Law Reform in Australia
Australia's first law reform commission was established in New South Wales in 1967. This was followed by Queensland in 1968, the Australian Capital Territory (1971), Western Australia (1972), Tasmania (1974), Australia (1975) and Victoria (1984).
South Australia and the Northern Territory have never had standing law reform commissions.
Reflecting the international trend, several Australian law reform commissions were abolished or restructured during the 1980s and early 1990s:
- The Australian Capital Territory Law Reform Commission was abolished in 1976.
- The South Australian Law Reform Committee was abolished in 1987.
- The Tasmanian Law Reform Commission was replaced by a single Commissioner working part-time in 1988.
- The Law Reform Commission of Victoria was abolished in 1992.
- The Western Australia Law Reform Commission was reviewed and restructured in 1995.
- The Australian Law Reform Commission was reviewed by a federal parliamentary committee in 1994.
- The Queensland Government reviewed the Queensland Law Reform Commission in 1997.
Many states have since re-introduced or retained their law reform organisations but often in altered form:
- The Western Australian Law Reform Commission now functions as a part-time organisation which contracts out the research and writing of its publications.
- The Australian Law Reform Commission was retained.
- The Queensland Law Reform Commission was retained.
- The Australian Law Reform Commission was responsible for the ACT until 1990.
- A Victorian law reform commission was re-established in 2000.