Proclamation under the Corrections Act 1997 (TAS)

The proclamation under the Corrections Act 1997 (TAS) was issued by the Lieutenant-Governor of Tasmania, W. J. E. Cox, on 23 July 1998, and published in the Gazette on 29 July 1998. The proclamation fixes the commencement date of the Corrections Act 1997, setting it to take effect from 1 August 1998. This formal announcement was made under the authority provided by section 2 of the Act, and it was done with the advice of the Executive Council. The proclamation was administered in the Department of Justice.

The central legal issue addressed by this proclamation is the determination of the effective date for the commencement of the Corrections Act 1999, ensuring that all provisions of the Act would be legally applicable from a specific date. This formality is essential for the proper implementation and enforcement of the legislative changes introduced by the Act. The proclamation provides clarity and certainty, ensuring that stakeholders are aware of when the new legal framework would be in force.

The court, in this instance, was not directly involved in the decision-making process regarding the commencement date of the Act. Instead, the proclamation was issued by the Lieutenant-Governor following the statutory requirement to set a commencement date for the Act. This action is part of the legislative process to ensure that the law is applied from the specified date, thereby providing a clear and unambiguous effective date for the new legal provisions. The proclamation serves as a public notification and legal confirmation that the Corrections Act 1997 would commence on 1 August 1998.