ABBREVIATIONS — parties and committees
| AG | Australian Greens | LP | Liberal Party of Australia [Govt] |
| ALP | Australian Labor Party [Opp] | Nats | The Nationals [Govt] |
| CA | Centre Alliance | PHON | Pauline Hanson's One Nation |
| CLP | Country Liberal Party | SBC | Senate Selection of Bills Committee |
| Ind | Independent | SC | House of Representatives Selection Committee |
| JLN | Jacqui Lambie Network | UAP | United Australia Party |
| KAP | Katter's Australian Party | | |
(Indigenous Australians portfolio)
Amends the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 to: establish the Northern Territory Aboriginal Investment Corporation to invest in Aboriginal business and commercial projects and make other payments for the benefit of Aboriginal people living in the Northern Territory (NT); amend exploration and mining processes on Aboriginal land in the NT; prescribe the nomination and approval processes and funding arrangements for approved entities that may hold a township lease; provide that land councils may enter into agreements in respect of land that is the subject of a deed of grant held in escrow; increase the amount at which land councils must seek ministerial approval to enter into a contract; remove the requirement that certain permits may only be revoked by the issuer of the permit; increase penalties for unauthorised access to Aboriginal land; remove redundant powers which allow for the delegation of land council functions to certain corporations; and make technical amendments in relation to the Aboriginals Benefit Account.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- Passed 18/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 18/10/21
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 21/10/21 (SBC report no. 12 of 2021); report tabled 25/11/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 AG agreed to; 14 AG negatived
- Passed 30/11/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 1/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 132, 2021)
(Ms Sharkie MP — CA)
Amends the Aged Care Act 1997 to: enable aged care recipients to access clear information regarding the administrative and management fees charged for home care services; ensure that home care charges are spent on home care services provided rather than on administrative or management charges for provision of those services; enable aged care recipients to exit a home care agreement without financial penalty; and access relevant information regarding the costs of home care packages by approved providers in their local area when looking to enter into a home care agreement.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Aged Care Act 1997 to require all approved aged care facilities to have at least one registered nurse on duty at all times to provide care and supervise the provision of care to residents of approved aged care facilities.
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 1/9/21
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 to insert a definition of 'restrictive practice' and provide for the Quality of Care Principles to specify certain requirements in relation to the use of a restrictive practice; enable the secretary to conduct home care assurance reviews; and remove the requirement for the Minister for Aged Care to establish a committee known as the Aged Care Financing Authority; and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to expand the powers of the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner to include the ability to issue a written notice if an approved provider does not comply with their responsibilities and to apply for a civil penalty order against a provider if they do not comply with the written notice.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 21/6/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 27/5/21; report presented out of sitting 11/6/21
- Introduced 23/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp agreed to
- Passed 24/6/21
Assent: 28/6/21 (Act No. 57, 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends: the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to enable the introduction of the Australian National Aged Care Classification to replace the Aged Care Funding Instrument as the residential aged care subsidy calculation model from 1 October 2022; the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to: provide for nationally consistent pre-employment screening for aged care workers of approved providers to replace existing police checking obligations; enable the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner to make and enforce a code of conduct that will apply to approved providers and their workers, including governing persons; extend the Serious Incident Response Scheme to home and flexible care delivered in a home or community care setting from 1 July 2022; introduce new governance responsibilities for approved providers of Commonwealth-funded aged care; enable the secretary or commissioner to request information or documents from a provider or borrower relating to the use of a loan made with a refundable deposit or accommodation bond and create an offence for a borrower who does not comply with this request; and extend the period of liability for the existing offences for the misuse of refundable accommodation deposits prior to an insolvency event for both providers and key personnel of providers; five Acts to enable information sharing between certain Commonwealth bodies; the National Health Reform Act 2011 and Aged Care Act 1997 to expand the functions of a renamed Independent Health and Aged Care Pricing Authority and establish new governance arrangements and appointments processes; and the National Health Reform Act 2011, Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to enable the use and disclosure of information required for the authority to perform its new functions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 14 Govt agreed to
- Passed 25/10/21
Senate:
(Senator Griff — CA)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 to require residential aged care providers to disclose their income, costs of food and medication, staff and staff training, accommodation, administration and monies paid to parent bodies in annual financial transparency reports to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner; and Corporations Act 2001 to ensure residential aged care providers include detailed financial information in annual financial statements.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/6/20, 30/11/20
- Bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 18/6/20 (SBC report no. 6 of 2020); extensions of time to report 12/11/20, 4/2/21; report tabled 24/6/21
(Ms Sharkie MP — CA)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 to require residential aged care providers to disclose their income, cost of food and medication, staff and staff training, accommodation, administration and monies paid to parent bodies in annual financial transparency reports to the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner, and Corporations Act 2001 to ensure residential aged care providers include detailed financial information in annual financial statements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 19/10/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport 21/10/20 (SC report no. 21)
- Removed from Notice Paper 23/3/21
(Act citation: Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Improved Home Care Payment Administration No. 2) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to amend the arrangements relating to the payment of home care subsidy to approved providers by providing that the Commonwealth will retain, on behalf of home care recipients, any subsidy that may be in excess of the care and services provided, to be drawn down as care and services are provided in future; and A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 to ensure that the supply of home care remains GST-free.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 6 Govt agreed to
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 2, 2021)
(Act citation: Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to: implement a Serious Incident Response Scheme for residential aged care and flexible care delivered in a residential aged care setting; and expand the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner's powers to administer and enforce the requirements of the scheme and the responsibilities of approved providers and related offences; and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- Committee amendments: 5 AG negatived; 4 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 9, 2021)
(Act citation: Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment (Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority Board and Other Improvements) Act 2021)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Amends the: Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994 in relation to: information to be taken into account by the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA) in determining applications; approval and registration for prescribed active constituents, chemical products or labels; limits on use of information; computerised decision-making by the APVMA; management of errors in an application at the preliminary assessment stage; variation of relevant particulars and conditions; variation of approval or registration during suspension; suspension or cancellation of approval or registration for provision of false or misleading information; notification and publication of voluntary recalls; obligations on holders and applicants to inform the APVMA of new information where it relates to the safety criteria; definition of 'registered chemical product'; supply or registered chemical products with unapproved label; safety, efficacy, trade and labelling criteria; and clarification that the 'expiry date' is the date after which a chemical product must not be used; Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Products (Collection of Levy) Act 1994 and Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Administration) Act 1992 to simplify reporting requirements for annual returns; Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Administration) Act 1992 and Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Code Act 1994 in relation to: the establishment of civil pecuniary penalties for providing false or misleading information; the Maximum Residue Limits Standard; and minor and technical amendments, including the removal of redundant provisions; and Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals (Administration) Act 1992 to: remove the requirement for the APVMA to prepare an annual operational plan; and establish a governance board for the APVMA and cease the existing APVMA Advisory Board. Also repeals the Agricultural and Veterinary Chemicals Legislation Amendment (Removing Re-approval and Re-registration) Act 2014.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 23/12/19
Senate:
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 1/12/21
Assent: 7/12/21 (Act No. 125, 2021)
(Act citation: Agriculture Legislation Amendment (Streamlining Administration) Act 2021)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 and Imported Food Control Act 1992 to enable computerised decision-making for certain purposes.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- Bill referred to Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report no. 9 of 2019) upon introduction in the Senate (2/12/19); report presented out of sitting 31/1/20
- Passed 25/2/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 16, 2021)
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Repeals the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation Amendment Act 1990, National Residue Survey (Consequential Provisions) Act 1992, Wool International Act 1993 and Wool International Privatisation Act 1999.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/7/19
- Read a 1st time 2/7/19
(Senator Rice — AG)
Amends the: Air Services Act 1995 to: provide that the functions of Airservices Australia (AA) include undertaking activities to protect the human and natural environment, community amenity and residential areas from the effects of the operation and use of aircraft, and associated effects; introduce new consultation arrangements for AA and persons affected by aircraft noise; require AA to consider the need to minimise the impact of aircraft operations on the human and natural environment, community amenity and residential areas when preparing corporate plans; expand the AA board by up to two members and require that it include an expert in environmental management and a representative of a community group affected by aircraft noise; and provide for the creation and operations of the Aircraft Noise Ombudsman and related reporting arrangements; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to require the minister to appoint an independent Community Aviation Advocate to represent communities affected by aircraft noise.
Senate:
- Introduced 27/3/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/3/18
- Bill referred to Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee 28/3/18 (SBC report no. 4 of 2018); extension of time to report 18/6/18; report tabled 16/8/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Agriculture and Northern Australia portfolio)
Amends the: Australian Animal Health Council (Live-stock Industries) Funding Act 1996 to: facilitate the funding of emergency responses under emergency biosecurity response deeds other than the Emergency Animal Disease Response Agreement, including the proposed Emergency Response Deed for Aquatic Animal Diseases; provide for the Governor-General to make regulations prescribing certain matters; and remove redundant provisions that relate to honey, as honey-related levies are no longer paid to Animal Health Australia; Plant Health Australia (Plant Industries) Funding Act 2002 to: broaden the scope of permissible uses for Emergency Plant Pest Response (EPPR) levies to include the promotion of maintenance of the health of an EPPR plant; provide for the secretary to determine by notifiable instrument a body in relation to a specified EPPR plant product; and remove redundant provisions that provide for the redirection of excess levies to research and development purposes; and Horticulture Marketing and Research and Development Services Act 2000 and Primary Industries Research and Development Act 1989 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
Amends the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 to: require gambling companies to report to the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre if they have reason to suspect a person is paying for gambling services with money obtained illegally; and enable the Federal Court to make compensation orders where gambling companies have provided gambling services to a person who they suspect has paid for the gambling service using money obtained illegally.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/10/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/5/21
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of the government, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Supply Act (No. 1) 2020-2021 and Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2020-2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
Assent: 27/5/21 (Act No. 37, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Supply Act (No. 2) 2020-2021 and Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2020-2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/2/21
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
Assent: 27/5/21 (Act No. 38, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of the government.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG to Opp negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/6/21
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 67, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- Passed 22/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/6/21
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 68, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure in relation to the parliamentary departments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- Passed 22/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/6/21
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 69, 2021)
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Amends the: Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exclude a right of access to documents provided to, or created by, the Independent Review into the workplaces of Parliamentarians and their staff conducted under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner; and Archives Act 1983 to provide that these documents would not come into the open access period until 99 years after the year the documents came into existence.
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Ind (Steggall) agreed to
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Senate agreed to House of Representatives amendment 11/5/21
Assent: 16/5/21 (Act No. 34, 2021)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Amends the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 to: amend the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Charter to require the ABC to broadcast programs that contribute to a sense of regional and national identity, and inform and entertain, and reflect the geographic and cultural diversity of, the Australian community; require the ABC Board to have two members with a substantial connection to, or substantial experience in, a regional area through business, industry or community involvement; establish a Regional Advisory Council to advise the ABC Board; and require the ABC Board to report annually on a range of additional matters, including the total number of individuals employed in regional and metropolitan areas, and the journalist to support staff ratio of employees.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/7/19, 16/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp pending
(Treasury portfolio)
Establishes the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) to: provide a source of 'patient capital' for small and medium enterprises; authorise investment by the Commonwealth in the ABGF; and appropriate $100 million for the purposes of the ABGF.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 6/2/20
Senate:
(Senator Di Natale — AG)
Establishes the Australian Cannabis Agency to regulate the production and distribution of recreational cannabis in the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
Senate:
- Introduced 27/11/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Hanson — PHON)
Amends the: Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority Act 2008 to require the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority to ensure that school education provides a balanced presentation of opposing views on political, historical and scientific issues; and Australian Education Act 2013 to make financial assistance to a state or territory conditional on the state or territory having certain laws in force.
