Annual Review 2005, March 2006

Chairperson's Foreword

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I am pleased to introduce the Scrutiny of Acts and Regulations Committee’s Annual Review covering the calendar year 2005.

In brief, the functions of the Committee are to review all bills introduced into Parliament, to review regulations, to review and report on redundant or unclear Acts and to undertake specific inquiries referred to the Committee either by the Parliament or by a Minister.

The year was a critical one for the Committee, with the publication of the final report on the Electronic Democracy inquiry and interim and final reports concerning the Equal Opportunity — Discrimination in the Law inquiry. In September, the Committee made a submission to the Victorian Human Rights Consultative Committee concerning a possible additional human rights scrutiny term of reference for the Committee, were a Charter of Human Rights to be enacted in Victoria .

The Committee has been fortunate to have a dedicated and professional secretariat staff, and I take this opportunity to thank our Senior Legal Adviser, Andrew Homer, for effectively leading our team during 2005. The Committee is also indebted to Ms Helen Mason for her experienced guidance in the scrutiny of regulations, and to Simon Dinsbergs and Sonya Caruana for their efficient management and administrative support during the year.

Lily D’Ambrosio MP
Chairperson