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Basis for the harmonisation of legal systems
Justifications for harmonisation
Costs and potential disadvantages of harmonisation
The Committee’s view
Mechanisms for achieving harmonisation of legal systems
Harmonisation within Australia
Harmonisation between Australia and New Zealand
Fora for pursuing harmonisation of legal systems
Harmonisation within Australia
Harmonisation between Australia and New Zealand
2.1 | This Chapter considers the basis for the harmonisation of legal systems and provides an overview of the main mechanisms and fora for harmonisation. |
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Basis for the harmonisation of legal systems |
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Justifications for harmonisation |
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2.2 | A number of broad justifications for pursuing legal harmonisation within Australia and between Australia and New Zealand were advanced in evidence to the inquiry. Major justifications include:
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2.3 | A number of examples of actual costs resulting from a lack of regulatory harmonisation were provided to the Committee . In its submission the Business Council of Australia (BCA) cited three broad cost estimates relating to multiple and overlapping laws:7
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2.4 | The BCA also referred the Committee to Attachment A of its 2005 submission to the Taskforce on Reducing the Regulatory Burden on Business, which provides four other examples of actual costs incurred by businesses as a result of regulatory overlap.9 |
2.5 | The Science Industry Action Agenda (SIAA), a collaboration between the science industry and the Australian Government with the aim of assisting the growth of the industry,10 provided some examples of aggregate cost imposts for small-to-medium-sized enterprises ( SM Es) in the science industry resulting from regulatory duplication or overlap. These are as follows:
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2.6 | The SIAA informed the Committee that these cost imposts were measured by applying an hourly rate to time spent on compliance and that registration fees were also taken into account.12 |
2.7 | The Fundraising Institute – Australia Ltd (FIA), the peak national body for the not-for-profit fundraising sector in Australia, indicated that its member fundraising organisations can incur compliance costs of up to a full-time staff member salary or more due to regulatory duplication.13 |
2.8 | The Department of the Treasury (Treasury) informed the Committee that regulatory differentiation between Australia and New Zealand results in Australian companies incurring average costs of between $10 000 and $30 000 in providing securities prospectuses to potential investors in New Zealand. Treasury also indicated that estimated future compliance costs for Australian banks of developing stand-alone systems (particularly information technology platforms) in New Zealand may range between NZ$15 million and NZ$30 million per bank, with estimated ongoing annual costs of between NZ$15 million and NZ$20 million.14 |
2.9 | The potential benefits of harmonisation entail the amelioration or removal of the adverse effects noted at paragraph 2.2 above, for example greater certainty for business along with reduced costs and difficulties; greater certainty and consistency for individuals across jurisdictions; fewer comparative disadvantages; and more effective, streamlined regulation. The Committee notes with interest some recent broad estimates of governance costs that could be saved if duplication between the Commonwealth and the States/Territories was reduced or eliminated:
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2.10 | The Committee was also informed that harmonisation can increase the potential for growth and opportunity in industry, trade and business. The Committee was informed by the SIAA, for example, that the current annual growth rate of 10 per cent of the Australian science industry:
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2.11 | The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) stated that ‘…greater harmonisation [between Australia and New Zealand] has the potential to further increase the annual growth rate in trade’ between the two countries.18 |
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Costs and potential disadvantages of harmonisation |
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2.12 | It is important to note that there are also costs and potential disadvantages of legal harmonisation. To begin with, the institution of measures to achieve legal harmonisation involves considerable costs for governments. Developing and introducing legislation, particularly national legislation covering a range of matters, is a significant undertaking requiring substantial resources, potentially over a period of years. Added to this are the ongoing costs of administration once a new legislative regime is established, particularly if the creation of new regulatory agencies is required.19 Further, new legislative regimes designed to reduce duplication and costs can impose new compliance costs on industry and business, at least in the short term. |
2.13 | Some of the potential disadvantages to legal harmonisation identified in the evidence include:
