The Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation assesses delegated legislation against a set of scrutiny principles that focus on compliance with statutory requirements, the protection of individual rights and liberties, and principles of parliamentary oversight.
The committee was originally established in 1932 as the Senate Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances. This makes the committee one of the oldest standing committees in the Australian Parliament. It has served as a model for numerous similar parliamentary scrutiny committees across Australia and internationally.
What is delegated legislation?
Delegated legislation is law made by a person or body other than Parliament (such as the Governor-General or a minister), under authority granted to that person or body by the Parliament. Delegated legislation has the same force of law as an Act of Parliament. Individual pieces of delegated legislation are known by a variety of names, such as regulations, rules, or determinations; however, they are broadly termed ‘legislative instruments’.
Parliament's consideration of delegated legislation
Disallowance is the primary mechanism by which the Parliament exercises control over delegated legislation. The disallowance process allows either House of the Parliament to veto a legislative instrument. All legislative instruments are subject to disallowance unless exempted by law.
Once a legislative instrument has been tabled in the Senate or the House of Representatives, any member of the relevant House may give a notice of motion to disallow a legislative instrument within 15 sitting days. Disallowance has the effect of repealing the legislative instrument.
For further information regarding the disallowance process, see Odgers' Australian Senate Practice or the Guide to Senate Procedure No. 19.
Finding a legislative instrument
The Office of Parliamentary Counsel publishes the full text of all legislative instruments and accompanying explanatory materials on the Federal Register of Legislation (FRL).
The Senate disallowable instruments list lists all legislative instruments that have been tabled in the Senate and which remain open to disallowance.
The Disallowance Alert lists all legislative instruments for which a notice of motion for disallowance has been lodged in either House, including notices lodged by the Chair on behalf of the committee.
Finding the committee's comments on a legislative instrument
The committee scrutinises around 1,500 legislative instruments each year.
The committee's Index of Instruments lists all legislative instruments about which the committee has raised a scrutiny concern and identifies the relevant Delegated Legislation Monitor in which the concern was raised and any associated correspondence.
The committee also publishes lists of all legislative instruments that it has considered which specify Commonwealth expenditure or else raise matters of interest to the Senate.
The committee regularly circulates Scrutiny News, a brief newsletter highlighting key aspects of the committee's work and the work of the Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills. To subscribe to the mailing list for the newsletter, please send an email to sdlc.sen@aph.gov.au with 'Subscribe Scrutiny Mailing List' as the subject line.