Model Criminal Law Officers Committee (MCLOC)
The Model Criminal Law Officers Committee (MCLOC) has the role of advising on criminal law issues referred to it by the Standing Committee of Attorneys-General (SCAG).
MCLOC’s current priorities include preparing draft model offences for non-consensual genetic testing and reviewing the effectiveness of Chapter 2 of the Model Criminal Code.
Background
On 28 June 1990, SCAG placed the question of the development of a national model criminal code for Australian jurisdictions on its agenda. In order to advance the concept, SCAG established a Committee consisting of an officer from each Australian jurisdiction with expertise in criminal law and criminal justice matters. That Committee was originally known as the Criminal Law Officers Committee, but, in November 1993, the name was changed to the Model Criminal Code Officers Committee in order to reflect the principal remit of the Committee directly. In July 2006, SCAG decided to rename the Committee the Model Criminal Law Officers Committee to reflect its broader role of advising on criminal law issues that have been referred to it by SCAG and the fact that development of the Model Criminal Code is largely complete.
The first formal meeting of the Committee took place in May 1991. In July 1992, the Committee released a discussion draft of the general principles of criminal responsibility. After a great deal of public consultation, the Committee delivered a Final Report to SCAG, which was released in December 1992. With the exception of the general principles relating to intoxicated defendants, the recommendations in that Final Report formed the basis for the Commonwealth Criminal Code Bill 1994, which was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament in March, 1995.
In 1994, both the Commonwealth Government and the State and Territory Premiers’ Leaders Forum endorsed the Model Criminal Code project as one of national significance.
Since its first meeting in 1991, the Committee has, with the consent of SCAG, regularly released discussion papers and reports on a large variety of major criminal offences and general principles of criminal law. In more recent times, its remit has been more to consider and report on specific subject matter referred to it by SCAG.
MCLOC Projects
Model Criminal Code
Related links
Commonwealth Criminal Code Practitioner Guidelines – March 2002
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