The Senate Standing Committee on Regulations and Ordinances (the committee) has scrutinised legislation to guard against the inappropriate exercise of executive power for almost ninety years. This report makes a number of recommendations to improve the committee's existing scrutiny practices – including updating its terms of reference, bringing its powers in line with other standing committees and updating and expanding the principles by which it scrutinises delegated legislation.

The report is divided into three parts as follows:

Part I - Background

Part II – Future direction and effectiveness of the committee

• Chapter 2 – Committee powers and functions
• Chapter 3 – Scrutiny principles
• Chapter 4 – Committee work practices

Part III – Framework for scrutiny and control of delegated legislation

• Chapter 5 – Parliamentary scrutiny of bills delegating legislative power
• Chapter 6 – Parliamentary scrutiny of delegated legislation
• Chapter 7 – Parliamentary scrutiny of Commonwealth expenditure
• Chapter 8 – Procedural mechanisms for parliamentary control
• Chapter 9 – Awareness and education