Attempts

Conclusion Whatever the outcome of any effort to codify the law of attempts, the overriding need is to recognize that this is a complex and unsettled area of doctrine. The drafters of proposed legislation should provide as much assistance as they can so as to ensure that whatever new law is finally enacted, it is clear and unambiguous and not conducive of multiple interpretations, which would only lead us back to our present state of confusion.This is a revised version of a paper presented at a seminar of the Society for the Reform of Criminal Law, Review of Commonwealth Criminal Law, Brisbane, Australia, April 2–5, 1991. The views expressed in this article are not necessarily the views of the Office of the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions.LL.B., University of Sydney 1975; LL.M., University of Adelaide 1989; D.P.L., University of Adelaide 1991.