Senate:
- Introduced 10/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/2/20, 31/8/20
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 10/12/20 (SBC report no. 12 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 5/7/21
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
The bill: establishes the Australian Federal Integrity Commission as an independent public sector anti-corruption commission for the Commonwealth; provides for the appointment, functions and powers of the Federal Integrity Commissioner, Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner, Whistleblower Protection Commissioner and Assistant Federal Integrity Commissioners; establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Federal Integrity Commission; establishes the Parliamentary Inspector of the Australian Federal Integrity Commission; and makes consequential amendments to the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006, Ombudsman Act 1976 and Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/10/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/5/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
The bill: establishes the Australian Federal Integrity Commission as an independent public sector anti-corruption commission for the Commonwealth; provides for the appointment, functions and powers of the Federal Integrity Commissioner, Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner, Whistleblower Protection Commissioner and Assistant Federal Integrity Commissioners; establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Federal Integrity Commission; establishes the Parliamentary Inspector of the Australian Federal Integrity Commission and the Whistleblower Protection Special Account; and makes consequential amendments to the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006, Ombudsman Act 1976 and Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.
Senate:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 20/10/21
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
The bill: establishes the Australian Federal Integrity Commission as an independent public sector anti-corruption commission for the Commonwealth; provides for the appointment, functions and powers of the Federal Integrity Commissioner, Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner, Whistleblower Protection Commissioner and Assistant Federal Integrity Commissioners; establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Australian Federal Integrity Commission; establishes the Parliamentary Inspector of the Australian Federal Integrity Commission; and makes consequential amendments to the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006, Ombudsman Act 1976 and Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Act citation: Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 to: require recognised vaccination providers to report certain information in relation to certain vaccinations administered both within and outside Australia; authorise the collection and use of Commonwealth assigned identifiers; introduce civil penalties should recognised vaccination providers not comply with the reporting requirements; create a power for the secretary to require recognised vaccination providers to produce information if they do not comply with the reporting requirements; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 3/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- Passed 4/2/21
Assent: 15/2/21 (Act No. 1, 2021)
(Senator Griff — CA)
Amends the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare Act 1987 to require accredited assisted reproductive technology (ART) centres to provide certain statistical information to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) and require the AIHW to publish this statistical information and a list of non-complying accredited ART centres.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 25/7/19 (SBC report no. 3 of 2019); extension of time to report 11/11/19; report tabled 4/12/19
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
Introduced with the Australian Local Power Agency (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021, the bill: establishes the Australian Local Power Agency (ALPA) to support the development of community energy projects in Australia, increase the competitiveness of renewable energy supplied by community energy projects and ensure that regional communities share in the benefits of renewable energy; provides for ALPA's functions and powers; establishes the Board of ALPA and provides for its functions, members, meetings and committees; and provides for the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer, staff and consultants.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 24/2/21 (SC report no. 27)
- Removed from Notice Paper 19/10/21
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
Introduced with the Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021, the bill amends the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011, Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012 and Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011 to make amendments consequential on the establishment of the Australian Local Power Agency.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 24/2/21 (SC report no. 27)
- Removed from Notice Paper 19/10/21
(Senator Di Natale — AG)
The bill: enshrines the principles of diversity and multiculturalism; establishes the Australian Multicultural Commission and provides for its functions, powers, constitution, operation and inquiries; and provides for annual reporting requirements for Commonwealth entities.
Senate:
- Introduced 23/8/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 23/8/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority Act 2008 to abolish the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Board and establish an advisory board and expert advisory committees to provide advice to the Chief Executive Officer on certain matters including organ or tissue donation and transplantation matters, and for the Authority to make grants relating to organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 11/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 89, 2021)
(Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio)
Amends the Australian Passports Act 2005 to enable the minister to make Australian travel document data available for the purposes of, and by the automated means intrinsic to, the identity-matching services to which the Commonwealth, states and territories agreed in the Intergovernmental Agreement on Identity Matching Services, agreed by COAG on 5 October 2017.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/7/19
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 2/8/19; report tabled in House of Representatives 24/10/19 and Senate 13/11/19
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Australian Research Council Act 2001 to: apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts for the financial years commencing on 1 July 2021, 1 July 2022 and 1 July 2023; and insert a new funding cap for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2024.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/21
(Senator Faruqi — AG)
Amends the Australian Research Council Act 2001 to remove ministerial discretion in relation to the approval of research grants administered by the Australian Research Council.
Senate:
- Introduced 15/11/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Rice — AG)
Amends the Australian Sports Commission Act 1989 to provide for the Australian Sports Commission to fund applications that were submitted to the Community Sports Infrastructure Grants program and recommended to the Minister for Sports for funding, but subsequently not funded under the program.
Senate:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 14/5/20
(Previous title: Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Thematic Sanctions) Bill 2021)
(Foreign Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Autonomous Sanctions Act 2011 to: specify thematic categories of conduct to which autonomous sanctions can be applied; clarify that autonomous sanctions regimes established under the regulations can be either country-specific or thematic; and specify decision-making processes for imposing targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on person and entities under thematic sanctions regimes.
Senate:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp agreed to; 1 AG agreed to; 9 AG negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 7/12/21 (Act No. 128, 2021)
(Senator Roberts — PHON)
Amends the Banking Act 1959 to: provide that the conversion and write-off provisions do not extend to the bail-in of deposit accounts; and provide that nothing in the Act or other Commonwealth legislation gives the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority the power to implement, authorise or direct the implementation of bail-in of deposit accounts.
Senate:
- Introduced 27/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/2/20, 30/11/20
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 18/6/20 (SBC report no. 6 of 2020); extension of time to report 3/8/20; report tabled 24/8/20
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to clarify the validity of certain determinations that specify that certain classes of goods are conditionally non-prohibited goods which must not be brought or imported into Australian territory unless they are covered by an import permit or unless alternative conditions specified in the determination are complied with.
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Assent: 31/3/21 (Act No. 33, 2021)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to: expand pre-arrival reporting requirements for aircraft and vessels; strengthen penalties for non-compliance with negative pratique requirements; create a mechanism to make a human biosecurity group direction; increase civil and criminal penalties for contraventions of certain requirements in relation to goods; amend the process for making certain determinations specifying prohibited, conditionally non-prohibited and suspended goods or granting permits based on risk assessments; and provide legislative authority for expenditure for biosecurity-related programs and activities, such as surveillance programs for pests and diseases.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
Senate:
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
The bill: repeals the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirements—High Risk Country Travel Pause) Determination 2021; and amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to prevent the Minister for Health from making a determination or giving a direction that prevents or restricts an Australian citizen or permanent resident outside Australia from returning to Australia.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/5/21
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to increase the civil and criminal penalty amounts for contraventions of certain key requirements relating to the assessment and management of biosecurity risks of goods that are brought or imported into Australian territory, and the carrying out of biosecurity activities in accordance with an approved arrangement.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 16/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 21/6/21
- Committee amendments: 1 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 23/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 58, 2021)
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to: reduce the expenditure required by subscription television broadcasting licensees on new eligible drama expenditure from 10 per cent to 5 per cent; provide for subscription television captioning rules to be made by legislative instrument; remove the requirement that all frequency channels allotted or reserved in a digital radio channel plan be within the same frequency band; provide that a regional commercial radio broadcasting licensee does not breach a licence condition if it is only as a result of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) making a new licence area population determination; and extend the timeframe for the ACMA to make grants under the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund beyond 30 June 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/6/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 13/5/21 (SBC report no. 5 of 2021); extension of time to report 16/6/21; report presented out of sitting 18/6/21
- Introduced 15/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp agreed to; 2 Ind (Patrick) agreed to; 2 Opp negatived; 2 AG negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 23/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 62, 2021)
(Senator Steele-John — AG)
Amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to: require national broadcasters, commercial television broadcasting licensees and subscription television licensees to provide a minimum number of hours of television audio description per week; and provide for the Australian Communications and Media Authority to enforce and review the new requirement.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/2/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
Amends the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 to require the Treasurer to release and table regular rural and regional Australia statements to provide information to allow assessment of the impact of government policy decisions on rural and regional Australia.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 23/11/21
(Foreign Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Charter of the United Nations Act 1945 to: specify that certain counter-terrorism financial sanctions lists and revocations be made by legislative instrument; and confirm the validity of action that has been taken, or which may need to be taken, in respect of conduct in relation to existing counter-terrorism financial sanctions listings that were made but not registered on the Federal Register of Legislation at the time of their making.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/8/21
- Passed 30/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 31/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
Assent: 13/9/21 (Act No. 106, 2021)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Amends the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012 to establish the $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund to support investments in new energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure, including eligible projects shortlisted under the Underwriting New Generation Investments program.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/8/20, 15/2/21, 16/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp pending
Senate:
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Introduced with the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020, the bill: sets a target of achieving net zero emissions by 31 December 2050; establishes the Climate Change Commission and provides for its functions, powers, membership and staffing; prescribes a number of guiding principles to which decision makers under the Act must have regard; requires the commission to periodically complete a national climate change assessment (national assessment); requires the minister to prepare a national adaptation plan in response to each national assessment; requires the minister, by legislative instrument, to set an emissions budget for each prescribed emissions budget period; requires the minister to prepare an emissions reduction plan setting out the policies and strategies for meeting each emissions budget; and establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Climate Adaptation and Mitigation and provides for its powers, proceedings and functions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 11/11/20 (SC report no. 23); report tabled 3/8/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 22/6/21
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Introduced with the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2021, the bill: sets a target of achieving net zero emissions by 31 December 2050; aims to reduce net accounting emissions by 60% on 2005 levels by 2030; establishes the Climate Change Commission and provides for its functions, powers, membership and staffing; prescribes a number of guiding principles to which decision makers under the Act must have regard; requires the commission to periodically complete a national climate change assessment (national assessment); requires the minister to prepare a national adaptation plan in response to each national assessment; requires the minister, by legislative instrument, to set an emissions budget for each prescribed emissions budget period; requires the minister to prepare an emissions reduction plan setting out the policies and strategies for meeting each emissions budget; ensures rural and regional Australia shares in the economic benefits from the transition to a net zero emissions economy; and establishes the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Climate Adaptation and Mitigation and provides for its powers, proceedings and functions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/10/21
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Introduced with the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2020, the bill: repeals the Climate Change Authority Act 2011; and amends the: Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011, Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 to make consequential amendments; and Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 to require Commonwealth entities to consider the potential risks of climate change when performing functions, duties, or exercising powers, and include this information in annual reports.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 11/11/20 (SC report no. 23); report tabled 3/8/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 22/6/21
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Introduced with the Climate Change (National Framework for Adaptation and Mitigation) Bill 2021, the bill: repeals the Climate Change Authority Act 2011; and amends the: Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011, Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 to make consequential amendments; and Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 to require Commonwealth entities to consider the potential risks of climate change when performing functions, duties or exercising powers, and include this information in annual reports.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/10/21
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Amends: the COAG Reform Fund Act 2008 to amend the short title of the Act to the Federation Reform Fund Act 2008; the COAG Refund Fund Act 2008 and eight other Acts to update references to the COAG Reform Fund with references to the Federation Reform Fund; 16 Acts to: update references to COAG with references to the First Ministers Council and define it as a body consisting only of, or including, the Prime Minister, Premiers and Chief Ministers; retain the term Ministerial Council, but amends its definition to a body that consists of the Minister of the Commonwealth and each State and Territory who is responsible for the relevant matter; or amend specific names of councils to the generic Ministerial Council term; and 17 Acts to confirm that where Commonwealth legislation makes provisions to protect from disclosure the deliberations and decisions of the Cabinet and its committees, these provisions apply to the deliberations and decisions of the National Cabinet.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/9/21
Senate:
(Senator Rice — AG)
Amends the: COAG Reform Fund Act 2008 to establish a new condition on financial assistance provided by the Commonwealth government to neutralise the revenue effect of taxes and charges imposed by states and territories on the purchase and use of electric vehicles; and Fuel Indexation (Road Funding) Special Account Act 2015 to make a consequential amendment.
