LEGISLATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Developing Policy / Preparing Legislation An Overview

Graeme Buchanan
Deputy Secretary – Legal
Department of Labour

LEGISLATION ADVISORY COMMITTEE WDLS SEMINAR : 3 APRIL 2006

POLICY LEGISLATION

How we approach a Policy/Legislative Exercise

• It’s a Project
• We must Project Manage it!
• The product will be like a contract with a
• large part of NZ’s population!

POLICY LEGISLATION

Working together

• Both lawyers and policy advisers
• Joint project team
• We allocate leadership responsibility
• We have single point liaison
• We get team together early
• We set clear expectations

POLICY LEGISLATION

Project Management

• We plan/map out structure of exercise
• We plan/map out components/issues
• We allocate responsibilities
• We set timeframes around milestones (next slide for details)
• We have procedures re LAC Guidelines

MUST BE REALISTIC!

POLICY LEGISLATION

Milestones (backwards!)

• Introduction to House
• Cabinet Approval
• Cab LEG
• Caucus Approval
• Political consultation
• PCO drafting time
• Preparation of drafting instructions
• Cabinet policy decisions
• Policy development processes

POLICY LEGISLATION

Developing the Policy

• Is legislation necessary (Ch.1, Guidelines)
• Applying the Guidelines (next presentation)
• Writing the Cabinet Papers

POLICY LEGISLATION

Preparing Instructions for PCO

• We put ourselves in PCO’s shoes
• We assemble relevant background material
• Drafting not necessary, but sometimes helps
• We always provide a narrative description

POLICY LEGISLATION

Managing the Draft Bill

• Work as a team still
• Agree on a feedback process with PCO
• Keep good records
• Map scenarios / reality test
• Policy Statement important too
• Commencement dates – achievable?

POLICY LEGISLATION

Cabinet Legislation Committee

• Not just a formality
• LEG paper asserts compliance with LAC Guidelines
• All that’s gone before therefore provides assurance for that statement

POLICY LEGISLATION
Managing a Bill through the House

• LAC Guidelines are still relevant
• Select Committee

• Committee of the Whole

• Standing Orders

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