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2.14 | One other possible disadvantage of harmonisation, identified by the Litigation Law & Practice Committee of the Law Society of New South Wales (LSNSW), was the potential for Commonwealth-led harmonisation to be perceived as an attempt to extend the Commonwealth’s regulatory reach by stealth:
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The Committee ’s view |
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2.15 | It is clear that, as a general proposition, regulatory inconsistency, multiple layers of regulation, regulatory duplication, or regulatory complexity can add to the operational costs of businesses and other organisations. This impact was routinely cited in evidence to the inquiry, and the Committee is aware that cost imposts cannot always be precisely quantified (or necessarily expressed in dollar terms). It was also clear to the Committee from the evidence – particularly from the examples of absurd situations noted at the beginning of this report27 – that the range of other adverse effects set out at paragraph 2.2 above can also result from a lack of harmonisation. |
2.16 | The Committee also accepts the general proposition that legal harmonisation can result in significant benefits such as the easing of compliance cost imposts and more effective regulation. The Committee is conscious too that, just as the costs resulting from a lack of harmonisation cannot always be precisely quantified, the benefits may not always be exactly measurable or immediate.28 |
2.17 | These propositions aside, however, the Committee acknowledges that legal harmonisation measures involve significant costs, and that there are a number of potential drawbacks to going down the harmonisation path. It is also worthwhile to make what is perhaps an obvious point: the mere existence of differences between laws will not always mean that harmonisation of those laws is necessary or even desirable. In its submission, the New Zealand Government (NZG) noted that:
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2.18 | The Committee agrees with this, not only in the context of the Australia-New Zealand relationship, but also in the context of the relationships among the governments of the Australian federation. Ultimately, the question of whether to harmonise or not to harmonise should be approached on a case-by-case basis and will always require a careful evaluation of the need, potential benefits, costs, and potential disadvantages. No single formula seeking to prescribe the appropriate conditions for legal harmonisation will be adequate for all situations, and the mechanism of harmonisation to be employed will also depend upon the particular circumstances at hand. |
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Mechanisms for achieving harmonisation of legal systems |
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Harmonisation within Australia |
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2.19 | The main mechanisms by which legal harmonisation can be facilitated or achieved within Australia include:
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High Court judicial interpretation |
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2.20 | The Committee notes that harmonisation or standardisation of laws has been facilitated in Australia by High Court interpretation of the Constitution. In a number of landmark decisions since Federation, the High Court has affirmed and/or augmented the scope of Commonwealth legislative competence, thus legitimising Commonwealth establishment of national legislative regimes. While of course there have also been High Court cases tending in the other direction, it has been suggested that ‘…the High Court is more or less consistently pro-Commonwealth’.30 |
2.21 | One of the most significant cases in this context is Amalgamated Society of Engineers v Adelaide Steamship Co Ltd (1920) 28 CLR 129 (the Engineers case). The Engineers case concerned industrial proceedings brought by a union against a collection of employers (including the Western Australian Government). In its decision the High Court indicated that the Commonwealth’s legislative competence as set out in the Constitution was binding on the States and subject only to limitations also expressed in the Constitution:
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2.22 | In applying these principles to the section of the Constitution in issue (s. 51(xxxv)), the Court held that:
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2.23 | The Engineers case affirmed the ability of the Commonwealth to bind the States and impose national laws where the Constitution so provided, subject to constitutional limitations. Other landmark High Court cases that have affirmed and/or augmented the scope of Commonwealth legislative competence include:
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High Court declaration of a single Australian common law |
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2.24 | The Committee also notes that the High Court has clearly indicated that the common law in Australia is harmonised, in the sense that there is a single Australian common law as opposed to separate systems of common law according to jurisdictional boundaries. In David Russell Lange v Australian Broadcasting C orporation (1997) 189 CLR 520 the Court stated that:
