Statute Law Revision Act 2025

Two structural concepts determine how this instrument operates: itemised schedule amendments, and textual/style correction as the object of the Act.

Itemised schedule amendments. The Act divides its amendments into Schedule 1 and Schedule 2 and gives effect to each item by reference to commencement language specific to items. Section 3 provides that "On the commencement of an item in Schedule 1, the Act specified in the heading to that item is amended as set out in that item." Section 4 provides an equivalent operation for Schedule 2. This drafting allows item‑level commencement mechanics, rather than blanket commencement language for the entire Schedule. The Act itself commences on the day after assent (s 2), and no separate commencement dates are printed for individual items; practically the endnotes record a single commencement date, but the drafting nonetheless preserves capacity for itemised commencement where relevant.

Textual revision, not policy. The content consists primarily of corrections, substitutions and administrative rearrangements. Examples include:

• Substituting statutory terms to reflect new Commonwealth tribunal legislation: multiple provisions replace "Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975" and "Part IVA" with "Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024" and "Part 7" (see Schedule 1, e.g. items 4.1, 11.1, 12.1, 20.1-20.6, 22.1, 24.1, 25.1, 27.1, 30.1, 34.1). Where definitions of "Administrative Appeals Tribunal" previously existed, those definitions are often repealed and replaced with definitions of "Administrative Review Tribunal".

• Departmental administrative arrangements: Schedule 2 systematically replaces older department names (Department of Environment and Primary Industries; Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning; Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions; Department of State Development, Business and Innovation; Department of Jobs, Precincts and Regions; Department of Primary Industries) with "Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action" for many environmental and primary industries Acts (see Schedule 2 items 1-33). Several items also change "Department of Justice and Regulation" to "Department of Justice and Community Safety" (Schedule 2 items 11.1-11.4, 27.2).

• Style, punctuation and numbering corrections: multiple items insert or correct subsection numeration (for example Schedule 1 items 8, 16.3), fix punctuation and spelling errors (e.g. "renumeration" corrected to "remuneration" in Schedule 1 items 23 and 33; "heath" to "health" in item 16.2), and tidy headings (insertion of headings such as "Construction of references to Part 7 of Commonwealth ART Act" in Schedule 1 items 11.2, 12.2, 24.2).

Interpretation consequences. The endnotes explicitly reference the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 provisions relevant to style changes and the legal status of headings, notes and punctuation (see Endnotes, "INTERPRETATION OF LEGISLATION ACT 1984 (ILA)"). The explanatory endnotes highlight that headings and punctuation inserted by later amending Acts form part of the principal Act (ILA s 36 and s 54A referenced). The Act also contains an express sunset for itself while preserving the permanence of the amendments it makes under the ILA (s 5 and accompanying Note referencing ILA s 15(1)).

Distribution of work. Mechanically the Act distributes a large quantity of low‑risk drafting work across thirty‑odd principal Acts, shifting editorial load from multiple agencies and publishers into a single instrument. The dominant legal instruments affected fall in two clusters: tribunal/administrative review references, and environmental/primary industries administrative arrangements.

Primary classes of affected actors are:

• Public sector departments and agencies named in legislation. Schedule 2 makes numerous substitutions replacing older department names with the "Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action" across environment, resource and primary industries Acts (for example Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Control of Use Act 1992, Schedule 2 item 1; Conservation, Forests and Lands Act 1987, Schedule 2 item 6; Environment Protection Act 2017, Schedule 2 item 12; Water Act 1989, Schedule 2 item 32). These changes affect any statutory role, function, or duty assigned by name to a department, including powers to grant licences, to make regulations, to be the addressee of notices or reports and to hold staff positions.

• Agencies exercising review or receiving judicial/administrative review applications. Many Acts replace references to the Commonwealth Administrative Appeals Tribunal architecture with the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 (Schedule 1, multiple items). Bodies and persons who formerly looked to a named regime under the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 must now read provisions against the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 framework. This affects regulated persons seeking merits review, agencies handling internal review decisions, and legal practitioners advising on avenues of external review.

