Applying the criminal code

In the early 1980s, the Federal Government recognised that many aspects of the existing Commonwealth criminal law system were fragmented and unclear, and that a more uniform, less complex system was required. The Review of Criminal Law, headed by Sir Harry Gibbs, recommended in 1990 that a Commonwealth law should be enacted to codify all relevant principles of criminal responsibility

The Criminal Code Act 1995 (Attorney General's) commenced operation on 1 January 1997, and more offences have since been added to the code.