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2.25 | The Court has affirmed this position in subsequent judgments, for example in Lipohar v The Queen; Winfield v The Queen (1999) 200 CLR 485 where the Court stated that ‘…there is but one common law, not as many as there are bodies politic’,35 and in Roberts v Bass (2002) 212 CLR 1 where Kirby J stated that ‘…there is but one common law in Australia’.36 |
Model legislation |
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2.26 | The model – or template – legislation mechanism of harmonisation involves the enactment of identical legislation on a given matter by each of the various jurisdictions, resulting in separate but consistent regimes. The model legislation can be developed by one jurisdiction or cooperatively by a number of jurisdictions. One example of the mechanism is the current National Legal Profession project, developed by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) and expected to be fully implemented in all States and Territories in 2006.37 The Attorney-General’s Department (AGD) indicated that the National Legal Profession project involves a set of model laws supported by a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) agreed to by every Australian jurisdiction:
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2.27 | Another example of the model legislation mechanism is the final version of the uniform defamation laws project. In late 2004 the States and Territories advanced a proposal for uniform defamation laws involving the introduction of model legislation throughout Australia . The model laws are underpinned by an intergovernmental agreement and full implementation of the project is expected in 2006.39 |
Advantages and disadvantages |
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2.28 | One advantage of the model legislation mechanism of legal harmonisation is that it avoids certain limitations of cooperative legislative schemes (noted at paragraphs 2.41 – 2.45 below). It can also theoretically achieve a high level of consistency due to the adoption of identical legislation across the board. The main weakness of the mechanism, however, is the potential for divergence due to amendment of the model legislation by individual jurisdictions, both at the initial enactment stage and over time.40 The AGD stated that:
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2.29 | One other disadvantage of the model legislation mechanism that was noted in the evidence is ‘…costly duplication of administering bodies’42 due to the processes associated with multiple regimes. |
Referral of powers to the Commonwealth by the States |
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2.30 | The referral of powers mechanism of harmonisation involves a State or States referring a matter to the Commonwealth for Commonwealth legislation according to subsection 51(xxxvii) of the Constitution. Subsection 51(xxxvii) provides as follows:
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2.31 | Once referral of a matter has taken place, the Commonwealth can proceed to enact legislation on that matter which then applies to the referring jurisdictions and to those which subsequently adopt it. One example of the referral of powers mechanism is the current corporations law scheme as embodied by the Commonwealth Corporations Act 2001 and Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001. This scheme involved an initial referral from the States providing the Commonwealth with the power to enact the legislation, and a second referral enabling Commonwealth amendment of the legislation in certain areas.43 The referral was self-limited, being specified to end after five years unless extended; in 2005 an extension of the referral for a further five years was agreed by the Commonwealth and the States.44 |
Advantages and disadvantages |
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2.32 | Perhaps the main advantage of the referral of powers mechanism of legal harmonisation is its simplicity. Once a referral has been made by the jurisdictions, the Commonwealth is able to enact legislation on the referred matter with wide application, thus eliminating the need for multiple regulatory regimes. The AGD noted that:
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2.33 | Another advantage of the referral of powers mechanism is that, as with model legislation, it avoids certain limitations of cooperative legislative schemes (noted at paragraphs 2.41 – 2.45 below).46 The main drawback of the mechanism, however, is that the validity of the Commonwealth legislation on a referred matter will always depend upon the continuation of the underpinning referral from the States.47 Maintaining an ongoing referral may become particularly important once the Commonwealth legislation has been in place for some time and is well-understood by those to whom it applies. |
2.34 | In his submission, Dr Simon Evans identified a number of other disadvantages that can reduce the effectiveness of the referral of powers mechanism:
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Cooperative legislative schemes |
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2.35 | The two main cooperative legislative schemes are applied legislation and complementary legislation. |
Applied legislation |
