A Bill is a proposal for a law, which is submitted to Parliament in the form of a draft Act. A Bill passes through three readings in Parliament before it becomes an Act. You can find more information in the next section about how bills are prepared, and about the first, second and third reading stages of a Bill.
When a draft or proposed law has passed through three readings of Parliament and been certified by the Speaker, it becomes law and it is then called an Act of Parliament. An Act of Parliament is sometimes also referred to as a statute, law or piece of legislation. In the plural, Acts of Parliament may be referred to collectively as ‘legislation’. Once an Act of Parliament has been passed, it is certified by the Speaker and is given an Act number.
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