Project No. 75

Commenced: 1978
Completed: 1994

Under a well-established common law rule, at the time of the settlement of Western Australia in 1829, all statutes in force in the United Kingdom, which were reasonably applicable to conditions in the new colony, automatically became part of the law of Western Australia1 This included approximately 7000 statutes dating from 1235. Although many of these statutes had been replaced, of the statutes that remained in force many were regarded as obsolete or unsuitable to modern conditions, at least in their existing form. There was also concern that these statutes were inaccessible due to archaic expression and the limited availability at public libraries.

Over a period of 12 years, the Commission built up a substantial database of information on the subject which included action taken by other domestic legislatures and recommendations of law reform agencies both in Australia and overseas.