Draft Bill, Act or Law: Understanding Legal Status
A short guide to the difference between a draft Bill, proposed legislation and an enacted law.
Draft legislation is not yet law
A draft Bill is a proposed text under development or review. It may be changed significantly before it reaches the Legislature.
A Bill is proposed legislation presented for legislative consideration. Its exact status depends on where it is in the constitutional law-making process.
An Act is legislation that has completed the constitutionally required enactment process and has become law.
Why this distinction matters
Law reform work often involves draft texts, consultation versions and proposed amendments. Publishing a draft on this website does not mean the proposal has been enacted.
For that reason, legislation records on this website separately identify website publication status and legal status.
When determining the law currently in force, users should consult the official enacted instrument and authoritative legal sources.