CPA Legislative Guide

The newly-released Criminal Procedure 2009 Legislative Guide is a unique (and useful) educational tool.

It's not quite the Explanatory Memorandum to the Act, but that might be the most appropriate thing to compare it to. It goes through the CPA section by section, separating out each provision under three headings of Overview, Legislative History, and Discussion.

Perhaps most handy will be the many tables and diagrams in the 386-page document. They convey the processes and relationships that DOJ originally intended for the Act. (For example, the flowchart on page 303 explains when an accused is required to appear at court and when they are required to attend, something that I still find confusing).

Hardcopies of the Guide are going to be made available from the Law Institute and Information Victoria.