31 54 Then, over the recess following the election of the first MMP Parliament, the PCO produced its first drafting manual. Chapter 5 “Style”, c ontains a comprehensive set of guidelines for clear legislative drafting. It incorporates much of the material in the Law  Commission’s  repo rt  Legislation  Manual  Structure  and  Style.  Chapter  5 stresses the importance of drafting in plain language and  structure and organisation of  material.  The  guidelines  endorse  some  basic  principles  which  can  too  easily become lost sight of in the challenges law drafters face to integrate complex policies and massive amounts of material into an understandable and effective statute. They include, for example,— • using the simplest word that best conveys the intended meaning • using short sentences • using the active voice • constructing short sections • using  common  speech  equivalents  for  traditional  forms  of  expression (“without notice” instead of “   ex parte”, “under” instead of “pursuant to”). 55 The importance of structure is also stressed. This means— • substantive material should precede procedural material • the general should precede the particular • provisions of general application should precede those of limited application • the fundamental and important should precede matters of lesser significance. 56 The next step in the reform process was the passage of the Interpretation Act 1999 to  replace  the  Acts  Interpretation  Act  1924,  which  as  the  Law  Commission recognised was itself little different from the even earlier Interpretation Act 1888. The  reasons  given  by  the  Law  Commission  for  reform  included  changes  in  the perception  of  the  role  of  the  State,  changes  in  the  approach  of  the  courts  to interpretation,  the  role  and  potential  of  new  technology,  the  enactment  of  new interpretation   statutes   in   Australia,   Canada,   and   the   United   Kingdom,   and