Law reform agencies and government: independence, survival and effective law reform?

This article examines the meaning of 'independence' in the context of law reform agencies funded by government. It explores the idea of independence expressed as a way of doing law reform - through independence of mind - and what this means in practice for the conduct of law reform inquiries, regardless of the particular structure of the law reform agency. Using this lens of independence, the article considers the relationship of law reform agencies with the executive and with government and reflects upon the issues of survival and effectiveness.