Her Majesty The Queen
The death of Her Majesty The Queen is a profoundly sad moment for the Commonwealth.
Her Majesty's life was one of extraordinary dedication and service and throughout her reign she enjoyed a long and enduring bond with people across the Commonwealth.
On behalf of CALC, I convey our sincere sorrow and deepest condolences to The King, The Queen Consort and all the Royal Family.
Andy Beattie, CALC President
Legislative responses to COVID-19
See the information table at this new page.
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Meredith Leigh appointed new First Parliamentary Counsel
Congratulations to Meredith Leigh on her appointment as the new First Parliamentary Counsel, Australian Government Office of Parliamentary Counsel.
Honours for 2 exceptional legislative drafters
CALC’s President, Geoff Lawn, says: “2 CALC members have been made a Dame Commander of the Order of the Bath in this year’s UK Queen’s Birthday Honours. These are our very own Brenda King, our Immediate Past President, and Elizabeth Gardiner, First Parliamentary Counsel in the UK OPC. This is such wonderful and well-deserved recognition of their many years of service, and it is great to see the work of legislative drafters recognised in this way. I have congratulated Brenda and Elizabeth on behalf of CALC.”
Congratulations to Peter Quiggin on his appointment as a Queen's Counsel
CALC members congratulate Peter Quiggin PSM on his appointment as a Queen's Counsel.
Hon Christian Porter MP, Attorney General for Australia, made the appointment announcement on 15 October 2020.
Mr Quiggin PSM is First Parliamentary Counsel, Office of Parliamentary Counsel. He has served as Australia’s First Parliamentary Counsel since 2004. Mr Quiggin was awarded a Public Service Medal in the 2008 Australia Day Honours List for outstanding public service in delivering the government's legislative agenda at a time of significant legislative change and in a number of critical areas.
Peter has also served as CALC's President from 2011 to 2017. As CALC members appreciate, Peter also showed outstanding leadership and service in that role.
Above is a recent photo of Peter with the banner that celebrates OPC’s 50th anniversary.
Pacific Toolkit: From policy to legislation
Congratulations to the Pacific Islands Law Officers' Network (PILON) and Australian Attorney-General's Department on launching this Toolkit.
The Toolkit is available for download here.
Coming up
CALC JAMAICA CONFERENCE 2024 – registration and call for papers now open!
CALC will meet again in Jamaica at the Ocean Eden Bay Hotel in Trelawny, Jamaica, from Monday 13 to Wednesday 15 May 2024.
CALC’s celebration of our 40th year concludes with our first full in-person Conference in 5 years. Following our hugely successful regional events held throughout 2023 in Europe, the Asia-Pacific and Africa, the next full CALC Conference will be held in the Americas region with a long overdue return to the Caribbean.
CALC members from every jurisdiction are invited and encouraged to attend and participate in a conference that will provide 3 days of learning, collaboration and networking opportunities at a gathering with colleagues from across the Commonwealth and beyond.
Delegates coming to Jamaica will also be able to experience the vibrant culture, thrilling adventures, breathtaking beaches and irresistible flavours of the local cuisine. If the vibes you crave are for regulations or reggae, or perhaps a bit of both, this conference will meet your expectations.
The conference is in-person only.
Registration
You can register for the conference here: REGISTER FOR CALC JAMAICA 2024.
The conference fee is $595 USD. This fee covers all days of the Conference, and the Gala Dinner on 14 May. There is an ‘early bird’ registration fee of $525 USD available for bookings and payments made by 29 February.
Delegates wishing to bring a guest to the Gala Dinner will be able to do so for $75 USD.
We strongly encourage members to register and book accommodation as early as possible. The “early bird” discounted registration fee of $525 USD will only apply until 29 February and special accommodation rates available at the conference hotel are limited.
We intend to leave registration open until 26 April 2024 but may need to curtail registration earlier if capacity limits are reached, in which case a reserve list will be available.
The conference fee is on the basis that delegates are staying at the Ocean Eden Bay Hotel (see below), which is an all-inclusive hotel. If delegates are not staying at the Ocean Eden Bay (or its sibling Hotel, the Ocean Coral Spring), a supplement of $95 USD is payable directly to the Ocean Eden Bay for each day at the conference venue.
If you have problems arranging payment online, please contact the CALC Treasurer, Annalee Murphy, at annalee.murphy@gov.scot.
Accommodation and other information
The Ocean Eden Bay is an all-inclusive hotel (that is, it includes meals and many activities). Delegates can book accommodation at the hotel at special rates. When you register the confirmation page will include a special booking link for delegates. We have secured a limited number of rooms at the special conference rates which will be available until 28 March 2024 or until the allocation is exhausted, whichever is earlier.
