Regulatory Matters

The Office prosecutes regulatory matters referred to it by ACT Government agencies and the RSPCA.

The management of the regulatory practice is an escalating challenge. These matters can sometimes involve tricky or complex legal and factual issues. In addition, these matters are often investigated by staff who do not necessarily have training or experience as investigators. For this reason, briefs of evidence that are submitted are of variable quality. Also, briefs are sometimes submitted just before statutory time limits expire, and this presents challenges for proper dispositions of matters when the general work of the Office is so consistently busy.

Within the Office, the regulatory practice is managed by a dedicated prosecutor who has responsibility for allocating regulatory files and liaising with the regulatory agencies.

Discussions with various regulatory agencies suggest a significant increase in the number of regulatory matters being referred to the Office within the next financial year. This is particularly so in relation to work safety matters and this is addressed separately in this report.

The variety of matters finalised during the reporting period is shown by the following table: