vii, 111 p. ; 30 cm.

Chapter 1. Introduction -- Purpose of the handbook -- When is legislation required? -- Consultation when developing legislation -- Primary or subordinate legislation -- An overview of the legislation process -- Who has responsibility for which legislation? -- Bills impacting on other ministers' legi...

Summary of information required for bids -- Submitting a request for a variation to the legislation programme -- What is a variation? -- Deadline for submission of a request for a variation -- Summary of information required for a variation-- The minister's covering letter for a variation -- Adding...

Consultation on policy aspects -- Approval of the text of amendments by other ministers -- Information to be included in requests for minor policy approval -- Ministerial approval -- First Parliamentary Counsel approval -- Announcement of legislation in advance of introduction -- ch. 5. Types of bil...

Drafting instructions -- Early access to drafters -- General principles drafting -- Specific matters which may need consideration -- Commencement -- Use of a specifed date -- Use of proclamation provisions -- Retrospective legislation -- Operation of Commonwealth Acts in external territories -- Norf...

Accounting and audit arrangements -- International conventions and treaties -- Subordinate legislation : regulations, ministerial or agency declaration, principles and guidelines -- Form of draft bill - use of improved drafting style -- ch. 7. Drafting a bill -- Developing a draft bill -- Responsibi...

Cover sheet -- General outline -- Financial impact statement -- Regulation impact statement -- Notes on clauses -- Printing an explanatory memorandum -- Distributing an explanatory memorandum -- Replacement explanatory memorandum/correction to a memorandum -- Cognate bills and a combined expalantory...

Support material where a bill is not amended in the first house -- Support material where a bill is amended in the first house -- ch. 9. The legislation aproval process for bills pror to introduction in Parliament -- All bills to be approved for introduction -- The legislation approval process (LAP)...

Distributing and printing a supplementary explanatory memorandum -- Approval of government amendments -- Reprinting a bill to take account of amendments to a bill by the first house -- Revising an explanaotry memorandum to take account of amendments to a bill by the first house -- Revising a second...

Passage of a bill through both houses -- Appropriation bills -- Appropriation Bills, Nos 1 and 2 : and the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill -- Bills containing standing or special appropriations -- Private members' and senators' bills -- ch. 13. Passage of a bill through the House of R...

Presence of departmental advisors -- ch. 14. Passage of a bill throught the Senate -- Introduction -- Senate-initiated bills -- Preparation for introduction -- Notice of motion to introduce a bill -- Minister's papers for presenting a bill -- Presenting (introducing) a bill -- First reading -- Secon...