The Office of Parliamentary Counsel (OPC) is established under the Parliamentary Counsel Act 1970.
Our functions include:
- drafting proposed laws for introduction into the Parliament
- drafting amendments of proposed laws that are being considered by the Parliament
- drafting subordinate legislation such as regulations, proclamations and other legislative instruments
- preparing compilations and reprints of Commonwealth laws
- publishing:
- laws, and proposed laws, of the Commonwealth
- compilations and reprints of Commonwealth laws
- information relating to Commonwealth laws
- preparing and publishing Government Notices Gazettes
- maintaining the Federal Register of Legislation
- promoting the legal effectiveness and clarity of legislation, including by providing advice and training in drafting matters
- other functions conferred on OPC or on the First Parliamentary Counsel under the Legislation Act 2003 and any other laws of the Commonwealth
- with Ministerial approval, providing assistance to foreign countries in relation to drafting, printing or publishing of their laws
Statement of Expectations and Statement of Intent
Ministerial Statements of Expectations are issued by the responsible minister to agencies within their portfolios. They provide greater clarity about government policies and objectives relevant to the agency, in line with its statutory functions. Statements of Expectation should also outline priorities the minister expects the agency to observe in carrying out its functions.
After an agency received a Statement of Expectation, the agency is required to respond with a “Statement of Intention”, which outlines how it will deliver on the Minister’s expectations.
The Attorney-General and the Assistant Minister to the Attorney-General jointly issued a Statement of Expectation on 9 October 2024. OPC’s Statement of Intent was given on 22 October 2024.
The Statement of Expectations, and Statement of Intent, can be found on our Corporate Reporting page.