Senate:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 4/2/21 (SBC report no. 1 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 21/4/21; final report presented out of sitting 7/5/21
- Negatived at 2nd reading 21/6/21
(Senator Di Natale — AG)
Prohibits the Commonwealth government or its agencies from funding the refurbishment, building or purchase, or assisting in the transfer of ownership, of a coal-fired power station.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/10/17
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/10/17, 19/3/18, 10/9/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 4/7/19 (SBC report no. 2 of 2019); extensions of time to report 14/10/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 16/4/20
(Mr Bandt MP — AG)
Amends the: Customs Act 1901 to limit and prohibit the importation and exportation of thermal coal unless it is being used for research, analysis or display from 2030; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: prohibit the establishment of new coal mines or coal-fired power stations; prohibit the mining or burning of coal after 1 January 2030; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Senator Waters — AG)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: prohibit political donations from property developers, the tobacco industry, the banking industry, liquor and gambling businesses, pharmaceutical companies, the mining industry and representative organisations for these industries; imposes a cumulative limit on political donations from any source of $3000 per election term; and extend the definition of 'gift' to include subscription and membership fees, as well as attendance at fundraising events.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/6/20
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 18/6/20 (SBC report no. 6 of 2020); report tabled 16/3/21
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: require registered political parties including state branches, individual political candidates, groups of political candidates or associated entities to: disclose all cumulative donations received equal or above $1000 (non-indexed) from the same person or entity on a quarterly basis to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC); and disclose all cumulative donations received equal or above the indexed AEC threshold ($14 500) from the same person or entity within five business days of receiving the donations; and require the Electoral Commissioner to publish all disclosures on the AEC Transparency Register.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Senator Lambie — JLN)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: extend the definition of reporting entities to include political entities, campaigners, associated entities and third parties; lower the political donation disclosure threshold from $14 000 to $2500; require disclosure by reporting entities and donors when the sum of the gifts and donations provided by the same donor to the same reporting entity is greater than the disclosure threshold; require disclosure by reporting entities within 7 days of a reportable gift being made, and require disclosure within 7 days of any subsequent gifts until the end of the reporting period; require reporting entities to lodge half-yearly returns with details of the nature and source of all reportable donations and other receipts; require reporting entities to hold an electoral expenditure account with an authorised deposit-taking institution, from which all electoral expenditure must be paid; increase the monitoring and investigatory powers of the Australian Electoral Commission; and provide for infringement notices and civil penalty provisions for reporting entities that fail to meet their disclosure obligations.
Senate:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 5/2/20
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 27/2/20 (SBC report no. 3 of 2020); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 3/9/20; report tabled 3/12/20
(Senators McCarthy and Farrell — ALP)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to provide for a minimum of two divisions in the Northern Territory in the House of Representatives.
Senate:
- Introduced 11/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/6/20, 24/8/20
- Bill referred to Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters 12/6/20; report tabled in House of Representatives 21/10/20 and Senate 1/12/20
(Senator McGrath — LP)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: replace compulsory preferential voting with optional preferential voting for House of Representatives elections; enable voters to allocate preferences to candidates of their choosing only; provide vote saving provisions for voters who do not preference each and every candidate; provide for the position of candidates listed on House of Representatives ballots papers to be re-ordered between ballot papers (the Robson Rotation); and distribute batches of ballot papers which list each candidate in favourable positions equally.
Senate:
- Introduced 1/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 1/12/21
(Senator Roberts — PHON)
Amends the: Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: provide for the routine independent auditing of authorised electronic technology used at federal elections; and require voter identification for electors to vote in federal elections; and Intelligence Services Act 2001 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 1/9/21, 18/10/21
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee (SBC report no. 11 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 14/10/21
(Senator Steele-John — AG)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 to: lower the minimum (non-compulsory) voting age in Australian federal elections and referenda from 18 to 16 years; allow 14 and 15 year olds to be added to the electoral roll in preparation for their eligibility to vote at 16 years of age; provide for 16 and 17 year olds to be included in the certified list of voters (but not to be given a penalty notice if they do not vote); and provide that an eligible voter, who is not yet on the electoral roll or enrolled at their correct address, is able to cast a provisional vote on election day.
Senate:
- Introduced 18/6/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/6/18, 21/6/18
- Bill referred to Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters 25/6/18; extensions of time to report 20/9/18, 28/11/18; report presented out of sitting 29/3/19; report tabled in House of Representatives 2/4/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: prohibit misleading and deceptive political advertising during federal elections; prohibit political parties, candidates and campaigners from impersonating or passing off material as being from another candidate; and create a complaints process through the Australian Electoral Commissioner who may order a retraction of the statement or apology to the effected party.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Senator Farrell — ALP)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: lower the political donation disclosure threshold from $13 800 to $1000; and remove the indexation of the disclosure threshold.
Senate:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/11/19, 15/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG pending
(Senator Farrell — ALP)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to require political parties and their associated entities, candidates, and Senate groups to provide a disclosure return to the Australian Electoral Commission of all political donations and gift received at or above the disclosure threshold of $14 000 within seven days of receiving the donation or gift.
Senate:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/11/19
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
Amends the: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: establish the Commonwealth Environment Protection Authority to exercise the routine administrative regulatory functions currently undertaken by the Commonwealth in relation to the Act and other Commonwealth legislation relating to the environment; and establish the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Environment and Energy; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Water Act 2007 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 23/11/21
(Dr Haines MP — Ind)
The bill: provides for statutory codes of conduct for the members of each house of parliament and their staff; creates a statutory basis for parliamentarians' registers of interests; establishes a Parliamentary Integrity Advisor to provide independent, confidential advice and guidance to parliamentarians and their staff in relation to the applicable codes of conduct; and establishes a Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to assist in the assessment, investigation and resolution of alleged breaches of the applicable codes of conduct.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/10/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/5/21
(Mr Katter MP — KAP)
Amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to: prohibit the supply in trade or commerce of objects that that include an Indigenous cultural expression, unless it is made in accordance with an arrangement with the relevant Indigenous artist and community, and the object is made in Australia; and creates an offence for the supply of objects that include an Indigenous cultural expression without an arrangement with the relevant Indigenous community and artist.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/8/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/3/21
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to establish a scheme that mandates that service and repair information provided to car dealership networks and manufacturer preferred repairs be made available for independent repairs and registered training organisations to purchase at a fair market price; and Copyright Act 1968 to provide that the statutory licensing scheme for educational institutions does not apply to such information.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 24/6/21 (Act No. 54, 2021)
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
Amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to make it an offence to supply or offer commercial goods to a consumer that include Indigenous cultural expression unless supplied by, or in accordance with a transparent arrangement with, an Indigenous artist or relevant Indigenous community.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/2/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 4/7/19 (SBC report no. 2 of 2019); extensions of time to report 25/11/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 16/4/20
(Senator Xenophon — Nick Xenophon Team)
Amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to require the minister to make an information standard for goods containing palm oil and ensure that the information standard is in force at all times.
Senate:
- Introduced 21/6/17
- 2nd reading adjourned 21/6/17, 17/8/17
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Griff — CA and Senator Patrick — Ind)
Subject to approval in accordance with section 128 of the Constitution, the bill proposes an alteration to the Constitution to provide that the Commonwealth, states and territories must not limit freedom of expression, including freedom of the press and other media.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 17/6/21 (SBC report no. 6 of 2021); extension of time to report 22/11/21; report due 31/3/22
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Subject to approval in accordance with section 128 of the Constitution, the bill proposes an alteration to the Constitution to: provide the Commonwealth with the power to make laws in relation to the use and management of water resources that extend beyond the limits of a state; and ensure that any Commonwealth law relating to water resources does not have an overall detrimental effect on the environment.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Select Committee on the Multi-Jurisdictional Management and Execution of the Murray Darling Basin Plan 12/9/19 (SBC report no. 5 of 2019); extensions of time to report 28/8/20, 4/2/21; report presented out of sitting 30/9/21
(Senator McKim — AG)
Amends the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020 to: delay businesses with an annual turnover of more than $50 million from claiming GST credits for ten years, or until they pay back the amount of Jobkeeper payment they received equal to the amount of profits made and/or executive bonuses paid during the financial year in which the entity received the payment; and require the Australian Taxation Office to publish a list of all entities with an annual turnover of more than $50 million in receipt of Jobkeeper payments and how much each entity received.
Senate:
- Introduced 21/6/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 21/6/21
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 24/6/21 (SBC report no. 7 of 2021); extension of time to report 11/8/21; progress report presented out of sitting 1/10/21; final report presented out of sitting 15/10/21; corrigendum tabled 30/11/21
(Senator Waters — AG)
The bill: creates the Coronavirus Economic Support and Recovery Fund to invest in the arts and entertainment, manufacturing, and the renewable energy and electricity transmission sectors; and amends the: Social Security Act 1991 to expand eligibility for the COVID-19 supplement to recipients of the disability support payment and carer payment; Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to expand eligibility of the jobseeker payment to Australian resident temporary visa holders; and Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020 to establish rules for the jobkeeper scheme to: extend potential eligibility for the scheme to all casual employees, regardless of their period of employment, temporary visa holders, and intermittent workers with a demonstrated income history; include certain entities owned by overseas governments as eligible employers, and higher education providers as eligible employers; and enable prompt back payment of newly eligible employees and employers.
Senate:
- Introduced 11/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/6/20
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends: the Corporations Act 2001 to establish a corporate collective investment vehicle (CCIV) as a new type of a company limited by shares that is used for funds management; the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: specify the tax treatment for the CCIV regime; make amendments consequential on the commencement of the Commonwealth Registers Act 2020; update the list of deductible gift recipients; and remove cessation of employment as a taxing point for employee share scheme interests which are subject to deferred taxation; the International Tax Agreements Act 1953 to clarify that the priority rule is subject to the deeming principle; the Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, Personal Property Securities Act 2009, A New Tax System (Australian Business Number) Act 1999 and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to make consequential amendments in relation to the CCIV regime; the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to enable eligible corporate tax entities to claim a loss carry back tax offset in the 2022-23 financial year; 10 Acts and one determination in the Treasury portfolio to make miscellaneous and technical amendments; and the Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to insert a new covenant that requires trustees of registrable superannuation entities to develop a retirement income strategy for beneficiaries who are retired or are approaching retirement.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21
Senate:
(Indigenous Australians portfolio)
Amends the: Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 in relation to: review of the operation of the Act every 7 years; powers and functions of the Registrar of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Corporations; membership information, including applications, member contact details and electronic communication; subsidiaries and joint ventures; size classification criteria for corporations; meeting and reporting requirements; constitutions for, and officers of, corporations; related party transactions; power to exempt corporations from employee-director requirement; the appointment of independent directors; publication requirements; storage of information requirements; alignment of the Act with the Corporations Act; finalising processes; dealing with unclaimed property; external administration and deregistration; minor technical amendments; and review of financial reports; and Native Title Act 1993 to make minor technical amendments in relation to the Native Title Register.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- Passed 2/9/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Implements the government's response to the report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services' inquiry into litigation funding and the regulation of the class action industry by amending the Corporations Act 2001 to: establish a new kind of managed investment scheme called a class action litigation funding scheme; and introduce additional requirements for the constitutions of managed investment schemes that are class action litigation funding schemes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/10/21
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services 28/10/21; report tabled in House of Representatives 22/11/21 and Senate 23/11/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 UAP negatived
- Passed 24/11/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the Corporations Act 2001 to: establish a permanent mechanism to allow companies and registered schemes to hold hybrid (in person and remote) meetings; and use technology to execute, sign and share company and meeting related documents.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Govt agreed to
- Passed 29/11/21
Senate:
(Previous title: Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (High Risk Terrorist Offenders) Bill 2020)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the: Criminal Code Act 1995 to provide for a State or Territory Supreme Court to make an extended supervision order (ESO) as an alternative to a continuing detention order, which may impose conditions on high risk terrorist offenders; National Security Information (Criminal and Civil Proceedings) Act 2004 to provide for the availability of court-only evidence in ESO proceedings; Crimes Act 1914, Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 and Surveillance Devices Act 2004 to extend the application of the existing control order monitoring warrant provisions to the monitoring of ESOs; Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 and Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 to make consequential amendments; and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 1/10/20; report presented to Senate out of sitting 16/9/21; report tabled in House of Representatives 18/10/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 79 Govt agreed to
- Passed 19/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 22/11/21
Assent: 8/12/21 (Act No. 131, 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the Criminal Code Act 1995 to extend the operation of the declared areas provisions for a further 3 years and the control order regime and the preventative detention orders (PDO) regime for a further 15 months; Intelligence Services Act 2001 to provide that the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security may review the operation, effectiveness and proportionality of the declared areas provisions prior to their sunset date; Crimes Act 1914 to extend the operation of the stop, search and seizure powers for a further 15 months; and Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 to extend the reporting date for the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor—s review of continuing detention orders for high risk terrorist offenders to as soon as practicable after 7 December 2021.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 4 AG negatived
- Passed 12/8/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 23/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 88, 2021)
(Attorney-General—s portfolio)
Amends the: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999, Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988, Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to standardise, across all divisions, the powers of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) to issue summonses to require persons to give evidence or produce documents; Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 in relation to: procedural fairness; alternative dispute resolution processes; constitution and reconstitution of the AAT; dismissal powers; correction of errors; appointments, authorisations and assignments; taxation of costs; and protection and immunity of reviewers in the Immigration Assessment Authority; Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988 in relation to applications for review of child support decisions; Admiralty Act 1988 to align the Admiralty Rules with the rules of federal courts; Foreign Judgments Act 1991, Foreign States Immunities Act 1985 and International Arbitration Act 1974 to provide certain procedural protections to foreign States; Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975, Federal Court of Australia Act 1976, Judiciary Act 1903 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to make minor and technical amendments; Family Law Act 1975, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021, Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 and Judiciary Act 1903 to clarify that hearings conducted remotely using videoconferencing technology are exercised in 'open court'; Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 to allow for short form reasons in the court's appellate jurisdiction in civil proceedings; and Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 to make consequential and technical amendments. Also repeals the Nauru (High Court Appeals) Act 1976.
