Legislative Drafting Pairing Program
In 2007 the Pacific Unit and the Office of Legislative Drafting and Publishing (OLDP) developed the Legislative Drafting Pairing Program. The pairing program falls under the Pacific Legal Knowledge Program and is funded by the Pacific Unit. The pairing program places a Pacific island drafter with the OLDP for approximately 3 months.
There is a shortage of legislative drafters within the Pacific region. Pacific island countries often rely on donor assistance and outsourcing to foreign drafters in order to draft legislation. In a press statement dated 14 February 2007, the Pacific Island Forum Secretariat stated that the ‘need for high quality legislative drafters is one of the most pressing legal needs in the Pacific Region’.
The pairing program aims to improve the drafting skills and capacity of legal officers within Pacific island countries through practical experience, training and mentoring by the OLDP. The program includes training and practical experience in drafting legislation under the guidance of an assigned OLDP mentor. The training and drafting experience provided is tailored to the drafter’s experience, capacity and needs. The placement also includes participation in a statutory interpretation course run by the Australian Government Solicitor and the provision of drafting materials for the drafter to take back to their home office.
A solicitor from the Samoan Attorney-General’s Office was the first to take part in this pairing program and was placed with the OLDP for 10 weeks from June to August 2007. As part of the pairing program two officers from the Department travelled to Samoa and provided assistance to the Samoan Attorney-General’s Office. The trip took place between 26 September and 6 October 2007, with assistance being provided in the areas of legislative drafting and information management.
An officer from the Tuvalu Attorney-General’s Office is currently participating in the program from March until May 2008.