Further information about the conference, including information on travel and visas, is available in the Delegate Information.
Call for Papers
We are now seeking submissions for Conference papers. The Conference theme is “CALC at 40 - common challenges past, present and future”.
Papers should be relatively short, with successful submissions for individual presentations likely to be granted a slot of 15-20 minutes at the conference. Papers could alternatively suggest delivery of workshops or panel sessions.
If you wish to submit a paper, please send a short abstract of up to 250 words, and a short biography of up to 150 words, to message.calc@gmail.com, with the subject line “CALC – Submission for Jamaica Conference”.
The closing date for submissions is Friday 15 March 2024.
General meeting of CALC
As provided in CALC’s constitution, there will also be an ordinary general meeting of CALC at the conference in Jamaica, on 14 May.
Formal notice of the meeting will be given separately, and additional information will be circulated about nominating for positions on the next CALC Council, proposing motions for special resolutions and voting.
Commonwealth Cybercrime Journal - 2nd volume - call for papers
Not a conference, but a call for papers by the Commonwealth Secretariat for the second volume of the Commonwealth Cybercrime Journal (CCJ).
The CCJ is a peer reviewed journal featuring policy-influencing articles and commentary by academics, policymakers, practitioners and experts on the benefits, challenges, and risks of digital technologies.
See the full details in the call for papers, including dates and editorial information.
The first volume is also available: Commonwealth Cybercrime Journal, Volume 1, Issue 1
Past events
CALC Africa Conference 2023 - registration closing soon!
“The Future of Legislative Drafting in Africa – What lies ahead?”
When: 23-25 October 2023
Where: The Sarova Whitesands Hotel, Mombasa, Kenya
The Conference is being hosted by the Parliament of Kenya and the Office of the Attorney General for Kenya.
The conference fee is $250 USD. This covers all days of the Conference, and a Gala dinner on 24 October. The guest fee, for the Gala dinner only, is $50 USD.
You can register to attend the Conference here: REGISTER FOR CALC AFRICA 2023
Register closes on Friday 6 October. Please register promptly so conference bookings can be finalised. If you have problems arranging payment online, please contact the CALC Treasurer, Annalee Murphy, at annalee.murphy@gov.scot.
Further information about the conference, including information on accommodation, travel and visas, is available here: Delegate Information.
Call for Papers
We are still receiving submissions for Conference papers. The Conference theme is “The Future of Legislative Drafting in Africa – What lies ahead?”.
We would especially welcome papers on matters of particular interest to drafters working in African jurisdictions. Papers should be relatively short, with successful submissions for individual presentations likely to have a slot of 20 minutes at the conference. Papers could alternatively suggest delivery of workshops or panel sessions.
If you wish to submit a paper, please send a 100 word abstract, and a short biography, to Dr Johnson Okello at okothokello@yahoo.co.uk and cc johnson.okello@parliament.go.ke, with the subject line “Submission for CALC Africa Conference”.
The closing date for submissions is Monday 25 September 2023.
Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) biennial conference
When: 27-29 September 2023
Where: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Includes:
- special Clarity track on Day 1 of the conference: The Clarity Sessions.
- because it is being hosted at a law school, additional law-related sessions.
Clarity members get a discount for this conference.
Website with registration pages and further details at the Faculty of Law, University of Buenos Aires.
Australasian PCC / CALC Asia-Pacific conference - 2-4 August 2023
The NSW Parliamentary Counsel’s Office is pleased to invite you to the 2023 Australasian PCC / CALC Asia-Pacific Legislative Drafting Conference.
The conference will take place at The Mint, Sydney and run over two and a half days, Wednesday 2 August – Friday 4 August 2023.
Links to register for the Conference are below. Note that there is a special registration link for CALC members in Pacific Islands for whom PCO NSW will very kindly cover the Conference and dinner fees.
To assist in finalising conference arrangements, it would be appreciated if you could register by Friday 16 June. Partners are welcome to join.
Please complete one online registration per person (plus partners) to assist with reporting and venue/restaurant lists.
CALL FOR PAPERS: if you are interested in speaking at this conference, we ask that you return your completed speaker submission form to ea@pco.nsw.gov.au by Friday 16 June.
If you have any questions, please reach out to the NSW PCO Conference team at ea@pco.nsw.gov.au
Hybrid AI for Legislation: from theoretical model to empirical use-cases
When: 24 July 2023, 12-1 pm (Ottawa time)
Where: University of Ottawa and online on Zoom
See the poster for more details and the link to register.