Senate:
- Introduced 23/6/21
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 24/6/21 (SBC report no. 7 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 13/8/21
- Committee amendments: 4 Opp agreed to; 3 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/10/21
- Read a 1st time 18/10/21
(Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management portfolio)
The bill: appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purposes of making COVID-19 disaster payments in the 2021-22 financial year; and requires the Coordinator-General of the National Recovery and Resilience Agency (NRAA) to include information in the NRRA's annual report that relates to COVID-19 disaster payments made in the 2021-22 financial year.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 23/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 2 AG negatived
- Passed 24/6/21
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 70, 2021)
(Senator Hanson — PHON)
Prohibits discrimination based on a person's COVID-19 vaccination status by the Commonwealth, state and territory governments, statutory authorities, local governments, and private enterprises.
Senate:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- Negatived at 2nd reading 22/11/21
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 23/11/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the Crimes Act 1918 to: repeal section 19AA which applies remissions or reductions under state or territory laws to federal sentences; and make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 26/8/21 (SBC report no. 10 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 6/10/21; extension of time to report 18/10/21; final report presented out of sitting 5/11/21
- Passed 25/11/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 29/11/21
- Passed 1/12/21
Assent: 8/12/21 (Act No. 129, 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Criminal Code Act 1995 to: amend the offence of bribery of a foreign public official to extend the definition of foreign public official to include a candidate for office, remove the requirement that the foreign official must be influenced in the exercise of the official's duties, replace the requirement that a benefit and business advantage must be 'not legitimately due' with the concept of 'improperly influencing' a foreign public official, and extend the offence to cover bribery to obtain a personal advantage; and create a new offence of failure of a body corporate to prevent foreign bribery by an associate; the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1983 to implement a Commonwealth Deferred Prosecution Agreement scheme to enable the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to invite a person that has engaged in serious corporate crime to negotiate an agreement to comply with a range of specified conditions; and five Acts to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/19
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); extension of time to report 10/2/20; report presented out of sitting 17/3/20
(Act citation: Crimes Legislation Amendment (Economic Disruption) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Criminal Code Act 1995 to update money laundering offences; Crimes Act 1914 to clarify that certain obligations imposed on investigating officials do not apply to undercover operatives; Proceeds of Crimes Act 2002 to: ensure that buy-back orders cannot be used by criminal suspects and their associates to buy back property forfeited to the Commonwealth or to delay court proceedings; clarify that courts may make orders confiscating the value of a debt, loss or liability that has been avoided, deferred or reduced through criminal offending; clarify that courts with proceeds jurisdiction are able to make orders in respect of property located overseas; increase penalties for non-compliance with information-gathering powers, and clarify and expand the circumstances in which information gathered can be disclosed and used; enable the minister to make grants from the Confiscated Assets Account (CAA) to the States and Territories for crime prevention and certain other measures; and provide that money (other than a penalty) paid to the Commonwealth under a foreign deferred prosecution agreement that represents benefits or property derived from unlawful criminal activity must be credited to the CAA; and COAG Reform Fund Act 2008 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to expand the Official Trustee in Bankruptcy's powers in relation to property, information gathering and cost recovery.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 3, 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Introduced with the Customs Tariff Amendment (Incorporation of Proposals) Bill 2021 to implement changes resulting from the sixth review of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding, the bill amends the Customs Act 1901 to amend the definition of 'tobacco products' to include a reference to a new tariff subheading that applies to tobacco products designed for inhalation without combustion, commonly known as e-cigarettes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 10/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/8/21
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 90, 2021)
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Customs Act 1901 to prohibit the importation into Australia of goods that are produced in whole or in part by forced labour.
Senate:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 23/8/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/8/21
- Read a 1st time 23/8/21
(Ms Sharkie MP — CA)
Amends the Customs Act 1901 to prohibit the importation into Australia of goods that are produced in whole or in part by forced labour.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/11/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Customs Act 1901 to prohibit the importation into Australia of goods from Xinjiang province in the People's Republic of China as well as goods from other parts of China that are produced by using forced labour.
Senate:
- Introduced 8/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 8/12/20
- Bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 10/12/20 (SBC report no. 12 of 2020); extension of time to report 18/3/21; report tabled 17/6/21
- Discharged from Notice Paper 24/6/21
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Customs Act 1901 to enable time-limited trials of trade and customs practices with approved entities in a controlled regulatory environment; and Australian Border Force Act 2015 to prevent the Comptroller-General of Customs from delegating their powers to make rules in relation to controlled trials.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/11/21
Senate:
(Act citation: Customs Amendment (Product Specific Rule Modernisation) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Customs Act 1901 to streamline the way in which product specific rules of origin of the Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement, Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement, Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement and Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement are given effect domestically.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/10/19
Senate:
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 4, 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Introduced with the Customs Tariff Amendment (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Implementation) Bill 2021 to implement Australia's obligations under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the bill amends the Customs Act 1901 to: implement rules of origin to determine goods eligible for preferential tariff treatment in accordance with the agreement; enable regulations to prescribe certain record keeping obligations on exporters and producers of eligible goods to a party to the agreement for which a preferential rate of customs duty is claimed; and enable an authorised officer to disclose certain information.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 UAP negatived
- Passed 20/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- Passed 21/10/21
Assent: 25/10/21 (Act No. 112, 2021)
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Customs Act 1901 to prohibit the importation of polyethylene core aluminium composite panels.
Senate:
- Introduced 10/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/9/19, 19/9/19
(Senator Faruqi — AG)
Amends the Customs (Prohibited Exports) Regulations 1958 and Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956 to prohibit the export and import of greyhounds for racing, breeding and commercial purposes.
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 1/9/21
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Introduced with the Customs Amendment (2022 Harmonized System Changes) Bill 2021 to implement changes resulting from the sixth review of the Harmonized Commodity Description and Coding, the bill amends the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to: insert new subheading classifications for emerging technologies and product categories, such as 3D printers and edible insects, respectively; remove subheading classifications for products that are no longer traded in significant volume such as answering machines; insert new subheading classifications to improve monitoring of trade for goods of concern such as synthetic diamonds, chemicals that are controlled under the Montreal Protocol and the Chemical Weapons Convention, and environmental goods such as electronic waste; create specific classifications for flat panel displays, semiconductor-based transducers and electronic waste; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/6/21
- Passed 10/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/8/21
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 91, 2021)
(Act citation: Customs Tariff Amendment (Incorporation of Proposals and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to: provide for a free rate of customs duty for certain medical and hygiene products between 1 February 2020 and 31 December 2020; remove the $12 000 special customs duty on used and second-hand motor vehicles that are Peruvian originating goods or that are Trans-Pacific Partnership originating goods; separately identify specifically formulated caffeinated beverages, formulated supplementary sports foods and formulated supplementary foods; specifically identify vitamins and food supplements; provide that wheelie bins do not fall within the classification of vehicles; provide that plates, rods, angles, shapes, sections, tubes, pipes and the like requiring further modification prior to being used cannot be classified as parts; and repeal redundant provisions specifying phasing rates of customs duty under certain free trade agreements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- Passed 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 10, 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to: extend the free rate of customs duty for certain medical and hygiene products from 31 December 2020 to 30 June 2021; and provide for a free rate of customs duty for goods for use in the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter Program and for prescribed motor vehicles and motor vehicle components for research and development activities by automotive service providers previously registered under the Automotive Transformation Scheme and where the time for working out duty is between 1 April 2021 and 30 June 2025.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 10/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 10/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 AG negatived
- Passed 30/8/21
Assent: 13/9/21 (Act No. 107, 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Introduced with the Customs Amendment (Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement Implementation) Bill 2021 to implement Australia's obligations under the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, the bill amends the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to: provide a free rate of customs duty for goods that are Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) originating goods; specify the phasing rates of customs duty for certain RCEP originating goods that will incrementally reduce to free; maintain rates of customs duty on certain goods; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Customs Tariff Amendment (2022 Harmonized System Changes) Act 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- Passed 20/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- Passed 21/10/21
Assent: 25/10/21 (Act No. 113, 2021)
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Introduced with the Data Availability and Transparency (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020 to implement a scheme to authorise and regulate access to Australian Government data, the bill: authorises public sector data custodians to share data with accredited users in accordance with specific authorisations, purposes, principles and agreements; specifies the specific responsibilities imposed on data scheme entities; establishes and specifies the functions and powers of the National Data Commissioner as the regulator of the scheme; establishes and specifies the functions and membership of the National Data Advisory Council as an advisory body to the commissioner in relation to sharing and use of public sector data; and establishes the regulation and enforcement framework for the scheme.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Introduced with the Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020 to implement a scheme to authorise and regulate access to Australian Government data, the bill makes consequential amendments to the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979, Freedom of Information Act 1982 and Privacy Act 1988 in relation to the operation of the scheme.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Senator Steele-John — AG)
Amends the Defence Act 1903 to require parliamentary approval of overseas service by members of the Australian Defence Force.
Senate:
- Introduced 7/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 7/12/20, 30/8/21
- Bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 2/9/21 (SBC report no. 11 of 2021); report tabled 30/11/21
(Mr Bandt MP — AG)
Amends the Defence Act 1903 to require parliamentary approval of overseas services by members of the Australian Defence Force.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 31/8/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Defence Act 1903 to provide that the Commonwealth may only enter into an agreement with an entity for the building of certain vessels for use by the Royal Australian Navy if the vessel is to be constructed in Australia by an Australian shipbuilder.