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2.36 | The applied legislation mechanism of harmonisation involves one jurisdiction enacting legislation on a given matter (for example the Commonwealth enacting legislation for one of the Territories) which is then applied by other jurisdictions. This mechanism was used to implement the national corporations law scheme between 1991 and 2001. The Commonwealth enacted corporations legislation for the Australian Capital Territory which was then applied independently in each of the other jurisdictions by virtue of their own legislation. Amendments made to the Commonwealth corporations legislation were automatically operative in the other jurisdictions.49 |
Complementary legislation |
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2.37 | The complementary legislation mechanism of harmonisation involves the Commonwealth establishing a national regulator with respect to a given matter together with complementary legislation enacted by the other jurisdictions to furnish the regulator with the necessary ‘…powers with respect to State matters’.50 The result is a national regulation scheme on the matter in question. Examples of the complementary legislation mechanism include the current gene technology regulation scheme (established by the Commonwealth Gene Technology Act 2000 and associated State/Territory laws) and the human embryo research regulation scheme (established by the Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2003 and associated State/Territory laws).51 |
Advantages and disadvantages |
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2.38 | Professor George Williams submitted that the applied legislation mechanism of legal harmonisation is:
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2.39 | The Committee was informed by the AGD that the complementary legislation mechanism is also advantageous because the national regulator can operate effectively:
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2.40 | Dr Simon Evans suggested in his submission to the inquiry that the complementary legislation mechanism ‘…provides a much higher level of uniformity across Australia ’s legal systems’.54 |
2.41 | The main disadvantages of cooperative legislative schemes are certain constitutional limitations that have been identified by the High Court in two cases: Re Wa kim ; Ex parte McNally (1999) 198 CLR 511, and R v Hughes (2000) 202 CLR 535. In the Re Wa kim decision, the Court:
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2.42 | After Re Wa kim the Commonwealth enacted the Jurisdiction of Courts Legislation Act 2000 to ‘…restore jurisdiction in the limited area of review of decisions of Commonwealth officers under co-operative schemes’,56 and the States also enacted legislation to ‘…validate past decisions of federal courts made in reliance on cross-vested State jurisdiction’.57 |
2.43 | In the R v Hughes decision, the High Court:
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2.44 | After R v Hughes , a new corporations law scheme was established by virtue of a referral of powers to the Commonwealth by the States (see paragraph 2.31 above). Legislative measures were also taken to ‘…reduce the Hughes risk’59 for various other cooperative schemes and to validate, under State law, Commonwealth actions and decisions taken under schemes. |
2.45 | Despite the remedial action taken in the wake of the Re Wa kim and R v Hughes decisions, the constitutional limitations to cooperative legislative schemes identified by the High Court still remain. The AGD stated in its submission that the limitations ‘…are technical and, in many cases, need not present a permanent impediment to cooperation, harmonisation or uniformity’.60 The Department also noted, however, that the limitations may ‘…significantly contribute to the complexity of a scheme’.61 Professor George Williams submitted that:
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2.46 | In order to resolve the limitations identified in the Re Wa kim and R v Hughes decisions comprehensively an amendment to the Constitution would be necessary. |
Constitutional amendment |
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2.47 | A constitutional amendment to resolve the limitations identified in the Re Wa kim and R v Hughes decisions was advocated by Professor George Williams in his evidence to the inquiry. Professor Williams submitted that:
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2.48 | Professor Williams stated that the ‘…actual amendment to the Constitution could be straightforward’, ‘…need not transfer any power from the States to the Commonwealth’,64 and should contain the following provisions:
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2.49 | The AGD, while acknowledging the possibility of a constitutional amendment to resolve the limitations identified in Re Wa kim and R v Hughes ,66 also sounded a note of caution in relation to the prospects for success of a proposal to amend the Constitution in this way:
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2.50 | The Department also noted that the 1984 referendum proposing an amendment to ‘…confirm the Commonwealth’s constitutional power to participate in co-operative legislative schemes’68 did not succeed, and that a successful constitutional amendment:
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2.51 | The Committee notes however that the referral of powers mechanism under subsection 51(xxxvii) of the Constitution has its own drawbacks (set out at paragraphs 2.33 – 2.34 above). |