LegisTech: Artificial Intelligence in Parliaments
Run by Bússola Tech
Where: Online
When: 6 July 2023 - please see the event details for your local time zone.
More information and timings: LinkedIn event post
International Legislative Drafting Institute
Run by The Public Law Center at Tulane Law School.
Training specifically designed for legislative drafters and for the members of legislative bodies.
Where: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
When: 12-23 June 2023
For details go to https://law.tulane.edu/international-legislative-drafting-institute.
Artificial Intelligence and Legislation: Where Do We Go from Here?
Co-hosted by iLegis and Penn Carey Law of the University of Pennsylvania
Where: Online
When: Jun 15, 2023 at 11:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
How to register: go to the information page.
CALC Europe conference - 24-25 May 2023
This year the CALC European regional conference will be held in Cardiff, the capital city of Wales.
The 2-day conference will take place on 24 and 25 May 2023 at the Principality Stadium.
The conference fee is £240 GBP ($289 USD). This covers both days of the conference, including food and drink, and dinner in the Coal Exchange Hotel on 24 May. The guest fee, for dinner in the Coal Exchange Hotel only, is £62 GBP ($75 USD).
A provision programme is available: CALC Cardiff Conference Programme (also on the conference website).
Further information about the conference, including the venue, travel and hotel information, is available on this website: Home - CALC Cardiff 2023. Registration is open until 9 May and the form to register is here: http://eepurl.com/ihKw7r.
Once you have successfully registered you will receive an online welcome pack as well as instructions regarding payment. We look forward to welcoming you to Cardiff!
Commonwealth Law Conference 2023
"Commonwealth Lawyers - Common challenges in uncommon times"
Where: Goa, India
When: 5-9 March 2023
For details go to the https://www.clc-goa2023.com/.
Commonwealth Association of Law Reform Agencies Conference 2023
When: 4 March 2023 (just before the CLC)
Where: Goa, India - Sala de Banquete, the Cidade de Goa Hotel.
See the conferences page for more information
To attend, please register interest directly with CALRAs General Secretary Malcolm McMillan - E.mail: malcolm.mcmillan@gov.scot
Statute Law Society: Against the Clock: Time Pressure and the Constitution
When: 8 February 2023, 6pm (UK time)
Where: UCL Faculty of Laws (in-person and online)
Dr Hannah White OBE
Director of the Institute for Government
For more information, click here.
Constitutional Kōrero 2022
A one in 10 year conference to look at constitutional transformation, Constitutional Kōrero 2022 has the objective to “bring international thought-leaders on constitutions and Indigenous peoples together with Aotearoa-based thought-leaders to generate transformative, practical and robust options for constitutional transformation in Aotearoa”.
21-23 November 2022, in person or online. www.constitutionalkorero.co.nz.
iLegis 2022 - The International Conference on Legislation and Law Reform
Where: Washington DC, USA
When: 3 & 4 November 2022
To register and for details of costs, go to the conference registration page.
Statute Law Society: 2022 Lord Renton Lecture: 9 November 2022
Dame Elizabeth Gardiner DCB QC (Hon), First Parliamentary Counsel, will deliver the 2022 Annual Lord Renton Lecture.
Date and time: 9 November 2022, 6pm (UK time).
For more information, click here.
2022 IAL Palermo Conference: 14-15 October 2022
The IAL Conference 2022 will try to set the parameters for this research looking at other disciplines, such as law and linguistics that may help legislative drafter who wants to know how a piece of legislation has performed and the extent to which its goals have been achieved. The conference is expected to be held virtually and on-site at the University of Palermo. The programme will be posted in due course. For more information, click here.
CIAJ Legislative Drafting Conference: 8-9 September 2022
The biennial Legislative Drafting Conference (in person in Ottawa and online) will tackle the most important challenges in modern legislation. The conference will include a wide range of speakers from Canada, the UK and beyond.
For more information, click here.
Statute Law Society: Independent Review of Administrative Law -- 14 July 2022
The Rt Hon The Lord Faulks QC will discuss the report of the Independent Review of Administrative Law.
Lord Faulks was Chair of the Panel which was disbanded in January 2021 following the submission of their report to Government.
Date: Thursday, 14 July 2022 - 6 – 7pm (UK time)
Venue: Online or in person at UCL Faculty of Law, Bentham House, 4-8 Endsleigh Gardens, London WC1H 0EG
Cost: This event is free to attend
Registration will open shortly. For more information, click here.
