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The Fiji Law Reform Commission is independent publicly funded commission, which helps develop and review legislation in Fiji. The Fiji Law Reform Commission Act established the Commission in 1979, to serve as an advisory body to the government and Parliament. The Commission reviews legislation and advises the lawmakers as to how to implement reforms.
A government or state agency, sometimes an appointed commission, is a permanent or semi-permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety of agency types. Although usage differs, a government agency is normally distinct both from a department or ministry, and other types of public body established by government. The functions of an agency are normally executive in character, since different types of organizations are most often constituted in an advisory role—this distinction is often blurred in practice however.
Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean about 1,100 nautical miles northeast of New Zealand's North Island. Its closest neighbours are Vanuatu to the west, New Caledonia to the southwest, New Zealand's Kermadec Islands to the southeast, Tonga to the east, the Samoas and France's Wallis and Futuna to the northeast, and Tuvalu to the north. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100 sq mi). The most outlying island is Ono-i-Lau. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the total population of 898,760. The capital, Suva, on Viti Levu, serves as the country's principal cruise-ship port. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts, either in Suva or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi—where tourism is the major local industry—or Lautoka, where the sugar-cane industry is paramount. Due to its terrain, the interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited.
The Parliament of Fiji is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Fiji. It consists of 51 members elected every 4 years using open-list proportional representation in one multi-member nationwide constituency.
The various responsibilities of the Commission include the drafting of legislation, codification of laws and streamlining of legal administration, and finding and eliminating anomalies in the laws. The repeal of obsolete or redundant laws is also explored by the Commission.
The Commission consists of a Chairperson, appointed by the President, and a minimum of three other Commissioners. The Commission is chaired by Alipate Qetaki, a former Attorney-General; the other three positions are currently vacant.
The President of the Republic of Fiji is the Head of State of Fiji. The President is appointed by the Parliament of Fiji for a three-year term under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. Although not entirely a figurehead, the President's role in government is mostly ceremonial, but there are important reserve powers that may be exercised in the event of a crisis. In addition, the President is Commander-in-Chief of the Military Forces.
Alipate Qetaki is a Fijian lawyer, businessman, civil servant, and a former politician, who served as Attorney-General from May 1987 to September 1987 and against as Attorney General and Minister for Justice in the interim Cabinet formed by Laisenia Qarase in the wake of the Fiji coup of 2000. He held office till an elected government took power in September 2001.
Fiji's chief governmental legal officer is the Attorney General. The office is usually held by the Minister for Justice, although they are distinct offices. Like other members of the Fijian Cabinet, the Attorney-General is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister.
List of Chairpersons of the Fiji Law Reform Commission
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