• Courts, tribunals and legal practitioners. Changes in cross‑references, numbering and headings can affect citation, drafting of proceedings, and interpretation where prior pleadings or instruments refer to earlier clause numbering or terminology. The Act inserts and deletes numbering (for example insertion of "(1)" in multiple places, Schedule 1 items 8 and 16.3) which can alter how earlier cross‑references operate in practice.

• Regulated businesses and individuals in specific sectors. Although the Act does not create new obligations, it touches many sectoral Acts where rights, licences or penalties are located. A non‑exhaustive list of sectors that will need to note the textual changes includes agriculture and veterinary chemicals (Schedule 1 item 4; Schedule 2 item 1), gene technology and research involving human embryos (Schedule 1 items 20 and 25), environment and water management (Schedule 2 items 12, 32), forestry and parks (Schedule 2 items 14, 20), and trade‑related regimes such as consumer law and petroleum franchises (Schedule 1 items 5 and 6).

• Legal drafters, statutory publishers and database services. The Act mandates text changes that must be propagated into consolidated legislation databases, statutory tables of amendments and printed copies. Legal publishers and government legislative services will need to incorporate the editorial amendments and update search and hyperlink metadata to ensure users consult the current text.

• Ministers and departmental officers responsible for delegated instruments, forms and administrative practices. Even where the Act only changes a department name, internal delegations, administrative arrangements, guidance, websites, forms and memoranda that model statutory text will require updating to maintain internal and public consistency.

Indirectly affected groups include practitioners who advise clients on administrative review routes and agencies which use statutory department names in contracts, licences and enforcement notices. The Act does not expressly alter the substantive scope of rights or obligations but can alter how those are referenced or where review is sought, so practitioners and compliance officers in affected fields will need to cross‑check for any operational impact arising from renumbering, substitution of tribunal regime names, or deletion of subsections.

The Statute Law Revision Act 2025 itself creates no new policy obligations or rights. Section 1 states only the purpose "to revise the statute law of Victoria" and the operative effects are the Schedule amendments implemented by sections 3 and 4. Nevertheless, the statutory changes it makes have practical consequences for duties and rights embedded in other Acts.

Recharacterisation of review pathways. A recurring technical effect is the substitution of references from the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 and its "Part IVA" to the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 and "Part 7" (see Schedule 1, for example items 4.1, 11.1, 12.1, 20.1-20.6, 22.1, 24.1, 25.1, 27.1, 30.1, 34.1). In many Acts a definition is repealed and replaced with a new definition along the lines of "Administrative Review Tribunal means the Administrative Review Tribunal established by the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 of the Commonwealth" (for example Gene Technology Act 2001, Schedule 1 item 20.1(b)). Where a right of external review is referenced in state Acts by naming the Commonwealth Act or a Part of it, the substitution changes the textual source for review without creating or removing the underlying review remedy in the state Act. Practitioners must read the amended text against the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 to confirm whether any jurisdictional or procedural differences exist from the old AAT framework because the state Act's right of review will now be read in that different Commonwealth legislative context.

Numeration and heading changes with interpretative effect. Several items insert subsection numbering or new headings (for example Schedule 1 items 8; 11.2; 12.2; 24.2; 34.4). The endnotes reiterate that headings, punctuation and inserted notes made by post‑2001 Acts form part of the principal Act under the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984. The addition of "(1)" to an undivided section can, under ILA s 39B (referenced in the endnotes), convert the original text to subsection (1) and thereby allow new subsections to be inserted without ambiguity. This affects how duties and rights are located within the statutory hierarchy and how cross‑references from other provisions operate.

Departmental attribution of duties. Schedule 2 uniformly updates departmental names in the statutory text (for example Schedule 2 items 1, 6, 12, 14, 21, 32). Where an Act vests a function in "the Department" by name, the substitution in the principal Act changes the textual recipient of those powers and duties. That change usually operates as a textual correction reflecting administrative renaming, but where administrative responsibility has not in law or practice been transferred, there is a practical duty on agencies to align delegations, administrative instruments and operational processes with the names used in statute.

Non‑creation of new sanctions or rights. The Statute Law Revision Act 2025 contains no penalty clauses, no tariff of fines and no express changes to substantive rights or defences in the affected Acts. Enforcement, penalty and remedial provisions remain located in the principal Acts as amended. The Act does not, for example, create any new licensing obligations or criminal offences; it amends wording and cross‑references which can, indirectly, affect the pathway for challenge and review.

