First Principles of Business Law
Sources of law: legislation
1. Introduction

1.3. An overview of the legislative process

 

 

 

The procedures outlined below are typical of Australian legislatures with bicameral legislatures (lower and upper houses).  It should be noted that, with some exceptions, proposals for new legislation can first be introduced into either House. The House into which new legislation is first introduced can be generally referred to as the 'House of Origin' and the House to which the legislation then proceeds as the 'House of Review'.

Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have unicameral legislatures with a Legislative Assembly but no upper house. In these legislatures, the procedure is modified by omitting the 'House of Review' stage.  

The diagram below shows the stages of the legislative process.  Click on each stage for more information.

The sequence of the legislative process

   1.  Proposals for new legislation
  2.  Procedure in the House of Origin
  3.  Procedure in the House of Review
  4.  Final stages before the Bill becomes operational as law
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