Committee guidelines

These guidelines set out the committee’s expectations in relation to its technical scrutiny principles. Scrutiny issues identified by the committee may fall within more than one principle. 

The Consolidated Guidelines contain copies of all guidelines prepared by the committee, as well as details relating to the committee’s work practices. Links to individual guidelines are also provided below.

Please note that these guidelines are intended as a guide only and are not meant to be definitive.

Consolidated Guidelines, 2nd Edition

• Principle (i): Undue trespass on personal rights and liberties
• Principle (ii): Insufficiently defined administrative powers
• Principle (iii): Inadequate review of decisions
• Principle (iv): Inappropriate delegation of legislative powers
• Principle (v): Insufficient parliamentary scrutiny

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The guidelines were last updated in July 2022. 

Additional scrutiny resources

Attorney-General's Department, A Guide to Framing Commonwealth Offences, Infringement Notices and Enforcement Powers, September 2011 edition

Attorney-General's Department, What decisions should be subject to merit review? ARC publication 1999, January 1999

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Legislation Handbook, 2017 

Office of Parliamentary Counsel, Drafting Directions 

Scrutiny of National Schemes of Legislation, Position Paper by the Working Party of Representatives of Scrutiny of Legislation Committees throughout Australia, October 1996