A bill is a proposal for a law or a change to an existing law. A bill becomes law (an Act) when agreed to in identical form by both houses of Parliament and assented to by the Governor-General.
Bills introduced to Parliament are scrutinised to make sure they meet certain standards and to consider whether they should be referred to a committee for further investigation. This can include feedback from stakeholders and the general public, and a report recommending potential improvements to the bill.
TOTAL RESULTS: 353
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- Date
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19 Oct 2023
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Social Services
- Summary
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Establishes the Economic Inclusion Advisory Committee to provide advice related to the Commonwealth Government’s policies, programs and responsibilities for enhancing economic inclusion and participation.
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- Date
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25 Nov 2021
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Amends the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: extend the application of the foreign donations framework to current sitting members of the House of Representatives and Senators; require members of the House of Representatives and Senators who receive gifts for the purpose of incurring electoral expenditure or creating or communicating electoral matter to lodge an annual return with the Australian Electoral Commission; and extend the period for which a person is taken to be a candidate by an additional six months for the purpose of the disclosure period for candidate and Senate group returns and for restrictions on receiving foreign donations.
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- Date
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28 Oct 2021
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Amends the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: respond to a recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' Report on the conduct of the 2016 federal election and matters related thereto
by requiring the Electoral Commissioner to implement certain processes to assure the security and accuracy of the computer systems (including the systems for scanning ballot papers and counting votes) used to scrutinise votes for a Senate election; clarify the process for resolving candidate ties; clarify that the 'bulk exclusion' process is not required to be used in the computerised scrutiny process; allow a scrutineer to request access to an original ballot paper to resolve a question about formality or a preference vote being counted in the scrutiny of a Senate election; and require the Electoral Commissioner to publish Senate election data for each formal ballot case in the election within 7 days of the return of the writ for a Senate election.
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- Date
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28 Oct 2021
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Amends the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: implement certain recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' Report of the inquiry on the future conduct of elections operating during times of emergency situations
by enabling the Electoral Commissioner to make limited operational modifications by legislative instrument where an emergency declaration has been issued under a Commonwealth law and moving the existing power to adjourn or suspend polling at a polling place or pre-poll voting office from local polling booth presiding officers to the Electoral Commissioner; delay the commencement of the scrutiny for a House of Representatives election for a Division where polling has been adjourned or temporarily suspended; prevent scrutineers and Australian Electoral Commission officers from disclosing the results of a Senate election in a Division where polling has been adjourned; and make minor amendments in relation to the cut-off date for postal vote applications and the format of postal vote certificates.
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- Date
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28 Oct 2021
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Not Proceeding
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Responds to recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' reports into the conduct of the 2013, 2016 and 2019 elections by amending the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
to require voters to provide an acceptable form of identification, or alternatively an attestation from another enrolled person who does have an acceptable form of identification, in order to cast an ordinary pre-poll or polling day vote in federal elections and referendums.
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- Date
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29 Nov 2018
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Amends the:
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: make completion of a qualification checklist compulsory in relation to candidate nominations; enable candidates to lodge their nominations and certain other documents electronically; and allow a senior Australian Electoral Commission staff member rather than a senior Divisional Returning Officer to be on the Redistribution Committee for the Australian Capital Territory; and Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
to amend various aspects of voting and scrutiny processes.
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- Date
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30 Mar 2017
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Implements the Government’s response to the recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters’ report The 2016 Federal Election: Interim Report on the authorisation of voter communication by amending the:
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: apply the electoral authorisation requirements to modern communication channels; require all paid electoral advertising to be authorised; require entities subject to the electoral funding and financial disclosure regime to include this information in their political communications; ensure the obligation to authorise electoral and referendum matter primarily rests with those responsible for the decision to communicate it; and replace the current criminal non-compliance regime with a civil penalty regime to be administered by the Australian Electoral Commission; Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
, Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1993
, Broadcasting Services Act 1992
and Special Broadcasting Service Act 1991
to harmonise authorisation requirements across broadcasting, electoral and referendum legislation; Parliamentary Proceedings Broadcasting Act 1946
to make consequential amendments; and Criminal Code Act 1995
to introduce an offence which criminalises false representations in relation to a Commonwealth body.
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- Date
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29 Nov 2012
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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In response to certain recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters report
The 2010 federal election: report on the conduct of the election and related matters
, the bill amends the: Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: provide for further fixed periods of time to be provided to the augmented Electoral Commission to complete its inquiries into objections against proposed redistribution of electoral boundaries; and not require a silent voter to re-apply to be treated as a silent voter when changing address; Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
to: establish procedures to be taken when a ballot-box is opened prematurely; remove the requirement for an applicant for a pre-poll ordinary vote to complete and sign a certificate; provide that pre-poll voting offences will open on the fourth day after nominations close; and provide that applications for postal votes must be received on the Wednesday three days before polling day; and Taxation Administration Act 1953
to allow the Australian Taxation Office to disclose protected information to the Electoral Commissioner.
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- Date
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27 Jun 2012
- Chamber
-
House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
-
Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Amends the:
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
to: remove the prescription relating to how postal votes are processed and facilitate technological developments over time; and make technical amendments; and Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
to: increase to $1000 and $2000, respectively, the nomination deposit that must be paid by or on behalf of candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate; increase to 100 the number of electors required to nominate an unendorsed candidate; and require unendorsed Senate candidates, who have made a request to be grouped, to each be nominated by 100 unique electors.
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- Date
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15 Feb 2012
- Chamber
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House of Representatives
- Status
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Act
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Portfolio
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Special Minister of State
- Summary
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Amends the
Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918
and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984
to: allow the Electoral Commissioner to directly enrol a person if the Electoral Commissioner is satisfied that the person has met certain criteria; require the person to be notified of the Electoral Commissioner’s intention to enrol them and give the elector the opportunity to object to the enrolment; allow the Electoral Commissioner to admit certain declaration votes to further scrutiny; allow the Electoral Commissioner to enrol certain persons who have cast declaration votes and who have been removed from the roll; and make technical amendments.
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