Legislation

A bill is a proposal for a law or a change to an existing law - think of it as a draft law. A bill becomes a law once each House of Parliament agrees to identical versions of the bill and assent is given by the Governor-General. Every bill has three readings in each House of Parliament which are recorded in Hansard.

Bills will be introduced into the House of Parliament in which the member is sitting. If the responsible minister is sitting in the Assembly, the Bill will be introduced into the Assembly.  If the responsible minister is sitting in the Council, the Bill will be introduced into the Council. 

A Bill passes through several stages in Parliament before it becomes law (when it is called an Act or Statute). These stages are:

• 1st reading - This stage is a formal one where only the title of the Bill is read. There is little or no debate, and a date is set for the second reading.
• 2nd reading - The Minister or Member responsible for the Bill introduces it and explains its purpose.  This is known as the second reading speech. The second reading speech is a good source to find the policy background to the Bill. The broad principles of the Bill are then debated, sometimes over several days.
• Committee Stage - This stage involves a detailed examination of the Bill, clause by clause, either by the whole House, or by a standing or select committee of a few members.  The Bill may be amended during this stage, and is voted on clause by clause.
• 3rd reading - This stage is largely a formality.  The Bill is then sent to the other chamber, where the procedure outlined above is repeated.
• Royal Assent - Once the Bill has passed through both Houses of Parliament, it is sent to the Governor where it receives Royal Assent. It is now an Act. It may or may not come into force on Assent.

The text of the Bill is set out in much the same way as an Act. The provisions of a Bill are numbered and called clauses. Clauses may be further divided into sub-clauses and paragraphs.

For more information about bills, see: