 Scrutiny Report No 16 PDF (287.1 KB) Word (97.5 KB)
27/04/2022 Scrutiny Report No 15 PDF (2.7 MB) Word (108.8 KB)
29/03/2022 Scrutiny Report No 14 PDF (296.6 KB) Word (97.7 KB)
15/03/2022 Scrutiny Report No 13 PDF (437.5 KB) Word (114.4 KB)
01/02/2022 Scrutiny Report No 12 PDF (395.9 KB) Word (119.2 KB)
19/11/2021 Scrutiny Report No 11 PDF (462.8 KB) Word (111.1 KB)
02/11/2021 Scrutiny Report No 10 PDF (290.8 KB) Word (97.0 KB)
28/09/2021 Scrutiny Report No 9 PDF (405.3 KB) Word (108.4 KB)
24/08/2021 Scrutiny Report No 8 PDF (504.3 KB) Word (127.5 KB)
04/11/2024 Scrutiny Report No 7 PDF (305.3 KB) Word (83.5 KB)
15/06/2021 Scrutiny Report No 6 PDF (294.2 KB) Word (84.6 KB)
04/11/2024 Scrutiny Report No 5 PDF (301.1 KB) Word (80.5 KB)
04/05/2021 Scrutiny Report No 4 PDF (402.5 KB) Word (92.1 KB)
04/11/2024 Scrutiny Report No 3 PDF (377.5 KB) Word (92.1 KB)
24/03/2021 Scrutiny Report No 2 PDF (319.8 KB) Word (82.5 KB)
04/11/2024 Scrutiny Report No 1 PDF (621.7 KB) Word (110.0 KB)
NamePDFWord
Henry VIII clauses—Fact sheet PDF icon_pdf_small (71KB) Word Word (170KB)
Guide to writing an explanatory statement PDF icon_pdf_small (161KB) Word Word (232KB)
Subordinate legislation—Technical and stylistic standards—Tips/Traps PDF icon_pdf_small (307KB) Word Word (250KB)
Proposed amendments to bills
DateDescriptionPDFWord
27/08/2024 Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2024—Government—Additional—Supplementary Explanatory Statement PDF (226.7 KB) Word (54.8 KB)
27/08/2024 Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2024—Government —Additional PDF (131.2 KB)
19/08/2024 Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2024—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (199.8 KB) Word (41.4 KB)
19/08/2024 Justice and Community Safety Legislation Amendment Bill 2024—Government PDF (101.9 KB)
12/08/2024 Gaming Machine (Compulsory Surrender) Amendment Bill 2024—Mr Braddock—Supplementary Explanatory Statement (Set 2) PDF (213.0 KB) Word (42.4 KB)
12/08/2024 Gaming Machine (Compulsory Surrender) Amendment Bill 2024—Mr Braddock (Set 2) PDF (147.2 KB)
12/08/2024 Gaming Machine (Compulsory Surrender) Amendment Bill 2024—Mr Braddock—Supplementary Explanatory Statement (Set 1) PDF (195.4 KB) Word (37.6 KB)
12/08/2024 Gaming Machine (Compulsory Surrender) Amendment Bill 2024—Mr Braddock (Set 1) PDF (173.2 KB)
12/08/2024 Appropriation Bill 2024-2025—Ms Clay—Supplementary Explanatory Statement PDF (129.3 KB) Word (33.0 KB)
12/08/2024 Appropriation Bill 2024-2025—Ms Clay PDF (89.8 KB)
23/07/2024 Sexual, Family and Personal Violence Legislation Amendment Bill 2023—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (150.8 KB) Word (38.6 KB)
23/07/2024 Sexual, Family and Personal Violence Legislation Amendment Bill 2023—Government PDF (795.1 KB)
22/07/2024 Disability Inclusion Bill 2024—Ms Orr—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (223.7 KB)
22/07/2024 Disability Inclusion Bill 2024—Ms Orr PDF (162.7 KB)
20/06/2024 Heritage Amendment Bill 2024—Ms Lawder PDF (77.4 KB)
20/06/2024 Heritage Amendment Bill 2024—Ms Lawder—Supplementary Explanatory Statement PDF (85.4 KB) Word (20.6 KB)
25/06/2024 Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2024 (No 2)—Government—Explanatory Statement PDF (190.9 KB)
25/06/2024 Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2024 (No 2)—Government PDF (187.2 KB)
26/06/2024 Property Developers Bill 2023—Government—Supplementary Explanatory Statement PDF (221.4 KB) Word (56.1 KB)
26/06/2024 Property Developers Bill 2023—Government PDF (310.0 KB) Word (61.0 KB)
11/06/2024 Gaming Machine (Compulsory Surrender) Amendment Bill 2024—Dr Paterson PDF (177.0 KB)
11/06/2024 Gaming Machine (Compulsory Surrender) Amendment Bill 2024—Dr Paterson—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (191.6 KB) Word (32.8 KB)
07/06/2024 Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill 2023—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (177.5 KB) Word (34.7 KB)
07/06/2024 Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill 2023—Government PDF (161.2 KB)
07/06/2024 Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2024 (No 2)—Government PDF (160.9 KB)
07/06/2024 Children and Young People Amendment Bill 2024 (No 2)—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement.pdf PDF (213.5 KB) Word (22.2 KB)
07/06/2024 Parentage (Surrogacy) Amendment Bill 2023—Government PDF (750.2 KB)
07/06/2024 Parentage (Surrogacy) Amendment Bill 2023—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (178.6 KB) Word (41.0 KB)
05/06/2024 Housing and Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill 2024—Government PDF (208.7 KB)
05/06/2024 Housing and Consumer Affairs Legislation Amendment Bill 2024—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (196.8 KB) Word (61.2 KB)
21/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Mr Cocks PDF (139.9 KB)
21/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Mr Cocks—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (105.3 KB) Word (10.7 KB)
17/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Dr Paterson PDF (206.2 KB)
17/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Dr Paterson—Proposed amendments to Government amendments PDF (143.0 KB)
17/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Dr Paterson—Explanatory statement PDF (452.7 KB) Word (97.1 KB)
17/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Dr Paterson—Proposed amendments to Government amendments —Explanatory statement PDF (121.4 KB) Word (26.9 KB)
17/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Ms Castley—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (87.5 KB) Word (23.7 KB)
17/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Ms Castley PDF (99.6 KB)
16/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Ms Lee—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (60.7 KB) Word (20.8 KB)
16/05/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Ms Lee PDF (107.8 KB)
30/04/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Government PDF (414.9 KB)
30/04/2024 Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023—Government—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (356.6 KB) Word (165.3 KB)
23/01/2024 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill 2023—Ms Nuttall—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (156.9 KB) Word (31.3 KB)
05/03/2024 Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill 2023—Mr Braddock—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (164.0 KB) Word (32.8 KB)
05/03/2024 Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill 2023—Mr Braddock PDF (163.8 KB)
04/03/2024 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill 2023—Ms Nuttall—Supplementary explanatory statement to revised proposed amendments PDF (159.1 KB) Word (35.6 KB)
04/03/2024 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill 2023—Ms Nuttall (Revised) PDF (161.2 KB)
23/01/2024 Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Amendment Bill 2023—Ms Nuttall PDF (163.2 KB)
19/02/2024 Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill 2023—Mr Cain—Supplementary explanatory statement PDF (162.6 KB) Word (28.2 KB)
19/02/2024 Human Rights (Healthy Environment) Amendment Bill 2023—Mr Cain PDF (86.7 KB)


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