2.52 | The possibility of a constitutional amendment to resolve the limitations identified in the Re Wa kim and R v Hughes decisions also attracted comment elsewhere in the evidence to the inquiry. The Queensland Attorney-General, for example, expressed strong support for such an amendment,70 whereas the LSNSW suggested that an amendment would be little more than a ‘bandaid’ and that a thorough re-examination of the whole Constitution is required.71 |
2.53 | The Committee supports the idea of a constitutional amendment to resolve the limitations to cooperative legislative schemes identified by the High Court in the Re Wa kim and R v Hughes decisions. Given the importance of intergovernmental cooperation in Australia ’s federal system, there should not be a constitutional obstacle to legislative harmonisation at such a crucial and fundamental level as between the Commonwealth and the States and Territories, either now or in the future. The avenues for cooperation between the jurisdictions should be preserved rather than impeded, particularly in the case of matters requiring a national approach. As Professor Williams stated:
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2.54 | A constitutional amendment to remove the Re Wa kim and R v Hughes limitations would enable the full use of cooperative schemes which are workable and can achieve a high level of legal harmonisation among the jurisdictions. |
2.55 | At the same time, the Committee is mindful of the very real issues that confront referenda proposing constitutional amendment. They are most expensive to mount and have a poor success rate (only 8 of the 44 referenda for constitutional amendment since Federation have been successful). It is also quite possible, as the AGD noted, that a proposal to amend the constitution to facilitate cooperative legislative schemes may not attract the requisite support due to the technical nature of the matter. Professor Williams , however, suggested that this factor would actually work in favour of obtaining support for such a proposal:
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2.56 | The Committee was interested to learn from the Queensland Attorney-General and the Treasury that the issue of a constitutional amendment to facilitate cooperative legislative schemes is currently being considered by SCAG.74 Treasury indicated that:
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2.57 | The Committee was also informed that, as far back as March 2002, SCAG agreed that Commonwealth and State officials would develop text for a constitutional amendment to resolve the limitations identified in the Re Wakim and R v Hughes decisions.76 |
2.58 | It is clear, then, that a constitutional amendment has been identified by the Australian Government as a possible measure. The Committee considers that four years has been ample time for preparatory work on this amendment, and that the time has come for the matter to be accorded a higher priority and taken forward. The Committee is also of the view that it would be advantageous for the Australian Government to draft the amendment sufficiently generally so as to encompass the broadest possible range of cooperative legislative schemes. This would provide some degree of protection against unforeseen constitutional obstacles for future cooperative arrangements, and would also be prudent given the expense and effort involved in mounting referenda. |
2.59 | The Committee is also of the view that a dedicated and wide-ranging consultation and education process will need to precede any referendum that is eventually held on this matter in order to maximise its chances of success, and that any referendum on the matter should be held at the same time as a federal election. |
2.60 | Recommendation 1
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Harmonisation between Australia and New Zealand |
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2.61 | The AGD noted that:
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2.62 | The NZG identified four main mechanisms for achieving legal harmonisation between Australia and New Zealand :
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2.63 | The central overarching trade agreement between Australia and New Zealand is the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Trade Agreement (CER) of 1983, under which a number of other agreements and arrangements exist.80 |
2.64 | The Committee was informed that there are a number of harmonisation arrangements already in place or in development between Australia and New Zealand . Some examples include:
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2.65 | The Committee was also informed that there are a number of coordination and cooperation arrangements in place between Australia and New Zealand such as the following:
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2.66 | As some of these examples indicate, coordination and cooperation arrangements between Australia and New Zealand can involve or lead to formal legal harmonisation, for example the Memorandum of Understanding Between the Government of New Zealand and the Government of Australia on Coordination of Business Law and the Trans-Tasman Mutual Recognition Arrangement.87 The NZG also noted a number of cooperative techniques for achieving greater coordination, for example cooperation between regulators (information sharing, assistance in evidence-gathering, cross-appointment of members), joint research, analysis, and policy development, and cooperation in regional and multilateral fora.88 |
