Quebec
The impact of proposed laws is an issue of importance in several contexts, for many stakeholders. Much impact analysis is limited to subordinate legislation – apparently on the basis that it implements policies which have already been determined (simplifying the task of analysing alternatives). One jurisdiction to have devised a test for economic impact of proposed primary legislation is Quebec, Canada. We discuss this in our Legislation Newsletter #4 of April 2010.
Public consultation and law-making
Law-making in a democracy entails much more than the processing of draft laws by an elected Parliament. From early in the legislation cycle, public consultation should take place: the technique for consultation is affected by the point in the legislation cycle at which it occurs, but the need for consultation occurs through the cycle.
The phot
ograph to the right shows a training session being conducted in a village near to Waingapu, East Sumba, Indonesia in February 2008 during an Ausaid-funded training program (the IASTP program). Course participants, with assistance from Campbell Duncan, are interviewing local residents about simulated legislative policy proposals.
Our simulation was in relation to a proposed law.
Indonesians are perhaps more familiar with the concept of consulation about a law after it is made. There is a term for this - in Indonesian, socialisasi. Is this an indicator of a law making process gone off the rails, or, to mix metaphors, is consultation at this stage merely closing the gate after the horse has bolted? Not necessarily ... there will be more commentary about this soon.
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