Open petition: Create a taskforce to review laws containing the term “reasonable”

Created by Mars Robertson
Closes on 14 April 2027

The Government should create a taskforce which reviews all laws containing the term "reasonable”, identifies vague or unnecessary uses, and recommends clearer wording. Courts and public bodies should be mandated to explain how people’s circumstances are considered in their decisions.

The taskforce’s review should cover “reasonable”, “objectively reasonable”, “reasonably”, “reasonable excuse” and “reasonable grounds”. These terms can leave important questions in the hands of judges or officials.

Judges may be highly skilled, but we feel their role may not reflect the circumstances of people being judged. We believe laws containing the terms “reasonable” should clearly say whose perspective counts when judging what is “reasonable”, which factors are considered, and why an outcome is fair in each legal case.

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