Drafting Workshop, 28-29 June 2022
The UWI is hosting a Legislative Drafting Workshop to be facilitated by Mrs. Jonetta Jeet Ramsahai scheduled for 28-29 June 2022. A fee is charged to attend.
For ease, note the steps below to register and attend:
1. Register via the link: https://forms.gle/TdeinfCf4CpZgj5f9
2. Pay the fee (provided for online via the options laid out in the registration form),
3. Submit proof of payment to law@sta.uwi.edu (wire transfer receipt)
4. The virtual link will then be provided to attend.
Webinar on Legislatures in Times of Crisis -- Ukraine -- 16 June 2022
The organizers of the Seventh International Conference on Legislation and Law Reform cordially invite you to attend a free, not-to-be missed legislative webinar hosted in cooperation with the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School and USAID.
Join us to learn how the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine has operated during the Russia-Ukraine war.
The webinar will feature two speakers from the Verkhovna Rada, followed by a question and answer session.
Time: Thursday, June 16
10:00 – 11:30 AM EDT
(5:00 – 6:30 PM Eastern European Summer Time)
To register for the webinar, click here.
What goes where? ALRC webinar 24 May 2022
A comparative discussion of the legislative puzzle -- As the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) moves forward with its current inquiry into the simplification of corporations and financial services legislation, it is turning its attention to regulatory design and the hierarchy of laws. Relevant questions include: How should the statutory and regulatory framework be designed to support complex areas such as financial services? Where should the law be located to achieve coherence and navigability? If the law needs detail to function, whose job should it be to provide it? Join the ALRC as it hosts a panel of international experts from Hong Kong, New Zealand, Singapore, and the UK to discuss these and related issues.
TUESDAY 24 MAY 2022 AT 4.30PM AEST
2.30PM AWST, HKT, SGT | 6.30PM NZST | 7.30AM BST
For a flyer, click here.
To register for this free webinar, click here.
Statute Law Society Lecture, 11 May 2022
Determining the Matter: Statutory Interpretation and Devolved Legislation -- The Supreme Court's recent decision in the Rights of the Child Reference [2021] UKSC 42, on the lawfulness of the Scottish Parliament's bill to incorporate the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child into Scots law, raises important questions about the construction of both devolved legislation and Westminster legislation.
Speaker: Denis Edwards, Barrister. Formerly Lecturer in Law, University of Strathclyde and Assistant Professor of Law, City University, Hong Kong. Vice Chair of the Statute Law Society. Attendance: Tickets to attend in-person at UCL Laws (Bentham House, Endsleigh Gardens, London WC1H 0EG) are limited for this event. Options are available to attend online via zoom. Please choose the correct ticket when making your booking.
Statute Law Society event -- Annual Lord Renton Lecture, 25 November 2021, 6pm UK time
What makes good statute law: a judge's view
Speaker: Lady Arden of Heswall, Justice of the Supreme Court
chaired by The Hon Mr Justice Garnham, Chairman of the Statute Law Society
An on-demand recording of this lecture is available at this link:
Statute Law Society Annual Lord Renton Lecture - YouTube
Recordings of Legislative Drafting Webinars
On demand recordings of 2 webinars in the iLegis and Penn Law series Bicontinental Perspectives on Legislative Drafting are available at these links:
- The Ethics and Politics of Legislative Drafting - YouTube
- Legislation as an Interdisciplinary Challenge Using Environmental Law as an Example - YouTube
Recording of Rule of Law and Subordinate Legislation Webinar, 29 September 2021
Time: 29 September 2021, 6-7 pm (UK time)
Speaker: Sir Jonathan Jones, KCB QC, former HM Procurator General, Treasury Solicitor and Head of the Government Legal Services.
Recording: https://vimeo.com/showcase/8885191
Paper: click here.
Rules as Code 101 webinar recording
A recording of the AUSCL / CALC Webinar in September 2021 is now available in the Members' Area.
The recording is also available from LinkedIn, but only to subscribers to the AUSCL channel on LinkedIn.
Cancellation of CALC Conference 2021 – Bahamas July 2021
CALC's Council has decided to cancel the 2021 CALC Conference that was to be held in the Bahamas in July 2021.
For more details, see Geoff Lawn's CALC President's report in the December 2020 CALC Newsletter at the Newsletters page.
Meeting of Commonwealth Law Ministers and Senior Officials
Colombo, Sri Lanka, 4-7 November 2019
CALC Conference 2019 -- Zambia, 1-3 April 2019
This Conference was held at the Avani Victoria Falls Resort, in Livingstone, Zambia, 1-3 April 2019.
