Description of the Policy Unit
The Policy division under the Vanuatu Law Reform Commission plays a crucial role in advancing new legal development and policy reform in Vanuatu. It acts as the analytical and developmental mechanism with a responsibility to identify and research, analyze and develop practical policy and new legislative frameworks that underpin legal reform. It translates complex social and economic issues into new actionable legislative proposals to the government.
Process for initiating new laws
New laws or projects are either initiated:
- directly by the Commission pursuant to section 7(c) (new laws or new approaches and concepts) of the Law Reform Commission Act; and or
- assigned via references from respective government ministries or departments.
Policy development workflow
The Policy division within the Law Reform Commission drives the process of new laws or policy development from initial research to final report with recommendations for change. The standard workflow involves conducting preliminary research on a given issue, compiling an issues or discussion paper for that matter, engaging in nation-wide consultations, writing up the final report and assisting the Drafting instruction’s unit and inter-agency working groups, wherever possible, to draft the instructions of the proposed new bill to go before the office of the Attorney General.
Consultation process
The Policy division uses a public inquiry consultative process designed to ensure creation of new laws are fair and practical and does meet the changing needs of the society. Consultations are conducted with targeted audience as well as with the general public and are organized nation-wide. It started with an initial scoping where issues discussed in the issues or discussion paper to wider public consultations and a finalized report with recommended drafting instructions for a draft new bill. The Policy unit relies on this robust, democratic procedure to guarantee that new laws are not drafted solely behind closed doors but are reflective of the people’s views.
Completed policy projects
The completed new policy projects done by LRC as a whole are:
- Proposed new Juvenile Justice Act;
- Proposed Pardoning legislation; and
- Proposed new National Library Services Act for Vanuatu.
Current policy projects
The current policy projects directly initiated by the Commission pursuant to section 7(c) of its Act are:
- Proposed new Sorcery Act;
- Proposed new Wills, Probate and Administration Act; and
- Proposed new Right of Indigenous People’s Act for Vanuatu..
The current policy projects underway via references or request for assistance from respective government ministries or departments are:
- Proposed new Disability Act;
- Proposed new Displacement Act; and
- Proposed new Child Protection Act.
The Policy division also engages in other projects like the:
- Proposed paper on AI and the courts in Vanuatu;
- Proposed paper on upgrading the standard of representation in the provinces; and the
- Proposed paper on the new family affairs department and human rights commission for Vanuatu.