Senate:
- Introduced 9/5/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/5/18
- Bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 28/6/18 (SBC report no. 7 of 2018); extensions of time to report 15/10/18, 26/11/18; reported tabled 14/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 26/8/20
(Defence portfolio)
Amends the: Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 to: expand the operation of the disciplinary infringement scheme to provide a means of dealing with minor breaches of military discipline; remove the subordinate summary authority and correct a number of anomalies with regard to the respective jurisdiction of discipline officers and summary authorities, and between the different types of summary authority, in relation to the type of breach of military discipline, the rank of defence members with which each can deal, and the powers and punishments available to each level of authority; establish new service offences for failure to perform duty or carry out an activity, cyber-bullying, failure to comply with removal order (in relation to material on social media that constitutes cyber-bullying) and failure to comply with requirement to notify change in circumstances (in relation to the receipt of a benefit or allowance); and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Online Safety Act 2021; and Defence Force Discipline Act 1982 and Defence Force Discipline Appeals Act 1955 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- Passed 1/9/21
Senate:
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 133, 2021)
(Health and Aged Care portfolio)
Amends the Dental Benefits Act 2008 to remove the lower eligibility age restriction of 2 years to allow eligible children from 0 years of age to access the Child Dental Benefits Schedule.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 31/8/21
- Committee request for amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 24/11/21
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 118, 2021)
(Act citation: Designs Amendment (Advisory Council on Intellectual Property Response) Act 2021)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Amends the Designs Act 2003 to: implement recommendations of the former Advisory Council on Intellectual Property review of the designs system by: providing designers a 12-month grace period to apply for design protection after publishing or using their design to protect designers from losing their rights through inadvertent disclosure; introducing an infringement exemption for prior use; streamlining the initial steps for registering a design; correcting an anomaly to the innocent infringer defence where infringement occurs between filing and registration; providing exclusive licensees with legal standing to take infringement action through the courts; and extending the power of the Registrar of Designs to make directions about the forms of documents to 'approved forms' for designs; and make minor technical amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/20
- Passed 4/2/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 30/8/21
Assent: 10/9/21 (Act No. 100, 2021)
(Senator Di Natale — AG)
Amends the: Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to remove the exemption for religious educational institutions to discriminate against students and teachers on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identification, marital or relationship status or pregnancy; and Fair Work Act 2009 to ensure that religious exemptions from anti-discrimination provisions do not extend to educational institutions.
Senate:
- Introduced 16/10/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 16/10/18, 17/10/18, 18/10/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Australian Research Council Act 2001 to: apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts for the financial years commencing on 1 July 2020, 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2022; and insert a new funding cap for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2023; and Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: re-categorise the University of Notre Dame Australia as a Table A provider from 2021; and correct a typographical error.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Passed 13/5/21
Assent: 27/5/21 (Act No. 39, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: enable former permanent humanitarian visa holders who transition to a resident return visa to retain their eligibility for Higher Education Loan Program assistance; and make minor and technical amendments; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to: clarify and extend the application of the Act to former registered providers; and make minor and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 24/6/21 (Act No. 55, 2021)
(Education and Youth portfolio)
Introduced with the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Bill 2021 and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to: provide that education services for overseas students agencies have the power to conduct compliance audits of registered providers; provide for payment arrangements for the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students annual registration charge; and make consequential and contingent amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- Passed 9/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 10/8/21
- Passed 12/8/21
Assent: 27/8/21 (Act No. 83, 2021)
(Act citation: Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Refunds of Charges and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to: enable refunds of registration charges in special circumstances; amend the definition of 'course'; and enable the minister responsible for international education to include and exempt certain courses from the requirements of the Act.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 18/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Passed 25/2/21
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 18, 2021)
(Education and Youth portfolio)
Introduced with the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Bill 2021, Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Cost Recovery and Other Measures) Bill 2021 and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Act 1997 to: replace the annual registration and entry to market charges by imposing an annual charge payable by providers who are registered on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS); and impose a charge for applications by schools for initial registration and renewal of registration on CRICOS.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 9/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 10/8/21
- Passed 12/8/21
Assent: 27/8/21 (Act No. 84, 2021)
(Education and Youth portfolio)
Introduced with the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Cost Recovery and Other Measures) Bill 2021 and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012 to include a definition of 'total enrolments' for the purposes of calculating the tuition protection service levies.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- Passed 9/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 10/8/21
- Passed 12/8/21
Assent: 27/8/21 (Act No. 85, 2021)
(Special Minister of State portfolio)
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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Ind (Haines) negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- Committee amendments: 3 Ind (Patrick)/JLN negatived
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 134, 2021)
(Special Minister of State portfolio)
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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 135, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Responds to a recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters' Report on the conduct of the 2019 federal election and matters related thereto by amending the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to streamline the candidate qualification checklist relating to eligibility under section 44 of the Constitution and clarify when a response to a question is mandatory.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21
(Special Minister of State portfolio)
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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Govt agreed to
- Passed 1/12/21
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 136, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: insert a vote-saving provision for postal votes that are not received inside a sealed envelope bearing a postal vote certificate; enable postal voters outside Australia to complete certain procedural steps electronically if they are unable to comply with authorised witness requirements; amend how records of paper-based postal vote applications are managed; remove the requirements for pre-poll declaration envelopes to carry a distinguishing number; provide for a fixed pre-poll period commencing no earlier than 12 days before polling day; enable the early opening and sorting of pre-poll ballot papers, and the early extraction of declaration votes; allow 'spoilt' or 'discarded' ballot papers to be bundled; increase the number of scrutineers permitted to observe the computerised scrutiny of Senate elections; and remove the requirement for the authorisation of printed electoral material to include details of the printer.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 92, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: enable the Electoral Commissioner to declare an elector to be a 'designated elector' on the basis of a reasonable suspicion that the elector has voted more than once in an election; provide for decisions regarding declarations of designated electors to be subject to review by the Electoral Commissioner or the Administrative Appeals Tribunal; and provide examples of the types of conduct and behaviours that may constitute the offence of interference with political liberty, and increase the penalty for this offence.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- Passed 25/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 93, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: increase the minimum membership requirements for non-parliamentary parties from 500 to 1500 unique members; and require the Electoral Commission to refuse an application by a political party to register a name, abbreviation or logo that replicates a key word or words in the registered name or abbreviation of a registered policy party without consent.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 6 Ind (Kelly) negatived
- Passed 25/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 JLN negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 94, 2021)
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to reduce from $500 000 to $100 000 the threshold for electoral expenditure that can be incurred by an individual or organisation before they are required to register as a political campaigner.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 Ind (Haines) to Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Govt agreed to
- Passed 22/11/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- Committee amendments: 25 Govt agreed to; 2 AG negatived; 4 CA negatived; 6 Ind (Patrick)-JLN negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 137, 2021)
(Special Minister of State portfolio)
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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 28/10/21, 24/11/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp pending
(Senator Rice — AG)
The bill: requires the Minister for Energy and Emission Reduction to table in each House of Parliament an annual statement outlining Australia's strategy on electric vehicles; and provides for the reference of matters to the Productivity Commission, including Australia—s support for the manufacture, purchase and use of electric vehicles.
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 16/6/21
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
The bill: establishes a legal framework governing immigration detention in Australia; provides alternatives to immigration detention; and prioritises non-citizens' immediate needs and refugee and international human rights law.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs 24/2/21 (SC report no. 27); statement made discharging committee's requirement to provide a report 22/6/21
- Bill referred to Joint Standing Committee on Migration 24/6/21 (SC report no. 34)
- Removed from Notice Paper 19/10/21
(Senator McMahon — CLP)
Amends the Northern Territory (Self-Government) Act 1978 to remove limits on the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly's powers to make laws in relation to the acquisition of property other than on just terms, voluntary assisted dying and the conferring of powers relating to the hearing and determining of employment disputes. Also repeals the Euthanasia Laws Act 1997.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/8/21, 29/11/21
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/8/21 (SBC report no. 8 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 6/10/21
(Senator Waters — AG)
Amends the: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to impose additional obligations on the minister in making decisions on approvals and conditions; and Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Act 2016 to: require the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility to assess whether an entity is a suitable person for the purposes of providing financial assistance for Northern Australia economic infrastructure; and provide that, in undertaking an assessment, the facility consults with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Crime Commission. Also provides for a review of certain existing approvals under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 in relation to the Adani group.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/6/17
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/6/17, 15/6/17, 19/10/17
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 22/6/17 (SBC report no. 7 of 2017); report tabled 14/9/17
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to introduce penalties for an individual or body corporate undertaking actions which involve mining operations, drilling exploration, land clearing or is specified in the regulations (emissions-intensive actions) if the action has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on the environment.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/2/20, 24/2/20
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 27/2/20 (SBC report no. 3 of 2020); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 11/12/20; progress report presented out of sitting 16/4/21; extensions of time to report 11/5/21, 18/10/21, 22/11/21; final report due 16/2/22
(Senator McKenzie — Nats)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002 to provide that forestry operations covered by a regional forest agreement are exempted from Part 3 of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 18/2/21 (SBC report no. 2 of 2021); extension of time to report 11/5/21; report tabled 13/5/21
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: prevent the minister from approving an action which involves the clearing of koala habitat; and remove the exemption of regional forest agreements from requirements of the Act where there is, may, or is likely to have significant impacts on koalas.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/2/21, 22/2/21
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); extension of time to report 22/11/21; report due 16/2/22
(Environment portfolio)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: establish a framework for the making, varying, revoking and application of National Environmental Standards; and establish an Environment Assurance Commissioner to undertake monitoring or auditing of the operation of bilateral agreements with states and territories and Commonwealth processes for making and enforcing approval decisions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 Ind (Wilkie) to Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Govt agreed to; 8 Ind (Steggall) negatived
- Passed 23/6/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 26/5/21; final report presented out of sitting 8/6/21
- Introduced 3/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/8/21
(Environment portfolio)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: provide that, where an approval bilateral agreement declares that an action in a class of actions does not require approval, the action may not be referred to the minister for assessment and approval under Part 7 of the Act; enable the minister to complete an assessment and approval of an action where a bilateral agreement with a state or territory is suspended or cancelled, or an approval bilateral agreement otherwise ceases to apply to a particular action; remove the current prohibition on approval bilateral agreements applying to an action that has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on water resources (the water trigger); allow the minister to accredit a broader range of state and territory approval processes for the purposes of approval bilateral agreements; enable the states and territories to make minor changes to environmental assessment processes without the need for the amendment of a bilateral agreement or the re-accreditation of a management arrangement or authorisation process; and make technical amendments in relation to the making and operation of bilateral agreements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 3/9/20
Senate:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 6/10/20
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 12/11/20 (SBC report no. 10 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
(Act citation: Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Act 2021)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Export Control Act 2020 to: clarify the circumstances where a fit and proper person test is required for an application to vary a registration of an establishment, or to approve an alteration of an establishment; enable the rules to prescribe circumstances where the secretary may approve or refuse to approve a notice of intention to export prescribed goods; provide the secretary with the power to prescribe requirements in the rules for determining whether to issue or to refuse to issue an export permit; enable the rules to modify how certain provisions in the Act and the Administrative Appeals Tribunals Act 1975 apply to reviewable decisions for tariff rate quotas; and enable the rules to apply matters contained in any instrument of a foreign country that sets out, or provides a method for calculating, the tariff rate quota for the importation of a kind of goods into that country.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- Committee amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 11, 2021)
(Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio)
Amends the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation Act 1991 to: enable Export Finance Australia to make equity investments, including to support infrastructure investments in the Indo-Pacific or export-linked projects in Australia; and provide Export Finance Australia with the ability to offer guarantees for overseas infrastructure transactions without also needing to provide a loan to the same transaction.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/8/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Ind (Haines) negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 5/8/21 (SBC report no. 8 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 20/8/21
- Introduced 31/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 AG negatived
- Passed 18/10/21
Assent: 28/10/21 (Act No. 114, 2021)
(Senator Faruqi — AG)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: provide for 14 days paid COVID-19 leave for all workers, including part-time, casual and gig economy workers; and enable the Fair Work Commission to make COVID-19 leave orders to extend provisions in the Act to all workers, such as gig economy workers.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/5/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/5/20, 24/8/20
(Senator Waters — AG)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: remove restrictions on employees' rights to disclose the amount of, or information about, their pay or earnings; and prohibit employers from taking adverse action against employees for disclosing this information.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/9/15
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/9/15
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 15/10/15 (SBC report no. 13 of 2015); report due 12/5/16
- Lapsed due to prorogation of first session of 44th Parliament 17/4/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 19/4/16
- Lapsed due to dissolution of 44th Parliament 9/5/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 31/8/16
- 2nd reading adjourned 19/3/18
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 1/9/16 (SBC report no. 5 of 2016); extension of time to report 10/11/16; report tabled 30/11/16
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 17/3/21
(Senator Keneally — ALP)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to ensure that parents of stillborn babies can access the same employer-paid paid parental leave that they would be entitled to regardless of whether the pregnancy ended in a stillbirth or a live birth.
