When a bill passes both Houses, it enters its final stage — the process of assent.
Under Section 8A of the Constitution Act 1902, a bill that has passed both Houses in the same form must be presented to the Governor for assent. Our rules state that a bill originating in the Council will be printed and presented by the President to the Governor for Her Majesty’s assent, once it has been certified by the Clerk. In practice, the Clerk with the assistance of our Bill’s Officer, prepares and presents each bill for assent on behalf of the President. Bills originating in the Assembly follow a similar process.
The Governor has assented to a bill, what next?
The Governor’s assent has the effect of enacting legislation and a bill then becomes an Act. The Act is also made available on the NSW Legislation website. A list of all Acts for the current and previous Parliaments are found on the Bills section on the Parliament’s website.
Some Acts commence on assent while others commence on a date named in the bill or on a day proclaimed by the Governor on advice of the Executive Council at a future date. This will be a topic of a future post.