Sunset of the amending instrument. Section 5 provides that the Act is repealed on the first anniversary of assent. The accompanying Note clarifies that repeal of the Act does not affect the continuing operation of the amendments made by it, citing ILA s 15(1). Practically, this means the legislative changes effected by the Schedules remain in force after the amending Act itself expires, and so duties and rights as embodied in the amended primary legislation persist.

The Statute Law Revision Act 2025 does not create new penalties or enforcement mechanisms within its own text. Its five operative provisions (ss 1-5) are framing provisions that bring the Schedules into effect (s 3 and s 4), and s 5 provides a sunset for the amending Act. No fines, criminal offences or administrative sanctions are imposed by the Act itself.

Enforcement continues to be governed by the underlying statutes amended by the Schedules. Where those Acts impose penalties, those penalties remain as enacted, subject to the textual corrections in the Schedule. For instance, a licence condition or penalty provision in the Water Act 1989, or an enforcement provision in the Environment Protection Act 2017, remains in force; the Statute Law Revision Act 2025 changes only the textual references to departments or external review bodies and does not modify penalty quantum or enforcement pathways.

Risk of inadvertent interpretative consequences. Even though no penalty changes are intended, textual and cross‑reference amendments can have secondary enforcement consequences. Specific risks to flag:

• Cross‑reference mapping. If a state Act's right of review or appeal is now expressed by reference to the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 instead of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, procedural prerequisites or jurisdictional scope of review may be read against a different Commonwealth legislative structure. That could affect the timing or route of challenges that in practice are relevant to enforcement outcomes.

• Deletion of subsections. Repeal of particular definitions or subsections in a principal Act may remove or change interpretative scaffolding relied on in enforcement proceedings. For example, Schedule 1 item 20.1 repeals the definition of "Administrative Appeals Tribunal" in the Gene Technology Act 2001 and inserts a new definition for "Administrative Review Tribunal". Practitioners conducting enforcement actions or defending prosecutions should confirm whether any textual deletion affects interpretative qualifications of enforcement powers.

• Department name substitution. Substituting a department name in a statutory power conferred to "the Department" will typically be an editorial change, however enforcement notices, directions or delegated instruments that quote statutory text may need to be updated to ensure service and jurisdictional validity. In some administrative contexts, an incorrect statutory addressee may open technical grounds for challenge.

No express enforcement powers or inspector functions are transferred by the amending Act. Where an affected Act invests enforcement powers in specific officeholders or officers by name, those instruments remain primary. Practitioners and agencies should therefore examine the amended principal Acts for any text that modifies who may issue or receive enforcement notices, but the Statute Law Revision Act itself provides no enforcement regime.

Interaction with the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984. The endnotes highlight the central interpretative role of the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 (ILA) for the amendments effected by this Act. The endnotes state that section 54A of the ILA authorises style changes set out in Schedule 1 to that Act, and they draw attention to the effects of section 36 and section 39B of the ILA on headings, punctuation, subsection numeration and the effect of inserted material. The Note to section 5 expressly references ILA s 15(1) to confirm that repeal of the amending Act does not revoke the continuing operation of the statutory amendments it made. Practically, this means the ILA provides the mechanism by which editorial insertions such as headings, punctuation and numbering are treated as operative parts of the principal Acts following amendment.

Substitution of Commonwealth tribunal reference. Numerous amendments replace references to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 and "Part IVA" with references to the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 and "Part 7" (see Schedule 1, multiple items). Those substitutions import the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 as the relevant Commonwealth instrument against which state statutory review references should now be read. The Schedule sometimes makes explicit exclusions such as "(excluding Part 7)" or "(excluding Part 7)" mirroring earlier exclusions of "Part IVA" under the AAT Act (see, for example, Schedule 1 item 4.1 and 20.3). Interactional effects to note:

• State provisions that confer a right of review "under the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 (excluding Part IVA)" have been updated to the equivalent phrase referencing the ART Act 2024 (excluding Part 7). The substantive scope of review will therefore be interpreted in light of the ART Act 2024; any procedural or jurisdictional differences between the old AAT regime and the new ART regime may have interpretative consequences.