Senate:
- Introduced 5/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 5/8/21, 30/8/21
(Mr Bandt MP — AG)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to enable the Fair Work Commission to deal with disputes between employers and employees regarding the eligibility of an employee to receive the jobkeeper payment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/6/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/2/21
(Senator Faruqi — AG)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to enable the Fair Work Commission to deal with disputes between employers and employees regarding the eligibility of an employee to receive the jobkeeper payment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 16/6/20
(Senator Cameron — ALP)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: provide that modern awards cannot be varied to reduce penalty rates or the hours to which penalties rates apply if the variation is likely to result in a reduction in the take-home pay of an employee; and provide that any such determination by the Fair Work Commission made on or after 21 June 2017 is of no effect.
Senate:
- Introduced 14/11/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 14/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 17/10/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/10/19
(Mr Albanese MP — ALP)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to ensure all workers employed through labour hire companies will receive the same wage as employees employed directly.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/11/21, 29/11/21
(Previous title: Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australia—s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020)
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the: Fair Work Act 2009 in relation to: defining casual employment; including a casual conversion entitlement in the National Employment Standards; providing a Casual Employment Information Statement to casual employees; offsetting casual loading amounts against claims for leave and other entitlements in certain circumstances; additional hours for part-time employees; flexible work directions; enterprise agreement making and approval processes; extending the nominal life of greenfields agreements relating to the construction of major projects; the compliance and enforcement framework; Fair Work Commission processes; and consequential amendments; Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2009 to provide for the cessation of certain agreement based transitional instruments on 1 July 2022; Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 to: enable the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner to accept an enforceable undertaking in relation to a suspected remuneration-related contravention; and require the commissioner to publish certain information in relation to enforcement proceedings; Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 and Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 to make consequential amendments; and Fair Work Act 2009 and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Govt agreed to; 3 AG negatived
- Passed 23/2/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 10/12/20 (SBC report no. 12 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 25/2/21
- Committee amendments: 15 Govt agreed to; 2 Opp agreed to; 11 PHON agreed to; 4 Ind (Patrick)-JLN agreed to; 16 Opp negatived; 1 CA negatived; 2 Ind (Patrick)-JLN negatived; 33 PHON withdrawn; 6 CA withdrawn
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments (14 Opp amendments in place of Senate amendments nos 10, 11, 20 and 22 negatived) 22/3/21
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 25, 2021)
(Ms Burney MP — ALP)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: provide for ten days paid domestic and family violence leave in a 12-month period; provide for employees to access paid domestic and family violence leave at their base pay rate for usual hours of work in the period the leave was taken; enable an employee and employer to agree additional paid or unpaid leave can be taken in addition to the 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave; clarify and expand the reasons for which a person can take paid domestic and family violence leave; and strengthen the privacy obligations placed on employers in relation to an employee who takes paid family and domestic violence leave.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/12/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 24/8/21
(Senator McAllister — ALP)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: provide for ten days paid domestic and family violence leave in a 12-month period; provide for employees to access paid domestic and family violence leave at their base pay rate for usual hours of work in the period the leave was taken; enable an employee and employer to agree additional paid or unpaid leave can be taken in addition to the 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave; clarify and expand the reasons for which a person can take paid domestic and family violence leave; and strengthen the privacy obligations placed on employers in relation to an employee who takes paid family and domestic violence leave.
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the: Fair Work Act 2009 to: prohibit terms of a modern award or an enterprise agreement requiring or permitting contributions for the benefit of an employee to be made to any fund other than a superannuation fund, a registered worker entitlement fund or a registered charity; require any term of a modern award or enterprise agreement that names a worker entitlement fund or insurance product to provide for an employee to choose another fund or insurance product; prohibit any term of a modern award, enterprise agreement or contract of employment permitting or requiring employee contributions to an election fund for an industrial association; and prohibit any action with the intent to coerce an employer to pay amounts to a particular worker entitlement fund, superannuation fund, training fund, welfare fund or employee insurance scheme; Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 to: require registered organisations to have written financial management policies that have been approved by the committee of management; require registered organisations to report certain loans, grants and donations; require specific disclosure by registered organisations of the financial benefits obtained by them and persons linked to them in connection with employee insurance products, welfare fund arrangements and training fund arrangements; introduce a range of new penalties relating to compliance by registered organisations with financial management, disclosure and reporting requirements; and make minor technical amendments; and Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986, Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 10/9/19
Senate:
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to: remove the annual child care subsidy (CCS) cap so that there will no longer be a limit on the amount of CCS that families, over a specified income, can receive each year; and increase the maximum subsidy rate of CCS for second and subsequent children, where a family has more than one child under 6 years of age.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 5/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 9/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 2 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Committee requests for amendments: 1 Govt agreed to; 1 AG negatived
- Passed 12/8/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives made Senate request for amendment 12/8/21
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 12/8/21
Assent: 27/8/21 (Act No. 86, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to: expand the circumstances in which business continuity payments (BCPs) can be paid to approved child care providers; and correct drafting errors made by the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Improving Assistance for Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Families) Act 2020; and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 in relation to: Administrative Appeals Tribunal review; delegation of funding agreement powers; child care subsidy reconciliation deadlines; ensuring that BCPs will not be offset against future CCS payments during the period 6 April to 12 July 2020 (the relevant period); allowing the minister's rules to specify circumstances in which BCPs paid to providers during the relevant period are to be debts; not including the relevant period in determining cessation of child's enrolment; removing the requirement to report provision of care to children during the relevant period; and provider applications and approvals.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Passed 18/3/21
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 26, 2021)
(Mr Perrett MP — ALP)
Implements certain recommendations of the 2009 Family Law Council report 'Improving responses to family violence in the family law system: An advice on the intersection of family violence and family law issues', the 2017 House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs report 'A better family law system to support and protect those affected by family violence', and the 2019 Australian Law Reform Commission report 'Family Law for the Future — An Inquiry into the Family Law System' by amending the Family Law Act 1975 to remove provisions relating to the: presumption of equal shared parental responsibility when making parenting orders; and requirement that the courts consider, in certain circumstances, the child spending equal time, or substantial and significant time with each parent.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/6/20, 30/11/20, 22/3/21
- Federation Chamber: Referred 26/8/20, 17/2/21, 12/5/21; 2nd reading adjourned 26/10/20, 22/2/21, 24/5/21, 23/6/21, 29/11/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Family Law Act 1975 to: establish new federal family violence orders which, if breached, can be criminally enforced; and broaden the protections for Registrars of a Family Court of a State in conducting conferences; six Acts to make consequential amendments; and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021 to broaden the protections for the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Registrars and Registrars in the Federal Circuit and Family Court in conducting conferences.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/3/21
Senate:
(Senator Hanson — PHON)
Requires separating couples to self-assess and narrow their family law disputes promptly within a defined statutory time frame.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/9/19, 16/9/19
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Farm Household Support Act 2014 to waive the repayment of certain classes of debts for farm household allowance (FHA) recipients arising from the business income reconciliation process for FHA payments between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 21/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 21/6/21
- Passed 24/6/21
Assent: 23/7/21 (Act No. 75, 2021)
(Act citation: Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019, the bill unifies the administrative structure of the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia to create the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, comprised of Division 1 (which will be a continuation of the Family Court) and Division 2 (which will be a continuation of the Federal Circuit Court).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); report presented out of sitting 20/11/20
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 3 Govt agreed to; 2 Opp to 1 Govt negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 2 AG to 1 Govt negatived
- Passed 17/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 12, 2021)
(Act citation: Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Bill 2019, the bill amends: the Family Law Act 1975 and Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 to make consequential amendments to align these Acts with the operation of the newly created Federal Circuit and Family Court (FCFC); the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2019, when enacted, to make an amendment consequential on the commencement of certain changes enacted by the Public Sector Superannuation Legislation Amendment Act 2018; five Acts in relation to making rules of court; 132 Acts to make further consequential amendments; and various Acts to make amendments contingent on the commencement of nine Acts. Also provides for transitional arrangements in relation to the judges and personnel of the FCFC, court administration and appeals; and repeals the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- Passed 1/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); report presented out of sitting 20/11/20
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Passed 17/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 13, 2021)
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
Amends the: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: establish the Commonwealth Environment Protection Authority (EPA) to exercise the routine administrative regulatory functions currently undertaken by the Commonwealth in relation to the Act and other Commonwealth legislation relating to the environment and undertake certain functions relating to communities; establish an Office of Monitoring, Compliance, Enforcement and Assurance within the EPA; and establish the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Environment and Energy; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Water Act 2007 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 31/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/8/21
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 3) Bill 2021, Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy Bill 2021 and Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy (Collection) Bill 2021, the bill establishes a financial accountability regime to impose accountability, key personnel, deferred remuneration and notification obligations on directors and senior executives of financial entities in the banking, insurance and superannuation industries.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 28/10/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Regulator Assessment Authority (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2021, the bill: establishes the Financial Regulatory Assessment Authority to assess and report on the effectiveness and capability of the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission; and prohibits the unauthorised use or disclosure of protected information provided to the Authority.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 26/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Committee amendments: 28 AG agreed to
- Passed 22/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 23/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 63, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Regulator Assessment Authority Bill 2021, the bill amends five Acts to make amendments consequential on the establishment of the Financial Regulator Assessment Authority.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Passed 26/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 64, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, Corporations Act 2001 and three other Acts to: expand the role of the Financial Services and Credit Panel to operate as a single disciplinary body for financial advisers; create new penalties and sanctions for financial advisers who have breached their obligations under the Corporations Act 2001; introduce a two-stage registration process for financial advisers; transfer functions from the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority to the minister and to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission; and introduce a single registration and disciplinary system for financial advisers who provide tax (financial) advice services; and Corporations Act 2001 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 4/8/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 24/6/21 (SBC report no. 7 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 28/7/21; final report presented out of sitting 30/7/21
- Introduced 4/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 5 PHON negatived
- Passed 21/10/21
Assent: 28/10/21 (Act No. 115, 2021)
(Act citation: Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 2) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Corporations Act 2001 to: require financial services providers that receive fees under an ongoing fee arrangement to: provide clients with a document each year which outlines the fees they will be charged and the services they will be entitled to in the following 12 months and which seeks annual renewal for all ongoing fee arrangements; and obtain written consent before fees under an ongoing fee arrangement can be deducted from a client's account; require a financial services licensee or authorised representative to give a written disclosure of lack of independence where they are authorised to provide personal advice to a retail client; and make consequential amendments; and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to: provide that a superannuation trustee can only charge advice fees to a member where certain conditions are satisfied; and remove a superannuation trustee's ability to charge fees under an ongoing fee arrangement for financial product advice from MySuper products.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Passed 25/2/21
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 19, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2021, Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy Bill 2021 and Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy (Collection) Bill 2021, the bill amends: 12 Acts to make amendments consequential on the new financial accountability regime; Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 and Banking Act 1959 to make amendments consequential on the end of the banking executive accountability regime; and the Corporations Act 2001, Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to establish the financial services compensation scheme of last resort to provide compensation to eligible consumers where the Australian Financial Complaints Authority has made a determination in their favour that remains unpaid.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 28/10/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2021, Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 3) Bill 2021 and Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy (Collection) Bill 2021, the bill imposes a levy on certain industry entities to recover the cost of the compensation scheme of last resort.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 28/10/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Accountability Regime Bill 2021, Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 3) Bill 2021 and Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy (Collection) Bill 2021, the bill provides for the collection and administration of the levy imposed by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme of Last Resort Levy Act 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 28/10/21
Senate:
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to: enable the Director-General of Security to apply for a warrant authorising the interception of a communication for the purpose of obtaining foreign intelligence from foreign communications; provide that foreign intelligence information provided in certain circumstances may be used for purposes as approved by the Attorney-General; and make technical amendments; and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to enable the Attorney-General to issue foreign intelligence warrants to collect foreign intelligence on Australians in Australia who are acting for, or on behalf of, a foreign power.
