National Uniform Legislation

Description

This book aims to develop a conceptual framework upon which to draw for analysis of new and existing national reforms in Australia. Due to growth in the volume and complexity of national uniform legislation, law reform agencies, the Commonwealth, state and territory governments and policy institutions have more, rather than less, to do. This book explores how they are required to respond to debates among actors from divergent geographical, commercial and ideological backgrounds, who sometimes demonstrate irreconcilable differences in values and perspectives. From a policy implication perspective, this book summarises a vast quantity of original and complex data so that it can be applied in the field―among policymakers, reformers, legislative drafters, students and the wider audience of legal practitioners working with harmonised legislation in federations. This book acknowledges that uniform legislation is not a panacea for all legal challenges currently faced by federations. However, this book takes a step towards demystifying the many confusing factors that have obscured the underlying general principles. A working theory of ‘federal harmonisation’ enables ‘the art of the impossible’ to become a practical reality.  This book condenses data on legislation in models. The models enable transparent, evidence-based decisions in the process of a federation’s harmonisation to progress regulatory best practices and achieve more reliable, sustainable results. Foreword to National Uniform Legislation Foreword from the Parliamentary Counsel Contents About the Author Abbreviations and Acronyms List of Figures List of Table Chapter 1: Introduction to National Uniform Legislation 1.1 Introduction 1.2 Significance 1.3 Practical and Conceptual Problems in the Light of Proliferation 1.4 Law-as-Data Methods for Examining the Database 1.5 Introduction of the Main Models 1.6 Structure of This Book 1.7 Conclusion References Chapter 2: Definitions and Structures 2.1 Introduction 2.2 Harmonisation and National Uniform Legislation 2.2.1 Terminology 2.2.2 Definition of Harmonisation 2.2.3 Definition of National Uniform Legislation 2.3 Primary Structures 2.3.1 Referred Legislation 2.3.2 Applied Legislation 2.3.3 Mirror Legislation 2.3.4 Hybrid Structures 2.4 Conclusion References Chapter 3: Historical Development of National Uniform Legislation 3.1 Introduction 3.2 First Sets of Uniform Acts 3.3 National Reforms Before and After the Second World War 3.4 The Golden Era: The Rise and Transformation of Institutional Support for National Uniform Legislation 3.5 Bushfires and the COVID-19 Pandemic 3.6 Conclusion References Chapter 4: Cooperative Federalism 4.1 Introduction 4.2 Distribution of Powers and Areas of the Law Requiring National Uniform Legislation 4.3 Australian Federalism and Cooperative Federalism Theory 4.4 Conclusion References Chapter 5: Slow and Steady Uniform Legislation 5.1 Introduction 5.2 Iterative Developments 5.3 Examples of Achieving Uniformity Through Iterative Developments 5.3.1 Corporations 5.3.2 Business Names 5.3.3 Other Examples 5.4 Lessons for Law Reformers, Policymakers and Legislative Drafters 5.4.1 No Haste 5.4.2 No Ultimate Uniformity 5.4.3 Differences Are Not a Failure of Harmonisation Attempts 5.5 Conclusion References Chapter 6: Fast and Furious Uniform Legislation 6.1 Introduction 6.2 Multiple Streams Framework 6.3 Case Studies and Examples of Focusing Events 6.3.1 Unplanned Focusing Events: Counterterrorism Legislation 6.3.2 Semi-Planned Focusing Events: Elections and International Obligations 6.3.3 Flow-On Effects from Court Decisions or Legislation Changes 6.4 Lessons for Law Reformers, Policymakers and Legislative Drafters 6.4.1 Necessity and Urgency 6.4.2 Policy Vulnerabilities and Importance of National Regulators 6.4.3 National Regulators for Sustaining Uniformity and Refining Policies 6.5 Conclusion References Chapter 7: Pragmatic National Reforms 7.1 Introduction 7.2 Pragmatic Federalism 7.3 Examples of the Pragmatic Approach 7.3.1 Conferral of Jurisdiction 7.3.2 Skeletal Legislation 7.3.3 Legislation for Resolving Isolated Problems 7.3.4 Constitutional Settlements 7.3.5 Mutual Recognition 7.4 Lessons for Law Reformers, Policymakers and Legislative Drafters 7.4.1 Pragmatic Solution Must Be Agreed by All Parties 7.4.2 Avoid Skeletal Legislation 7.4.3 Pedantic Attention to Ensuring Sovereignty Is Not Encroached 7.5 Conclusion References Chapter 8: Ever-Failing Uniformity 8.1 Introduction 8.2 Advocacy Coalition Theory 8.3 Examples of Harmonisation Attempts Heavily Affected by Advocacy Coalitions 8.3.1 Uniform Succession Laws: Cooperative Efforts with a Bottom-Up Design 8.3.2 Defamation: Unwillingness to Use a Top-Down Approach 8.3.3 Unachievable Uniform Regulation of Road Rules and Surrogacy Provisions 8.4 Lessons for Law Reformers, Policymakers and Legislative Drafters 8.4.1 Area of Law and Previous History 8.4.2 Dual Positions Are the Hardest for Harmonisation Effort 8.4.3 Electronic Registers as a Harmonisation Tool 8.5 Conclusion References Chapter 9: Judicial Interpretation of National Uniform Legislation 9.1 Introduction 9.2 The Main Rule: Desirability of Uniform Interpretation 9.3 Tribunals and Specialist Courts 9.4 Desirable Uniform Sentencing for Federal Offences 9.5 Slavishly Following the Precedent 9.6 Precedent: Where the Decision Is ‘Plainly Wrong’ 9.7 Case Study: Divergent Interpretations of the Uniform Evidence Acts, Section 137 9.8 Conclusion References Chapter 10: Conclusion – Future National Reforms in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, Pandemics and New Federalism 10.1 Introduction 10.2 The Future – Covid, Intergovernmental Reforms and Technology 10.3 Beyond the Model – Catalysts for Future Harmonisation 10.4 Conclusions References Annexure – List of Acts