Outcome report

The Australian Law Reform Commission’s outcome is:

Informed government decisions about the development, reform and harmonisation of Australian laws and related processes through research, analysis, reports and community consultation and education.

In delivering this outcome, the ALRC provides evidence-based reports that outline recommendations for law reform to contribute to an equitable and accessible system of federal justice and the harmonisation of Australia’s laws and practices. In this way, the ALRC contributes to the Attorney-General’s mission—achieving a just and secure society.

The ALRC has one program to achieve its outcome:

Conducting inquiries into aspects of Australian law and related processes for the purpose of law reform.

It is through the inquiry process that the ALRC is able to undertake the research and analysis that underpins recommendations for law reform and provides the basis for informed government decisions.

The ALRC typically has two inquiries in progress at any one time and, with staggered timelines that reflect available resources, completes at least one inquiry each year.

As required by the ALRC Act, the ALRC has regard to: relevant international obligations; the potential impact of its recommendations on the costs of getting access to and dispensing justice; personal rights and liberties; ensuring that citizens are not unduly dependent on administrative rather than judicial decisions. As ALRC recommendations must represent international best practice, the ALRC also engages with other law reform and expert bodies internationally to share information and ideas and to benchmark ALRC practices and procedures.

ALRC staff speak at conferences, seminars and meetings of professional and community groups about the work of the ALRC, specific inquiries and law reform processes generally, and will engage in other consultative and educational activities relating to ALRC Inquiry work.

Where the ALRC has made relevant recommendations or has acquired special expertise or experience, it also makes submissions to inquiries on law reform issues undertaken by other bodies, especially Parliamentary Committees. ALRC submissions to external inquiries are published on the ALRC website and are listed in the Report in Appendix K.

‘Once again the Australian Law Reform Commission has made an important contribution to our collective thinking on an issue of national importance.’ The Hon Mark Dreyfus, Attorney-General