House of Representatives:
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security; report tabled in House of Representatives and Senate 25/8/21
- Introduced 25/8/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Passed 25/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- Committee amendment: 1 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 95, 2021)
(Senator O'Neill — ALP)
Amends the: Competition and Consumer (Industry Codes—Franchising) Regulation 2014 to: enable the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman to appoint a mediation and franchising adviser to assist in resolving franchising disputes where mediation has failed, or where both parties agree to arbitration; and give the ombudsman the power to assist with multi-party mediation and arbitration in franchising disputes where multiple parties have identical issues that require resolution; Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to increase the civil penalties provisions for breaching the Franchising Code of Conduct; and Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Act 2015 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- Passed 22/2/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Read a 1st time 22/2/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the: Archives Act 1983 to require the reporting of external legal expenses incurred by the National Archives of Australia; Australian Information Commissioner Act 2010 to: ensure that the Information Commissioner holds specified qualifications; and require the separate appointment of the Australian Information Commissioner, the Privacy Commissioner and the Freedom of Information (FOI) Commissioner; and Freedom of Information Act 1982 to: enable the transfer of Information Commissioner reviewable decisions to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT); require the consistent application of exemptions by decision makers in the context of a review by the Information Commissioner; prevent the Information Commissioner from making FOI decisions if he or she does not hold specified qualifications; prevent agencies from publishing FOI information until at least 10 days after the applicant has received his or her copy of the information; and require the reporting of external legal expenses for each Information Commission or AAT FOI matter that has concluded.
Senate:
- Introduced 22/8/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/8/18
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 23/8/18 (SBC report no. 9 of 2018); report presented out of sitting 30/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/8/20
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Introduced with the Fuel Security (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2021, the bill: establishes a minimum stockholding obligation for corporate entities that undertake certain activities (broadly, importing and refining) in relation to certain transport fuels to hold a minimum quantity of those fuels nationally; and enable a production payment for refinery operators (referred to as a fuel security services payment) to provide an adjustable cent per litre payment to refineries in return for a commitment to continue refining until at least 30 June 2027.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 AG negatived
- Passed 16/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 4 AG negatived; 1 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 65, 2021)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Introduced with the Fuel Security Bill 2021, the bill amends the: Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Fuel Quality Standards Act 2000, Petroleum and Other Fuels Reporting Act 2017 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to make amendments consequential on the establishment of the minimum stockholding obligation and the fuel security services payment; and Fuel Security Act 2021, when enacted, to make amendments consequential on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/5/21
- Passed 16/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 66, 2021)
(Senator Waters — AG)
Prohibits the mining of thermal coal in the Galilee Basin in Queensland.
Senate:
- Introduced 5/12/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 5/12/18
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 6/12/18 (SBC report no. 15 of 2018); report tabled 14/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 13/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/2/20
(Senator Siewert — AG)
Amends the Governor-General Act 1974 to cease the payment of allowances to a former Governor-General, or a spouse of a former Governor-General, where they have engaged in serious misconduct.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/11/19
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
The bill: prohibits mining activities, including prospecting or exploring for minerals or other geological material, in the Great Australian Bight marine area; establishes civil penalties for mining in the Bight; and requires the minister to submit the Great Australian Bight for consideration as a World Heritage Site.
Senate:
- Introduced 25/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/7/19, 1/8/19
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the: Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 to: implement Australia's obligations under the Basel Convention on the Control or Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; apply the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014 and insert new audit powers; update existing criminal offences and introduce new strict liability offences and civil penalties to cover non-compliance relating to the export, import and transit of hazardous waste; increase penalties for offences relating to the export, import and transit of hazardous waste and introduce new aggravated offences where the non-compliance results in injury or damage to human beings or the environment; authorise information sharing between Commonwealth, state and territory governments; introduce recordkeeping requirements and information gathering powers to protect, use and disclose information; and replace the Hazardous Waste Technical Group with a requirement to consult with persons with appropriate expertise; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to make a consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/6/21
Senate:
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 73, 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to: enable eligible legacy scheme participants to apply for an extended compliance determination to allow them an additional period of time to complete their return of service obligation; allow a person, in the event of serious disability or death, to cease to be a bonded participant under the program, without penalty; apply administrative penalties when bonded participants fail to produce information or documents within prescribed timeframes; and enable administration of inadvertent and minor breaches of Medical Rural Bonded Scholarship contracts with the Commonwealth.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 26/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/11/21
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 138, 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to remove the requirement for new specialists and consultant physicians to pay a $30 prescribed fee when applying for access to higher Medicare rebates.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- Passed 13/5/21
Assent: 27/5/21 (Act No. 40, 2021)
(Senator Griff — CA)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to enable the minister to make rules to establish and maintain a public register of statistical information relating to surgical procedures and patient outcomes.
Senate:
- Introduced 23/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 23/11/21, 29/11/21
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Health Insurance Act 1973 to: broaden the remit of the Professional Services Review (PSR) to make agreements with any person under review who acknowledges inappropriate practice (including bodies corporate); and introduce new sanctions for persons who fail to respond to a notice to produce documents to the Director of the PSR or to a PSR Committee, or fail to appear at hearings; Health Insurance Act 1973, National Health Act 1953 and Dental Benefits Act 2008 to provide for: the recovery of interest payable on certain debts;, the application of administrative penalties to Shared Debt Recovery Scheme debts; the use of financial information gathering powers in debt recovery, Administrative Appeal Tribunal reviews where one or more garnishee notices are issued in relation to certain debts; and clarification of the Commonwealth's ability to recover debts from a person or the estate of a person.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 21/10/21
Senate:
(Act citation: Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Provider Category Standards and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to: implement the recommendations of the Review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards; implement an outstanding recommendation of the Review of the impact of the TEQSA Act on the higher education sector to refer to the Threshold Standards as a single unified framework; include reference to the new Australian Qualifications Framework qualification type 'undergraduate certificate' in the definition of 'higher education award'; allow the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to extend the period of a provider's registration or course accreditation more than once; allow review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of a decision by TEQSA not to change the category in which a provider is registered; enable TEQSA to assume control of higher education student records from a registered higher education provider in the event the provider ceases operations; and protect the use of the word 'university' in Australian internet domain names; and Higher Education Support Act 2003 to confirm that higher education providers can use Indigenous student assistance grants to assist prospective, as well as existing, Indigenous students.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Govt agreed to
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report no. 9 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
- Introduced 30/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 14, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: list Avondale University as a Table B provider; amend the definition of a 'grandfathered student' to include students undertaking an honours course that is related to a course of study they commenced before 1 January 2021; enable the minister to make rules prescribing matters of a transitional nature; and allow for grants to be made that will support the translation and commercialisation of research by higher education providers.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/21
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: extend the FEE-HELP loan fee exemption currently in place for units with a census date between 1 April and 30 June 2021 by a further six months, to 31 December 2021; and apply a 20 per cent FEE-HELP loan fee for units with a census date on or after 1 January 2022.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 24/6/21 (Act No. 51, 2021)
(Act citation: Higher Education Support Amendment (Freedom of Speech) Act 2021)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to insert a new definition of 'academic freedom' and replace references to 'free intellectual inquiry' with the allied concepts of 'freedom of speech' and 'academic freedom'.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 4 AG negatived; 1 PHON negatived
- Passed 15/3/21
Assent: 22/3/21 (Act No. 22, 2021)
(Mr Christensen MP — Nats)
Creates duties for health practitioners to provide medical care or treatment to children born alive as a result of terminations and to report births of children born alive as a result of terminations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/8/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 and Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021, the bill amends the: Age Discrimination Act 2004, Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Sex Discrimination Act 1984 and Racial Discrimination Act 1975 to amend or insert objects clauses to provide that, in giving effect to the objects of each Act, regard must be had to the indivisibility and universality of human rights and their equal status in international law, and the principle that every person is free and equal in their dignity and rights; Charities Act 2013 to provide that otherwise charitable entities that engage in lawful activities promoting a traditional view of marriage are undertaking those activities for the public benefit and not contrary to public policy; and Marriage Act 1961 to allow religious educational institutions to refuse to provide facilities, goods or services in relation to the solemnisation of a marriage in accordance with their religious beliefs.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21
Senate:
(Senator Bernardi — Ind)
Amends the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011 to: include a definition of 'Australian freedoms'; require the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights to explicitly consider 'Australian freedoms' in its examinations of legislation; and require statements of compatibility for bills and disallowable legislative instruments to provide certain information in relation to 'Australian freedoms'.
Senate:
- Introduced 23/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 23/7/19, 14/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG pending
(Senator Rice — AG)
The bill: provides for either House of Parliament, or certain parliamentary committees, to request the minister to table a statement on whether autonomous sanctions will be applied to persons that are responsible for serious human rights abuses or corruption; requires the minister to table in both Houses a statement on whether autonomous sanctions will be applied to certain persons responsible for the coup in Myanmar in 2021; and provides for a review of the operation of the Act.
Senate:
- Introduced 10/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/8/21
(Senator Hanson — PHON)
Amends the Human Services (Medicare) Act 1973 to require photographic identification on all Medicare cards to reduce fraudulent usage of Medicare cards.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 24/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 29/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 1/8/19 (SBC report no. 4 of 2019); extension of time to report 9/9/19; report tabled 17/10/19
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Pursuant to the objectives of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Identity Matching Services (IGA), agreed by COAG on 5 October 2017, the bill provides for the exchange of identity information between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments by enabling the Department of Home Affairs to collect, use and disclose identification information in order to operate the technical systems that will facilitate the identity-matching services envisaged by the IGA.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/7/19
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 2/8/19; report tabled in House of Representatives 24/10/19 and Senate 13/11/19
(Mr Christensen MP — Nats)
The bill: protects Australian journalists from detention and prosecution by foreign governments by defining journalism as including conduct engaged in the ordinary course of legitimate journalism, such as publishing and passively receiving information and conduct engaged in for the purpose of journalistic activity that would not be an offence in Australia; provides for offences for detaining Australians for legitimate journalistic activities; and provides that conduct engaged in by Julian Assange for the purpose of WikiLeaks is legitimate journalistic activity.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 29/11/21
- Lapsed 29/11/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 to: enable the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor (INSLM) to report on own-motion inquiries in standalone reports; provide that the INSLM's annual report may include information relating to the performance of the INSLM's functions in relation to a referral from the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security; specify reporting arrangements for statutory reviews conducted by the INSLM; provide a framework for the engagement of staff (including contractors) to assist the INSLM in the performance of its functions or exercise of its powers; and provide current and former staff of the INSLM with certain legal protections during the course of assisting the INSLM with performing functions or exercising powers of the INSLM.
Senate:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- Committee amendments: 7 Govt agreed to; 4 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 24/11/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- Passed 1/12/21
Assent: 8/12/21 (Act No. 130, 2021)
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
The bill: establishes the Office of Animal Welfare as an independent statutory authority with responsibility for advising on the protection of animal welfare in Commonwealth regulated activities; provides for the functions, appointment and terms and conditions of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), and for staff and consultants; establishes the Office of Animal Welfare Advisory Committee to advise the CEO; and provides for reporting requirements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/5/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 30/11/21
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill: establishes decision-making principles that set out characteristics for categorising industrial chemicals according to their level of concern to the environment based on their use; enables the minister to make scheduling decisions to categorise an industrial chemical and set out the controls applicable to the use, handling and disposal of an industrial chemical; provides for consultation with the public and states and territories on matters relating to scheduling decisions and decision-making principles; establishes a register of scheduling decisions for industrial chemicals; establishes the Advisory Committee on the Environmental Management of Industrial Chemicals; provides for the sharing, protection, use and disclosure of information; enables the minister to delegate their functions and powers and make rules; and sets out matters relating to the scheduling charge.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 27, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (Customs) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual scheduling charge on registered introducers of industrial chemicals, so far as that charge is a duty of customs.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 28, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (Excise) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual scheduling charge on registered introducers of industrial chemicals, so far as that charge is a duty of excise.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 29, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (General) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual scheduling charge on registered introducers of industrial chemicals, so far as that charge is neither a duty of customs nor a duty of excise.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 30, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Legislation Amendment Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill amends the: Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 to: provide that the scheduling charge can be collected in conjunction with the registration charge; provide that the scheduling charge is not credited to the Industrial Chemicals Special Account; and correct a drafting error; and Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Act 2020, when enacted, to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 31, 2021)
(Industry, Science and Technology portfolio)
Amends the: Industry Research and Development Act 1986 to rename Industry and Innovation Australia to Industry Innovation and Science Australia; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Pooled Development Funds Act 1992, Taxation Administration Act 1953 and Venture Capital Act 2002 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 30/8/21
Assent: 10/9/21 (Act No. 101, 2021)
(Senator McAllister — ALP)
Amends the: Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 and Intelligence Services Act 2001 to expand the oversight role of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (IGIS) and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (PJCIS) to the Australian Federal Police, Department of Immigration and Border Protection, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Office of National Intelligence (ONI); Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 and Intelligence Services Act 2001 to enable the PJCIS to request briefings and reports from the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor; and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 and Office of National Intelligence Act 2018 to require regular briefings to be given to the PJCIS by the IGIS and ONI.