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Fora for pursuing harmonisation of legal systems |
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Harmonisation within Australia |
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2.67 | The main fora for pursuing legal harmonisation within Australia are the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) and the various ministerial councils. COAG is the senior intergovernmental forum within Australia and comprises the Prime Minister, State Premiers, Territory Chief Ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association. COAG deals with policy issues of national import including National Competition Policy arrangements.89 |
2.68 | The ministerial councils comprise relevant ministers from each government, including ministers from the NZG when matters affecting New Zealand are considered. The AGD informed the Committee that:
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2.69 | The ministerial councils also supervise the implementation of policy decisions agreed by COAG. Examples of ministerial councils dealing with matters relevant to the inquiry include:
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Harmonisation between Australia and New Zealand |
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2.70 | The main fora that can be utilised for pursuing legal harmonisation between Australia and New Zealand are:
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2.71 | The NZG further noted that ‘informal discussions between Ministers and officials in the context of unilateral reforms’ and ‘cooperation in regional and multilateral fora’ also take place.96 |
1 | See for example the Business Council of Australia (BCA), Submission No. 16, section 2; Mr Steven Münchenberg , BCA, Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , p. 67; Screenrights, Submission No. 17, paras. 8-12, 15; Tortoise Technologies Pty Ltd, Submission No. 4, p. 2; Australian Finance Conference, Submission No. 5, pp. 1-2; Telstra Corporation Ltd (Telstra), Submission No. 7, pp. 5-6; Fundraising Institute – Australia Ltd, Submission No. 9, pp. 8-10; Science Industry Action Agenda (SIAA), Submission No. 14, p. 4; Dr Terry Spencer, SIAA, Transcript of Evidence, 21 March 2006, pp. 22-23; Property Law Reform Alliance, Submission No. 15, p. 2; Australian Self-Medication Industry, Submission No. 20, p. 11; Department of the Treasury, Submission No. 21.2, p. 6; Mr Ray Steinwall, Submission No. 22, p. 7; New Zealand Government, Submission No. 23, pp. 4-5; Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Submission No. 28, p. 4; Mrs June McPhie, Law Society of NSW (LSNSW), Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006, p. 36. Back |
2 | Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, p. 3. Back |
3 | For example in the area of power of attorney (Ms Susan Cochrane, Submission No. 12, pp. 2-3; Mrs June McPhie, LSNSW, Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006, pp. 32-33), and real estate transactions (Property Law Reform Alliance, Submission No. 15, p. 2; Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, Submission No. 29, p. 3). See also Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, pp. 29-31. Back |
4 | Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, p. 3. Back |
5 | For example in the areas of copyright (Viscopy, Submission No. 1, pp. 3-7; Screenrights, Submission No. 17, paras. 12-23), real estate transactions (Realty Conveyancing Services, Submission No. 8, p. 1; Australian Institute of Conveyancers Vic Division Inc, Submission No. 24, pp. 1-2), and the science industry (Science Industry Action Agenda, Submission No. 14, pp. 4). Back |
6 | New Zealand Government, Submission No. 23, p. 5. Back |
7 | BCA, Submission No. 16, section 2. Back |
8 | BCA citing Drummond M L, ‘Costing Constitutional Change: estimating the Costs of Five Variations on Australia ’s Federal System’, Australian Journal of Public Administration 61(4), December 2002, pp.43-56 . This figure was also cited by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics, Finance and Public Administration in its 2003 report Rates and Taxes: A Fair Share for Responsible Local Government, p. 140. This report can be accessed at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/efpa/localgovt/report.htm. Back |
9 | ‘Submission to the Taskforce on Reducing the Regulatory Burden on Business: Attachment A – Specific Regulatory Issues’, pp. 9, 17-18, 48 and 67. This document can be accessed at: www.bca.com.au/content.asp?newsID=97547. Back |
10 | SIAA, Submission No. 14, p. 2. Back |
11 | Dr Terry Spencer , SIAA, Transcript of Evidence, 21 March 2006 , pp. 22-23. The first two examples were originally set out in the SIAA’s December 2005 ‘Supplementary Submission to the Regulation Taskforce’ ( accessible at: http://www.scienceindustry.com.au/pages/suppl_sub.asp ). The SIAA also indicated that science industry SM Es employ in the range of 10-30 people and that the industry is ‘…primarily composed of SMEs’: see Dr Terry Spencer , SIAA, Transcript of Evidence, 21 March 2006 , p. 22, and Submission No. 14.1, p. 4 of 7. Back |
