Characteristics of an effective law

Known to the public For a new law to be enforceable, the public need to know about it. If people do not know about it– they will not follow it. It is the responsibility of the law-makers to let us know when the law has changed

Acceptable to the community If the law is not in line with community values, then the public may just disregard it. For example: it used to be illegal to shop on a Sunday, Many people didn’t agree with this law. As a result, shopkeepers opened their shops illegally on a Sunday to extend their opening hours.

Stable In order to be effective, it is necessary that the law, in general, remains stable. If the law were changing constantly, no one would be certain of what the law was and there could be chaos.

Able to be enforced An effective law must be enforceable. If people break the law they must be able to be caught and brought to justice. If there is no enforcement, people may feel less inclined to follow the law. In an effort to reduce the road toll, police have rigorously enforced road traffic laws in Victoria--- breath testing, speed cameras, drug swabs, red light cameras and heavy penalties for infringements.

Able to be changed Because values in the community change over time, and there are advances in new technology, there is a constant need to change the law. For example, the widespread use of computers has required new laws relating to the use of computers to steal another person’s identity for illegal gain

New Bills Research Task