• Several principal Acts have definitions repealed and reinserted to name "Administrative Review Tribunal" as the review body (for example Gene Technology Act 2001, Schedule 1 item 20.1(b); Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2008, Schedule 1 item 25.1(a)-(b)). These are direct textual interactions that change the source citation for judicial and administrative review.

Intersection with administrative practice and machinery. Schedule 2 substitutes department names across a range of Acts. That textual interaction does not itself reallocate statutory functions, but it interacts with administrative law by clarifying the textual addressee of statutory powers. Where an Act vests functions in "the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning", the Schedule 2 substitution to "Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action" alters the statutory text to reflect the current departmental title. The legal effect depends on whether the institutional transfer has occurred in machinery of government instruments; the Schedule does not purport to effect transfers of personnel, property or statutory delegations. Practically, the interaction is that statutory references and operational administrative practices must be aligned.

No conflict with substantive law principles. Because most changes are textual, they do not create express inconsistencies with other Victorian Acts. However, careful cross‑checking is necessary where the replacement of terminology or numbering may affect cross‑references between statutes or between an Act and its subordinate instruments. Users should consult consolidated versions of affected Acts post‑amendment, and where necessary confirm whether any subordinate instruments need to be remade or retitled to reflect amended statutory language.

Practical interaction with transitional provisions. The Act itself contains no transitional rules for rights existing before amendment. The statutory consequence is that from commencement the amended text is the operative text. The endnote statement about ILA s 15(1) ensures amendments persist after repeal of the Statute Law Revision Act 2025. Any transitional consequences in affected principal Acts will be governed by those Acts and, where relevant, the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 at the Commonwealth level. Users should therefore examine transitional provisions in the ART Act 2024 and in the principal Acts for potential temporal consequences to ongoing matters.

The Act's internal amendment history is minimal and transparent. The printed Version No. 001 is the original version of the Statute Law Revision Act 2025, with an effective date as at 22 October 2025. The endnotes record that the Act was assented to on 21 October 2025 and came into operation on 22 October 2025 (s 2 and Endnotes). Endnote 2 ("Table of Amendments") states that there are no amendments made to the Statute Law Revision Act 2025 by Acts or subordinate instruments, which, given the Version No. 001 designation, indicates no subsequent amending legislation has altered the text as at the version date.

Provision for expiry is express. Section 5 provides for repeal of the amending Act on the first anniversary of assent. The accompanying Note points readers to ILA s 15(1) to make clear that repeal of the amending Act does not disturb the continuing effect of the Schedule amendments in the principal Acts. Therefore the life history of this instrument is designed to be short: it operates to make permanent changes to other Acts and then itself expires within 12 months.

No secondary amendments or consequential instruments recorded. The endnotes include a "General information" note pointing to the website for further legislative information and the Minister's second reading speech dates, but there is no printed schedule of subsequent amending Acts, and Endnote 2 confirms no amendments to this Act.

Practical result for users tracking legislative change. Because the Act is a statute law revision instrument and is to be repealed relatively quickly, legal research must be done against consolidated texts of the principal Acts post‑amendment rather than relying on the existence of the amending Act in the statute book. Publishers, legal information services and government consolidations should carry the merged text of the principal Acts with the Schedule changes incorporated. The presence of a Version No. and the endnotes allows tracking by legal publishers; users should also note the legislative speech dates (second reading dates printed) and the assent and commencement dates for event chronology.

The Statute Law Revision Act 2025 carries no litigation history within the text and the printed endnotes do not record any cases. There are no court decisions, tribunal determinations or reported rulings mentioned in the Act or the endnotes. As a textual, non‑policy amending instrument, it is unlikely to have generated early litigation itself, though future litigation that turns on interpretative consequences of the textual amendments in principal Acts could arise in the ordinary course.

Practical implications for litigators. While the Act itself does not appear in case law at the time of this version, litigators should be alert to two classes of potential litigation activity that could emerge post‑amendment:

• Challenges premised on interpretative differences. For example, a party may argue that a right of external review, previously understood under the AAT structure, should be read differently under the ART Act 2024 if procedural or jurisdictional differences produce a material change. Because the Schedules replace the reference rather than expressly preserve pre‑existing procedural regimes, contested cases could test how state provisions integrate with Commonwealth ART provisions.

