trace-commonwealth-legislative-change-l0cka

Trace Commonwealth Legislative Change

Use the Federal Register of Legislation to produce an evidence-linked change trace. Keep textual change, commencement, incorporation and legal operation as separate questions.

Read references/change-tracing-method.md before performing a trace. It defines the source hierarchy, comparison semantics, attribution test and special cases.

Workflow

1. Fix the scope.
   • Accept Commonwealth Acts and registered legislative or notifiable instruments.
   • Record an earlier and later date or two uniquely identified compilations. The later date may default to today's Australia/Sydney date when stated; never invent the earlier date.
   • Require an exact provision for a provision-level textual conclusion and limit one trace to 10 expressly identified provisions. Without one, provide only a compilation-event inventory.
   • Return OUTSIDE SCOPE for Bills, State or Territory law, case treatment, deadlines, interpretation, transitional operation, application to facts or substantive legal advice.
2. Resolve the title and complete interval.

   • Establish the exact title and Title ID. Treat multiple plausible titles as ambiguous.

   • Identify both endpoint compilations and every intervening compilation. Do not compare only the endpoints: text can change and later revert.

   • Describe a compilation by its compilation date or effective period. Never say that a compilation commenced; reserve commencement for legislation, provisions and amendment items.

   • When command execution is available, use the bundled helper:

     python3 <skill-root>/scripts/frl_change_trace.py trace C2004A03712 \
       --from 2024-01-01 --to 2024-06-01
     

     Resolve <skill-root> as the directory containing this SKILL.md. The helper supplies metadata and navigation links only. It does not establish a textual change, commencement, legal effect or provision-level causation. It is optional and read-only, and it makes network requests only to legislation.gov.au. Without command execution, follow the same steps on the official website directly.

3. Compare the official text.
   • Inspect the exact provision in both endpoint compilations and in each potentially relevant intervening compilation.
   • Quote only the minimum text needed to show the change. Preserve subsection, paragraph, note and definition boundaries.
   • Call a version authorised only after confirming the official PDF bears the required authorisation wording. Do not transfer that label to HTML, EPUB or a modified copy.
   • Distinguish NO NET TEXT CHANGE from INTERVENING CHANGES WITH NO NET CHANGE. A shared endpoint compilation proves no compilation transition, not that legal operation was unchanged.
   • If the provision is absent at one endpoint, verify whether it was inserted, repealed, renumbered or otherwise relocated before labelling the event.
4. Establish provenance and timing.
   • Treat API compilation reasons as navigation evidence. Confirm relevance to the requested provision from the compilation endnotes and amendment history.
   • Inspect the amending Act or instrument and exact schedule item. Then check its commencement provision and any commencement instrument.
   • Keep commencement separate from incorporation into a compilation. Flag commenced but unincorporated amendments, retrospective dates, application, savings and transitional provisions.
   • Do not infer legal operation or application from a textual comparison.
5. Report using the required result contract.