12 | Dr Terry Spencer , SIAA, Transcript of Evidence, 21 March 2006 , pp. 23-24. Back |
13 | Mr Andrew Markwell , FIA, Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , p. 47. Back |
14 | Treasury, Submission No. 21.2, p. 6. Treasury indicated however that recently announced legislative measures to bring about mutual support between the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Reserve Bank of New Zealand will ‘ameliorate costs to banks’: p. 6. Back |
15 | Griffith University Federalism Project, Reform of Australia’s Federal System, p. 23 citing Drummond M L, “Costing constitutional change: Estimating the cost of five variations on Australia 's federal system.” Australian Journal of Public Administration 61(4), December 2002, pp. 43-56. This document is available at: http://www.griffith.edu.au/centre/slrc/federalism/. Back |
16 | Oral evidence by Mr George Toemoe to the inquiry into Health Funding by the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health and Ageing, Transcript of Evidence, 24 August 2005, p. 23. This document can be accessed at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/haa/healthfunding/hearings.htm. Back |
17 | SIAA, Submission No. 14.1, p. 3 of 7. Back |
18 | DFAT, Submission No. 28.1, p. 2. Back |
19 | The New Zealand Government also noted that similar development and administration costs exist in relation to coordination mechanisms: see Submission No. 23, p. 5. Back |
20 | For example constitutional amendment (see Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, pp. 7-8; Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 2). Back |
21 | BCA, Submission No. 16, section 4; Justice Kevin Lindgren, Exhibit 33, p. 4. Back |
22 | BCA, Submission No. 16, section 4. Back |
23 | Mr Ray Steinwall , Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , p. 27; New Zealand Government, Submission No. 23, p. 14. Back |
24 | BCA, Submission No. 16, section 4. Back |
25 | Mr Michael Ferguson MP and the Hon Duncan Kerr SC MP, Transcript of Evidence, 21 March 2006 , p. 19. See also New Zealand Government, Submission No. 23, p. 5. Back |
26 | LSNSW, Submission No. 10, p. 4. The Western Australian and Queensland Attorneys-General raised the issue of the Commonwealth overriding State laws: see Western Australian Attorney-General, the Hon Jim McGinty MLA, Submission No. 18, p. 2; Queensland Attorney-General, the Hon Rod Welford MP, Submission No. 19, p. 1 and the Hon Linda Lavarch MP, Submission No. 19.1, p. 2. Back |
27 | See pp. vii-viii above. Back |
28 | Treasury, for example, indicated that ‘Initiatives which extend harmonisation may not always translate directly into increased flows of trade in goods between Australia and NZ’, but also that ‘…reducing costs through harmonisation can increase cross-border investment flows – which have the potential to enhance capital deepening and domestic growth’: Submission No. 21.2, p. 7. Back |
29 | NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 2, 6. Back |
30 | Craven G, ‘The States–Decline, Fall or What?’ in Gregory Craven (ed), Australian Federation: Towards the Second Century, 1992, p. 56. Back |
31 | Per Isaacs J. The text of the Engineers case can be accessed at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1920/54.html. Back |
32 | Per Isaacs J. Back |
33 | Per Barwick CJ. The text of the Concrete Pipes case can be accessed at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1971/40.html. Back |
34 | The text of the case can be accessed at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1997/25.html. Back |
35 | Per Gaudron, Gummow and Hayne JJ. The text of the case can be accessed at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/1999/65.html. Back |
36 | The text of Roberts v Bass can be accessed at: http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/cases/cth/HCA/2002/57.html. Back |
37 | See Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, pp. 6, 27-28 and Submission No. 26.1, p. 7. Back |
38 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 27. The National Legal Profession project is considered further in Chapter 4. Back |
39 | AGD, Submission No. 26, pp. 28-29 and Submission No. 26.1, p. 7. The uniform defamation laws project is considered further in Chapter 4. Back |
40 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 2; Dr Simon Evans , Submission No. 31, p. 2. Back |
41 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 6. Back |
42 | Dr Simon Evans , Submission No. 31, p. 2. Back |
43 | The formation of corporations, corporate regulation, and the regulation of financial products and services. The referral is supported by an intergovernmental agreement (the Corporations Agreement) which requires the agreement of the States for certain types of amendments by the Commonwealth and consultation for others: see AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 7. Back |
44 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 7. Back |
45 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 7. Back |
46 | See AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 7. Back |
47 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 2. Back |
48 | See Dr Simon Evans , Submission No. 31, p. 2. Back |
49 | See Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, p. 4. Back |
50 | Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, p. 4. Back |
51 | See Attorney-General’s Department, Submission No. 26, p. 4. Back |