• Technical defects leading to procedural relief. Minor punctuation or numbering corrections can have unintended effects on cross‑references used in pleadings, notices, or delegated instruments. Parties may mount procedural challenges where an enforcement notice or statutory instrument relies on a pre‑amendment textual form that has been changed. Courts may be asked to resolve whether a notice given under old wording remains valid under the new consolidated text.

Current absence of decisions. The Act and its amendments do not cite any precedents or cases. The endnotes identify the second reading speech dates and the assent and commencement dates, but no litigation is recorded. Users seeking to know whether any disputes have arisen from the amendments will need to monitor case law after the effective date, focusing on disputes about administrative review routes or defects in statutory notices where the textual change has practical effect.

The Statute Law Revision Act 2025 is an apparently routine editorial instrument, but several technical pitfalls can produce real operational consequences. Key "gotchas" to check before relying on pre‑amendment understandings:

1. Item‑level commencement language. Sections 3 and 4 state that an item in Schedule 1 or 2 is amended "On the commencement of an item in Schedule 1/2". The Act itself commenced on 22 October 2025 (s 2 and Endnotes). The drafting nonetheless leaves open the construct of item‑level commencement. Practitioners should confirm the consolidated text for each principal Act to verify the operative date of each amendment and whether any items were proclaimed or otherwise scheduled differently.

2. Substitution of tribunal references can change review terrain. Multiple items replace references to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 and its Part IVA with the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 and Part 7. While the state Acts continue to point to Commonwealth review machinery, the procedural and jurisdictional scope may differ between the old AAT regime and the new ART regime. Do not assume identical processes. Where an appeal or review right is time sensitive, confirm how the ART Act 2024 governs ongoing matters.

3. Insertion of "(1)" and renumbering. Several items insert subsection numeration, often converting an undivided section into subsection (1). Under ILA s 39B, that operation may affect cross‑references elsewhere. If a practice note, regulation or prior instrument cites, for example, "section 15" and the Act now reads "section 15(1)", confirm whether the citation still maps or requires amendment.

4. Punctuation and small textual edits may be material. The Act effects seemingly trivial punctuation corrections (for example Schedule 1 item 2: replacing a semicolon with a full stop in Accident Compensation Act 1985 s 92B(1A); Schedule 1 item 32.1 corrects "the Register" to "the Register."). Some statutory drafting techniques rely on punctuation to denote lists or to separate operative clauses. Where a provision has been the subject of litigation historically, small punctuation changes may be argued to have interpretative weight.

5. Repeal and replacement of definitions. Where a definition is repealed and replaced (for example Schedule 1 item 20.1 repeals the definition of "Administrative Appeals Tribunal" in the Gene Technology Act 2001 and inserts "Administrative Review Tribunal"), ensure that any prior references in case law or in statutory ancillary instruments are reviewed to confirm that the replacement definition covers the same conceptual scope.

6. Department name substitution without machinery‑of‑government change. Schedule 2 replaces department names with "Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action" and other new titles. These textual changes do not themselves transfer functions or assets between departments. Parties should not assume that statutory responsibility, delegation lines or service contacts have materially changed in substance without separate administrative instruments or orders having effect.

7. Deleted subsections. A small number of items repeal subsections of principal Acts (for example Schedule 2 items 13.2, 23.2, 32.2). Where those deleted subsections were used as interpretative aids or to locate powers, check whether their removal affects the legal basis for an action or decision.

8. Electronic consolidation risk. Different databases and publishers may take different approaches to consolidation. Until all publishers consolidate the Schedules into the principal Acts, users may see inconsistent versions. Rely on the official government consolidated text or verify with the Victorian legislation website.

9. Sunset of the amending Act may confuse non‑lawyers. Section 5 repeals the Statute Law Revision Act 2025 in one year while the Note explains that the amendments survive. Non‑legal users may mistakenly look for the continuing effect of the repealed Act rather than the continuing effect of the amendments to the principal Acts. Make sure operational staff update principal legislation texts and do not rely on the presence of the amending Act in the statute book.

