1.4 Legislative function

The Parliament, constituted in Queensland by the Legislative Assembly and the Governor as the Sovereign's representative, has power to make or amend laws for the "peace, welfare and good government" of the State. This power is referred to as the "plenary power" of the Parliament. The only real limit on the law-making power of the Queensland Parliament is the Commonwealth Constitution and the entrenched provisions of the Queensland Constitution.

One of the principal functions of the Legislative Assembly, therefore, is to be an integral part of the law-making or legislative process. It is in the Legislative Assembly where Bills (law-making instruments) are introduced, debated, amended and passed. When a Bill is passed it is given Royal Assent by the Governor and, at that time, converted to an Act - a new law or an amendment to an existing law. "Act" is short for Act of Parliament, and comes from the Latin via Norman French, which was the original language of the British Parliament. The Latin term "Actum", means a thing completed or formally done. "Bill" is thought to be a derivative of Medieval Latin "Bulla" (Seal) originally a sealed written document.

The legislative power of the Queensland Parliament extends to delegating legislative power to other bodies, such as the Governor in Council, so that those bodies can make laws called subordinate or delegated legislation. Regulations, by - laws and ordinances are all examples of subordinate legislation. The Legislative Assembly, as a precondition to the delegation of legislative power, provides for mechanisms by which subordinate legislation is monitored and, if the Legislative Assembly decides, 'disallowed'.

Last reviewed: 17 July, 2009

Last updated: 22 July, 2009

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