52 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 2. Back |
53 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 4. Back |
54 | Dr Simon Evans , Submission No. 31, p. 2. Back |
55 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 5. Back |
56 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 5. Back |
57 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 5. Back |
58 | AGD, Submission No. 26, pp. 5-6. Back |
59 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 6. Back |
60 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 5. Back |
61 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 5. Back |
62 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 2. Back |
63 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 2. Back |
64 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 3. Back |
65 | Professor George Williams , Submission No. 2, p. 3. Professor Williams noted that the first of these provisions ‘…matches that recommended by the Constitutional Commission in 1988’: Submission No. 2, p. 3. Back |
66 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 7. Back |
67 | AGD, Submission No. 26, pp. 7-8. Dr Simon Evans agreed that the amendment contemplated by Professor Williams ‘…would remove many of the constitutional impediments to effective cooperative federalism’ but also submitted that ‘…constitutional reform in this area is not likely even in the medium term’: Submission No. 31, p. 3. Back |
68 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 8. Back |
69 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 8. Back |
70 | Queensland Attorney-General, the Hon Rod Welford MP, Submission No. 19, pp. 5, 6 and the Hon Linda Lavarch MP, Submission No. 19.1, p. 2. In-principle support was also expressed by the BCA; see Mr Steven Münchenberg, BCA, Transcript of Evidence 6 April 2006 , p. 69. Back |
71 | Mr Ian Tunstall , LSNSW, Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , p. 34. Back |
72 | Professor George Williams , Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , pp. 77, 78. Back |
73 | Professor George Williams , Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , pp. 77-78. Professor Williams also drew a parallel between the possible amendment and the uncontroversial proposals that succeeded in the referenda of 1967 and 1977: p. 78. Back |
74 | Queensland Attorney-General, the Hon Rod Welford MP, Submission No. 19, p. 5 and the Hon Linda Lavarch MP, Submission No. 19.1, p. 2; Treasury, Submission No. 21.1, p. 5 and Submission No. 21.2, p. 9. Back |
75 | Treasury, Submission No. 21.2, p. 9. Back |
76 | Queensland Attorney-General, the Hon Rod Welford MP, Submission No. 19, p. 5. Professor Williams stated that the constitutional amendment as been ‘…on the agenda as an item at SCAG since 2002; it just has not moved anywhere’: Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006 , p. 81. Back |
77 | AGD, Submission No. 26, p. 8. The AGD noted that the States and Territories are involved in the treaty-making process: Submission No. 26, p. 8. Back |
78 | DFAT also noted that the creation of a ‘…regulatory body which regulates both jurisdictions and which has essentially the same rules and regulations applying in both Australia and New Zealand ’ can be a mechanism of legal harmonisation: Submission No. 28, p. 4. Back |
79 | NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 13-15. Back |
80 | Telstra registered a concern with the Committee that the CER ‘…does not appear to have kept pace with other international agreements. Telcos are a clear example here’: Dr Tony Warren , Telstra, Transcript of Evidence, 6 April 2006, p. 2. The Committee notes that, as at November 2006, the CER is under review by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. Further information is available at: http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jfadt/nz_cer/index.htm. Back |
81 | HE Mrs Kate Lackey , NZG, Transcript of Evidence 21 March 2006 , p. 44. See also NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 18-19. Back |
82 | See NZG, Submission No. 23, p. 7. Back |
83 | DFAT, Submission No. 28, p. 5 (Attachment A). See also NZG, Submission No. 23, p. 7. Back |
84 | See Treasury, Submission No. 21.1, pp. 6-13 and NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 7, 10. Back |
85 | Treasury, Submission No. 21.1, p. 12; see also NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 7, 8-9. Back |
86 | DFAT, Submission No. 28, p. 2. Back |
87 | DFAT noted that ‘…mutual recognition of each jurisdiction’s processes and standards… is often linked to the harmonisation of laws, standards, and regulations to the greatest extent possible’: Submission No. 28, p. 4. Back |
88 | See NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 12-13. Back |
89 | More information on COAG can be found at: http://www.coag.gov.au/about.htm. Back |
90 | AGD, Submission No. 26, pp. 8-9. Back |
91 | A full list of the ministerial councils can be found at: http://www.coag.gov.au/ministerial_councils.htm. Back |
92 | AGD, Submission No. 26, pp. 9-10; see also NZG, Submission No. 23, pp. 17-18. Back |
93 | Treasury, Submission No. 21.1, p. 8; see also NZG, Submission No. 23, p. 16. Back |
94 | Treasury, Submission No. 21.1, p. 11; NZG, Submission No. 23, p. 16. Back |
95 | NZG, Submission No. 23, p. 15. Back |
96 | NZG, Submission No. 23, p. 15. Back |
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