Adequacy for producing reports

4.21 How is adequacy for the production of high quality, well researched and well documented reports to be tested? There are several variables and a complex interrelationship between time, scope and the team available. As outlined in the previous section of this background submission, the model is a consultative one, in which extensive community and stakeholder engagement is intrinsic to independent law reform.

4.22 Adequate staffing to achieve these objectives needs to factor in:

• the number of inquiries referred to the ALRC at any given time;
• the complexity of inquiries—given the scope of the Terms of Reference, the complexity of the law relevant to each inquiry and the number of legislative schemes to be considered;
• the time given to the ALRC to conduct each inquiry; and
• the number, complexity, and geographical spread of consultations the ALRC undertakes, given that the ALRC is a national body ; and
• the extent of research and analysis the ALRC undertakes.

4.23 The assessment of the adequacy of staffing needs to include consideration of both the research and writing team and the complementary inquiry team. Adequacy of resourcing also needs to factor in resources for research, the library and techology.

4.24 Historical information provides an illustration of the research and writing team necessary for to complete inquiries, which can be used as a guide to assessing adequacy of resourcing in the future. The aim is to provide a basis for consideration of what a core complement of ALRC staff should be. Adequate resources would then comprise at least the budget to support that staff complement.