Annual Review 2001, Regulations 2001

Chairs' Foreword

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This Annual Review summarises the operations of the Regulation Review Subcommittee during 2001. The Regulation Review Subcommittee had an extremely heavy workload during that year with responsibility for scrutinising regulations and conducting the Inquiry into the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994.

While the Regulation Review Subcommittee did not make any adverse reports to Parliament in 2001, the Subcommittee sent 27 letters to Ministers seeking clarification of issues or raising concerns. Ministerial responses have generally been prompt and most helpful to the Regulation Review Subcommittee. The Annual Review seeks to identify areas of concern and continues to include a number of Practice Notes in Appendix 3 in order to offer department and agency officers some guidance as to the Regulation Review Subcommittee’s expectations. While the Regulation Review Subcommittee considers that the quality of regulations made in 2001 and accompanying documentation has been of a high standard, there remains scope for improvement in some areas. In particular more careful attention needs to be given to the preparation of Regulation Impact Statements (RISs) and the requirements which RISs must meet both under the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994 (Vic) and the Premier’s Guidelines.

Conducting the Inquiry into the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994 has proved challenging and most worthwhile. In July 2001 a delegation from the Regulation Review Subcommittee met with key players in the regulatory systems of selected jurisdictions in the United States of America. These meetings were invaluable and have influenced some of the Committee’s recommendations. The Committee’s Report on the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994 was tabled in Parliament in September 2002. It assesses regulation-making processes in Victoria and makes recommendations which will enable Victoria to achieve best practice standards set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The Regulation Review Subcommittee looks forward to the Government’s response to the Committee’s Report.

I take this opportunity to thank previous and current members of the Regulation Review Subcommittee for their work and contribution to the examination and review of regulations made during 2001 and to the Inquiry into the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994. These members include Ms. Mary Gillett MLA, Mr. Tony Robinson MLA, the Hon. Robert Maclellan MLA and the Hon. Andrew Olexander MLC. I note that part way through the Regulation Review Subcomittee’s consideration of regulations made in 2001 Mr. Martin Dixon, MLA and the Hon. Maree Luckins, MLC resigned from the Committee and I wish to thank them for their participation and contribution to the scrutiny of regulations and to the Inquiry.

I also wish to thank our staff for their commitment and dedication to the Regulation Review Subcommittee. I wish to thank our Legal Adviser, Ms Jenny Baker for providing the Subcommittee with legal advice on regulations and for her excellent research and analysis of issues for the Report on the Subordinate Legislation Act 1994. I also wish to thank Mr. Matthew Groves and Ms Fiona Lewandowksi for providing assistance with the review of regulations made during 2001 and Mr Simon Dinsberg and, more recently, Ms Sonya Caruana for providing administrative support to the Regulation Review Subcommittee. Thanks also to Mr. Mark Roberts, Mr. Andrew Campbell and Mrs Andrea Agosta for assisting with proofreading.