10. Spelling and grammar corrections with substantive knock‑on effects. Corrections of words such as "renumeration" to "remuneration" (Schedule 1 items 23 and 33) and "heath" to "health" (Schedule 1 item 16.2) must be included in final consolidations and in documents that reproduce statutory language; failure to update can cause confusion in enforcement and contracts.

In summary, none of these "gotchas" necessarily alters policy, but they can produce procedural, interpretative and administrative friction in legal practice and regulatory operations. Practitioners should not treat the Act as harmless printing corrections without confirmation against consolidated texts.

Compliance with the practical consequences of the Statute Law Revision Act 2025 requires a mixture of legal checking, administrative updating and stakeholder communication. Below is a practical checklist oriented to lawyers, compliance officers, departmental counsel and statutory publishers.

1. Update consolidated statute texts and guidance materials. Confirm that the official Victorian legislation website and your internal statute database display the principal Acts with the Schedule amendments incorporated. For each Act you rely upon, review the consolidated section(s) identified in the Schedules and ensure your firm's precedents, forms and guidance reflect the new wording.

2. Prioritise tribunal reference changes. Identify any client matters where a right of external review or appeal referenced an "Administrative Appeals Tribunal" or "Part IVA". Cross‑check the provisions as amended (see Schedule 1 items 4.1, 11.1, 12.1, 20.1-20.6, 22.1, 24.1, 25.1, 27.1, 30.1, 34.1) against the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 to confirm jurisdictional and procedural implications. Where time limits or the forum are central, advise clients as to whether steps should be taken in light of the amended reference.

3. Amend templates, notices and delegated instruments. Statutory notices, enforcement letters, licences and delegated instruments that quoted statutory text must be reviewed and redrafted if they reproduce the pre‑amendment statutory language. Particular attention should be paid to addressees in enforcement notices where the department name was substituted.

4. Check departmental delegations and administrative arrangements. For organisations affected by Schedule 2 department name substitutions (for example, Environment Protection Act 2017, Water Act 1989, Conservation, Forests and Lands Act), coordinate with departmental legal branches to confirm whether internal delegations, instruments of appointment, and service addresses require amendment to reflect the new statutory text even if the function remains with the same group practically.

5. Verify cross‑references in instruments and contracts. Contracts and statutory instruments that refer to specific section numbers or headings must be checked for the possible renumbering effects from insertion of "(1)" or the creation of headings. Correct any cross‑references in active contracts or instruments where they now point to a different text.

6. Communicate to stakeholders. Regulatory agencies should publish short advisory notes to regulated entities explaining that the changes are textual: (a) the amendments correct references and typographical issues, (b) the ART Act 2024 replaces earlier AAT references, and (c) department names have been modernised. Provide a list of affected provisions and the date of effect , the Act commenced on 22 October 2025 (s 2 and Endnotes).

7. Monitor the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024. Where state statutes now refer to the ART Act 2024, confirm whether the ART Act contains transitional provisions dealing with matters commenced under old AAT provisions. Where necessary, file protective applications or seek directions if jurisdictional doubt arises.

8. Audit affected subordinate instruments. For subordinate legislation, practice directions and administrative policies that incorporate statutory text, run an audit to identify which instruments need reprinting or remaking to ensure consistency with the amended principal Acts.

9. Preserve old citations for historical proceedings. When dealing with ongoing litigation or historical records, maintain an index mapping pre‑amendment citations to post‑amendment citations to avoid confusion in pleadings or transcripts.

10. Train front‑line staff. For agencies and law practices, run short training sessions for clerks, tribunal officers and paralegals on where to find the consolidated text and on the consequences of tribunal and department name changes. Emphasise that while the amendments are largely editorial, procedural consequences may exist.

Practical priorities. If resources are limited, prioritise: (1) matters with urgent review or appeal time limits; (2) enforcement notices and licences that quote statutory text and list a department as the addressee; (3) contracts that reference specific statutory sections that have been renumbered; and (4) legal databases and public guidance used by customers and regulated entities.

Finally, record the date of the Statute Law Revision Act 2025 commencement (22 October 2025) and the fact that the Act itself is scheduled for repeal one year after assent (s 5), while the Schedule amendments will continue to operate after repeal under the Interpretation of Legislation Act 1984 (ILA s 15(1) referenced in the Act's Note). This temporal awareness is essential when advising about transitional questions.