Conference papers for Zambia, April 2019 are in the Members’ area (member log in access only).
Employment
For more information about employment opportunities and contract drafters, see the Employment page.
| Position | Closing Date | Information for applicants |
| ⇒ 2 Principal Council Officers and 1 Senior Council Officer, Regulation Committee, Legislative Council, NSW Parliament, Australia | 3 December 2023, 11.59 pm AEDT |
Job description and application details for |
| ⇒ RFQ - Consultant - Commonwealth Principles and Model Law on the Enforcement of Suppression Orders, Commonwealth Secretariat | 24 November 2023, 17:00 GMT |
Job description and application details Note - date has been extended from 15 November to 24 November. |
| Experienced legislative drafters, either at Independent or Advanced level - Parliamentary Counsel Office, New Zealand | 15 September 2023 | Job description and application details |
| House Legal Counsel - House of Delegates, Palau National Congress, Palau | 23 October 2023 (or until filled) | Job description and application details |
| Legislative Counsel - Legislative Drafting Department, Cayman Islands | 25 August 2023 |
Job ad (includes link to apply) - Important! Job ad will be posted on the careers website on 11 August 2023 so applications cannot be made before that date. |
| Legal Drafter - Solicitor General's Office, Fiji. The role will support in-line legislative drafting functions and on-the-job training methods to improve the drafting skills of staff within the Drafting Division. The role may also contribute to Continuing Legal Education activities for legal professionals. | 2 July 2023, 5:00 pm local Suva time |
Full details on the Tetra Tech website: Tetra Tech International Development (job reference number 500166) Applications must be made through the Tetra Tech website above Further enquiries: email HR@ausfijifacility.org and quote the job reference number 500166 |
| Director General Parliamentary Counsel Team Leader (2 posts) - Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, London, United Kingdom | 18 May 2023 | |
| Legislative drafter to produce a model law on military justice - Commonwealth Secretariat | 6 April 2023 (RFQ) | Description and how to apply |
|
Roles available at the Western Australian Parliamentary Counsel’s Office:
|
New closing date: 13 March 2023 (6pm AWST) |
Description and contact details - Senior Parliamentary Counsel Description and contact details - Senior Assistant/Assistant Parliamentary Counsel |
| Legislative Drafter - Falkland Islands Government | 5 March 2023 (midnight Falkland Islands time) | Description and contact details |
| Senate Legal Counsel - Senate, Palau National Congress, Palau | 17 February 2023 or until filled (applicants are encouraged to contact or submit applications even if the date has passed) | Description and contact details |
| Deputy Chief Parliamentary Counsel - Office of the Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory, Australia | 15 January 2023 | |
| Legislative Drafter - Legislative Drafting Office, Jersey | 9 January 2023 | |
| Legal Drafter – Specialist Advisor IV, Department of State, International Narcotics and Law Enforcement, Belize | 30 November 2022 | Description and how to apply |
| Legal Draftsperson and Legislative Drafting Division Adviser, Solomon Islands | 14 October 2022 |
Legal Draftsperson description (and how to apply) Legislative Drafting Division Adviser description (and how to apply) |
|
Senior Parliamentary Counsel, Parliamentary Counsel’s Office, Western Australia |
11 August 2022 |
Job description (334 KB) |
|
Legislative Drafting Consultant - Commonwealth Model Legislative Provisions on Abuse of Positions of Trust |
23 June 2022 | Terms of reference (107 KB) |
|
Chief Legislative Drafter, Attorney-General's Chambers, Isle of Man |
26 June 2022 | |
|
Senior Legislative Drafter, Attorney-General's Chambers, Isle of Man |
23 June 2022 |
CALC provides links to information about various courses and training in legislative drafting.
Upcoming training
International Centre for Parliamentary Studies
Professional Certificate in Legislative Processes intensive short course (online)
7-9 November 2022
Services
CALC has a number of services that are provided for the benefit of members and legislative drafting offices.
These services include:
- advertising drafting positions
- the CALC online drafting advice service
- the CALC office organisation advice service.
For more details, please see the CALC Services Page.
Publications catalogue
Find papers and articles published in the Newsletter or Loophole.
Forum
The forum is only available for registered and logged in members.
Drafting manuals and other resources
CALC provides links to online drafting manuals and other resources.
Training
CALC provides links to information about various courses and training in legislative drafting.
Upcoming training
International Centre for Parliamentary Studies
Professional Certificate in Legislative Processes intensive short course (online)
7-9 November 2022