Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Bill 2012
Information about the Inquiry
On 28 November 2012 the Senate referred the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Bill 2012 for inquiry and report.
The Bill establishes a framework of standard regulatory powers for exercise by agencies across the Commonwealth, including: monitoring and investigation powers; and enforcement provisions such as civil penalties, infringement notices, enforceable undertakings and injunctions. The monitoring and investigation powers are based on those found in existing Commonwealth legislation; however, the Bill will not apply to any particular legislation unless its provisions are specifically triggered through amendments or the introduction of new legislation.
Background to referral
The committee was originally referred the Bill on 11 October 2012, for inquiry and report by 29 November 2012. Since the Bill had also been referred by the House of Representatives to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Law Enforcement (PJCLE), the committee tabled a one-page report on 23 October 2012, in which it stated that it would not duplicate the work of the PJCLE by calling for submissions or conducting its own inquiry in relation to the Bill.
On 28 November 2012, the PJCLE tabled a report noting that the Bill 'raises issues, potentially including constitutionality, which merit close consideration' and that 'these matters would be best considered by the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee'. The Senate agreed to 're-refer' the Bill to the committee on the same day.
Submissions should be received by 25 January 2013. The reporting date is 18 March 2013.
The Committee is seeking written submissions from interested individuals and organisations preferably in electronic form submitted online or sent by email to legcon.sen@aph.gov.au as an attached Adobe PDF or MS Word format document. The email must include full postal address and contact details.
Alternatively, written submissions may be sent to:
Committee Secretary
Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia
Notes to help you prepare your submission are available from the website at https://www.aph.gov.au/senate/committee/wit_sub/index.htm. Alternatively, the Committee Secretariat will be able to help you with your inquiries and can be contacted on telephone +61 2 6277 3560 or facsimile +61 2 6277 5794 or by email to legcon.sen@aph.gov.au.
Inquiries from hearing and speech impaired people should be directed to Parliament House TTY number 02 6277 7799. Adobe also provides tools at http://access.adobe.com/ for the blind and visually impaired to access PDF documents. If you require any special arrangements to enable you to participate in the Committee's inquiry, please contact the Committee Secretariat.
Once the Committee accepts your submission, it becomes a confidential Committee document and is protected by Parliamentary Privilege. You must not release your submission without the Committee's permission. If you do, it will not be protected by Parliamentary Privilege. At some stage during the inquiry, the Committee normally makes submissions public and places them on its website. Please indicate if you want your submission to be kept confidential.
For further information, contact: Committee Secretary
Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee
PO Box 6100
Parliament House
Canberra ACT 2600
Australia