The system of legislation in Austenasia is laid out in the Constitution. The current Constitution was adopted in 2011, and amended in 2015 and 2018. As per its provisions, there are four different forms of Austenasian legislation:
- Acts of Parliament are the primary means of legislation in the Empire, and can overturn any other law – including previous Acts – apart from the Constitution. Acts begin as a bill proposed by a Representative. The House of Representatives may then debate the bill, and if its contents are approved, a majority vote of the House sends it on to the Monarch. Should the Monarch also approve, they grant Imperial Consent, entering the bill into law as an Act of Parliament.
- Imperial Decrees are laws written and enacted by the Monarch alone, applying to the whole Empire, and take precedence over all laws other than the Constitution and Acts of Parliament. However, the House of Representatives must vote as soon as reasonably possible after the promulgation of an Imperial Decree whether to confirm it as permanent or to revoke it.
- Imperial Edicts are likewise written and enacted by the Monarch alone. However, unlike Decrees, Edicts are used for the exercise of the Monarch’s executive powers, such as the calling of elections, the granting of titles, etc., and do not require a vote of confirmation by the House of Representatives.
- Bye-laws are enacted by Town Councils (and, in cities, Mayors), and are used for local government.
Legislation passed in the above way does not automatically affect Crown Dependencies, which are governed independently of the central government. Legislation which is meant to apply to Crown Dependencies must state explicitly that it does so, and is rarely made.
Lists of all Acts of Parliament, Imperial Decrees, and Imperial Edicts passed since the enactment of the Austenasian Constitution of 2011 can be seen by following the links above.
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