Guide to Framing Commonwealth Offences, Infringement Notices and Enforcement Powers

The Guide to Framing Commonwealth Offences, Infringement Notices and Enforcement Powers assists Australian Government departments to draft criminal offences, infringement notices and enforcement provisions that are intended to become part of Commonwealth law.

It provides information on what to consider when drafting or changing offences or enforcement powers.

Australian Government departments should refer to the guide when drafting these kinds of provisions.

Departments should consult with the Criminal Law Section in this department before proceeding with draft provisions that are inconsistent with fundamental principles in the guide.

For enquiries about draft provisions or the guide, email CriminalLaw@ag.gov.au.​

Updates to the guide

In May 2024, we updated the guide. The main update was the addition of Chapter 11 – Secrecy Offences (page 94 of the guide), which implements recommendation 10 of the 2023 Review of Secrecy Provisions Final Report.

There were also minor updates to contacts, website links and outdated terms.

All updates are outlined in the Table of Updates (page 3 of the guide).