International Law

Standing Committee of Attorneys-General meeting decisions April 2009

The Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG) meeting outcomes of its April 2009 meeting include the following:

Electronic Transactions Acts
Ministers have agreed that amendments to the uniform Electronic Transactions Acts that could implement the UN Convention on Electronic Communications in International Contracts should be drafted.  

Uniform commercial arbitration laws
SCAG has also decided to re-invigorate its efforts to update uniform commercial arbitration laws by reference to international standards.  The aim is to improve the current commercial arbitration system and provide for a method of finally resolving disputes that is quicker, cheaper and less formal than litigation.

Anti-discrimination 
The National Anti-Discrimination Law Information Gateway gives the public a single point of entry to all of the Commonwealth, State and Territory anti-discrimination authorities to assist individuals and business to access information on how to make and respond to discrimination complaints. 

Succession
The November 2009 meeting will respond to the matters dealt with in the Report of the National Committee for Uniform Succession Laws on Administration of Estates of Deceased Persons. The response will specifically address the extent to which jurisdictions should seek to implement proposals concerning the automatic recognition of grants of probate and letters of administration and achieve nationally consistent or uniform law. 

Workplace privacy
Ministers agreed that the SCAG working group would develop voluntary guidelines to assist employers and workers on workplace privacy issues, such as workplace surveillance and email and internet monitoring, in consultation with key stakeholders including the Federal Privacy Commissioner and equivalent State and Territory bodies, as well as peak employer groups, unions and other interested stakeholders.

Personal Property Securities Law Reform
Ministers agreed to settle the text of the model referral legislation and the text of the PPS Bill as soon as possible, noting the recommendations made by the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs in its report on the Bill.  Ministers also noted the inclusion of PPS reform in the ?Seamless National Economy? National Partnership Agreement.

Full post as published by Australian Regulatory Compliance Review on April 18, 2009 (boomark / email).