Senate:
- Introduced 26/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 26/2/20
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 27/2/20 (SBC report no. 3 of 2020); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 6/10/20; report tabled 9/12/20
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to: extend the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security's (IGIS) jurisdiction to the intelligence functions of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC); streamline the IGIS's reporting procedures; make technical amendments to clarify the operation of the Act, modernise drafting expressions and remove redundant provisions; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Act 2020; the Intelligence Services Act 2001 to extend the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security's jurisdiction to the intelligence functions of AUSTRAC; 17 Acts to make consequential amendments; the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020; and nine Acts to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 18/12/20
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Intelligence Services Act 2001 to expand the functions of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security to include reviewing the activities of Australia's national security and intelligence agencies, subject to certain exclusions.
Senate:
- Introduced 14/8/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 14/8/18
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 23/8/18 (SBC report no. 9 of 2018); report tabled 12/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Griff — CA)
Amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to: prevent interactive gambling service providers from accepting payments by credit card (either directly or indirectly); create a criminal offence and civil penalty provision for a person who accepts, facilitates or promotes credit card payments for interactive gambling services; and provide for the Australian Communications and Media Authority to enforce and review the new requirements.
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/8/20
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 18/3/21 (SBC report no. 4 of 2021); extension of time to report 23/6/21; report presented out of sitting 8/10/21
(Senator Kitching — ALP)
Based on the precedents of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act 2016 (US) and the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill 2018 (UK), the bill provides the minister with the discretion to impose certain sanctions for the purposes of compliance with United Nations obligations or other international obligations, or for the purposes of preventing or responding to gross human rights abuse or violations, or acts of significant corruption.
Senate:
- Introduced 3/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/8/21
(Finance portfolio)
Amends: the Future Fund Act 2006 to establish a new employment framework for the Future Fund Management Agency; five Acts to make consequential amendments; the Freedom of Information Act 1982 to provide a partial exemption for documents handled by the Future Fund Board of Guardians and the agency in relation to the board's investment activities; the Medical Research Future Fund Act 2015 to: provide for a new disbursements framework for the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF); and make minor amendments in relation to the administration of MRFF grants programs; and the Emergency Response Fund Act 2019 to: transfer responsibility for expenditure from the Emergency Response Fund to the National Recovery and Resilience Agency; and amend administrative arrangements for transfers from the Emergency Response Fund Special Account.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 AG negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
Senate:
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Judges' Pensions Act 1968 to cease the payment of a retired judge's pension where they have engaged in serious misconduct while serving as a judge.
Senate:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 6/10/20
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 3/12/20 (SBC report no. 11 of 2020); extension of time to report 18/3/21; report tabled 20/5/21
(Senator Waters — AG)
The bill: provides that Australian landholders have the right to refuse the undertaking of gas and coal mining activities by corporations on their land without prior written authorisation; sets out the requirements of a prior written authorisation; provides for relief which a court may grant a land owner when prior written authorisation is not provided; prohibits hydraulic fracturing for coal seam gas, shale gas and tight gas by corporations; and provides for civil penalties.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/3/15
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/3/15
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 5/3/15 (SBC report no. 2 of 2015); report presented out of sitting 30/9/15
- Lapsed due to prorogation of first session of 44th Parliament 17/4/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 19/4/16
- Lapsed due to dissolution of 44th Parliament 9/5/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 31/8/16
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/11/16
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 31/7/19
(Mr Bandt MP — AG)
Provides that fossil fuel companies are liable for climate change damage in proportion to their greenhouse gas emissions; and enables certain persons, including those impacted by climate change, to bring legal actions against major greenhouse gas emitters for damage caused by climate change.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/5/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 30/11/21
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
Amends the Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997 and Export Control Act 1982 to: permanently ban from 1 July 2023 the export of live animals for slaughter; and establish interim requirements to ensure that animals are treated humanely after being exported.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/12/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 24/8/21
(Senator Faruqi — AG)
Amends the Export Control Act 1982 to prohibit the export of live-stock for slaughter.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/7/19
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
Requires the Treasurer to establish a Live Performance Federal Insurance Guarantee Fund to underwrite insurance for the live performance industry to enable future live performance events.
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/8/21
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 2/9/21 (SBC report no. 11 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 8/10/21; extension of time to report 18/10/21; progress report presented out of sitting 29/10/21; final report presented out of sitting 19/11/21
(Sport portfolio)
Amends the: Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Act 2014 to: prevent the unauthorised commercial use of certain indicia and images associated with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Women's World Cup Australia New Zealand 2023 and the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022; and remove the Schedule relating to the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games; and Sport Integrity Australia Act 2020 to correct an erroneous reference to an article of the World Anti-Doping Code in the definition of 'ineligibility'.
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 CA negatived
- Committee amendments: 4 Govt agreed to
- Passed 30/8/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 30/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/10/21
Assent: 3/11/21 (Act No. 117, 2021)
(Senator Sterle — ALP)
Amends the Marine Safety (Domestic Commercial Vessel) National Law Act 2012 to require masters of certain vessels to conduct two headcounts of passengers, one at the start of a voyage and one at the end.
Senate:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- Passed 10/2/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/2/20
- Read a 1st time 11/2/20
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Medical Indemnity Act 2002 to ensure that claims made against midwives in private practice whose registration is not endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to prescribe scheduled medicines are eligible under the Allied Health Schemes, where the claim relates to incidents that occurred on or from 1 July 2020; and Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Act 2010 to expand eligibility of the Midwifes Schemes to cover claims made against midwives in private practice whose registration has been endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia to prescribe schedule medicines, irrespective of whether the midwife is covered under a professional indemnity insurance policy as an employee or in an independent capacity.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/6/21
Senate:
Assent: 23/6/21 (Act No. 48, 2021)
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: clarify that the Act does not require or authorise the removal of an unlawful non-citizen who has been found to engage protection obligations through the protection visa process unless the decision finding that the non-citizen engages protection obligations has been set aside, the minister is satisfied that the non-citizen no longer engages protection obligations or the non-citizen requests voluntary removal; and ensure that, in assessing a protection visa application, protection obligations are always assessed, including in circumstances where the applicant is ineligible for a visa due to criminal conduct or risks to security.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Govt agreed to
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Committee amendments: 3 AG negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
Assent: 24/5/21 (Act No. 35, 2021)
(Mr Hill MP — ALP)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable, until 31 December 2021, visas to be granted, regardless of whether the applicant is in Australia or outside Australia (due to restrictions on international travel in and out of Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 31/8/21
(Mr Hill MP — ALP)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable, until 31 December 2021, applicants for Subclass 309 (Partner (Provisional)) visas to be granted a visa while the applicant remains in Australia (due to restrictions on international travel in and out of Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 30/11/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/8/21
(Senator Keneally — ALP)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to replace current Maritime Crew Visas with two new categories of visa: the International Seafarers Transit Visa for entering Australia on a continuing international voyage only; and the International Seafarers Work Visa for international seafarers to be engaged on ships authorised under a temporary license to undertake coastal voyages under the Coastal Trading (Revitalising Australian Shipping) Act 2012.
Senate:
- Introduced 11/11/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/11/20, 21/6/21, 9/8/21
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: enable the minister to determine, by legislative instrument, prohibited things (including controlled drugs, prescription drugs not taken by the person to whom they are prescribed, mobile phones, SIM cards and internet-capable devices) in relation to immigration detention facilities and detainees; enable authorised officers and assistants to search Commonwealth immigration detention facilities without a warrant; strengthen the search and seizure and screening powers of authorised officers; and enable the minister to issue binding written directions to authorised officers in relation to the exercise of their seizure powers.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/9/20
Senate:
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: establish new criminal offences and civil penalties that apply where a person coerces or exerts undue influence or pressure on a non-citizen to accept or agree to certain work arrangements; establish a power to prohibit, for a specified period of time, employers who are subject to a specified migrant worker sanction from allowing additional non-citizens to begin work; require employers and third party providers to use the Visa Entitlement Verification Online system to verify prospective non-citizen workers' immigration status and work-related visa conditions prior to employment; align and increase penalties for certain work-related offences and contraventions or work-related civil penalty provisions; provide the Australian Border Force with regulatory powers in relation to compliance notices and enforceable undertakings for work-related breaches; and enable the minister to delegate their functions and powers in relation to enforceable undertakings.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/11/21
Senate:
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: enable the minister to specify groups of applicants who are required to provide one or more personal identifiers to have a valid visa application; render a visa application invalid if the applicant is required to provide one or more personal identifiers but does not provide them; and enable personal identifiers to be provided either by way of an identification test, or by another way specified by the minister.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 11/9/19
Senate:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/9/19
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: amend the character test by providing grounds to consider visa cancellation or refusal where a non-citizen has been convicted of offences involving violence against a person, weapons, breaching of an apprehended violence order (or similar) or non-consensual sexual acts; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 19/9/19
Senate:
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: amend the character test by providing grounds to consider visa cancellation or refusal where a non-citizen has been convicted of offences involving violence against a person, weapons, breaching of an apprehended violence order (or similar) or non-consensual sexual acts; provide that, for an offence involving violence against a person, a person's conviction for an offence of common assault, or equivalent, will not be taken to be a conviction for a designated offence unless the act constituting the offence causes or substantially contributes to bodily harm to another person, or harm to another person's mental health, or involves family violence; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/11/21
Senate:
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to require notice of the making of certain character decisions by the minister to be tabled before each House of the Parliament.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Passed 13/5/21
Assent: 24/5/21 (Act No. 36, 2021)
(Senator McKim — AG)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable uniform and automatic extensions to time-limited temporary visa subclasses, where the visa holder has been unable to enter Australia due to travel restrictions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Senate:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 20/10/21
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Migration Act 1958 to: create a framework to protect disclosure of confidential information provided by gazetted intelligence and law enforcement agencies where the information is used for decisions made to refuse or cancel a visa on character grounds, or revoke or set aside such decisions; amend the definition of non-disclosable information to include protected information where the disclosure of such information would be contrary to Australia's national interests; and provide that an officer performing certain functions commits an offence if protected information is disclosed in certain circumstances; Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to: protect protected information where the information is used for certain citizenship decisions, renunciations of citizenship by conduct, and cessation of citizenship for service outside Australia in armed forces of an enemy country or a declared terrorist organisation; and create a framework for the management of the disclosure to, and by, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of information that has been certified by the minister to be contrary to the public interest for specified reasons, or that was provided in confidence; and create a power for the secretary to delegate functions or powers under the Act and the Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016; Freedom of Information Act 1982 and Inspector of Transport Security Act 2006 to make consequential amendments; and Australian Citizenship Act 2007 and Migration Act 1958 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 19/5/21
Senate:
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 to: prevent unauthorised maritime arrivals or transitory persons (referred to as members of the designated regional processing cohort) who were at least 18 years of age and were taken to a regional processing country after 19 July 2013 from making a valid application for an Australian visa; enable the minister to permit a member of the designated regional processing cohort, or a class of persons within the designated regional processing cohort, to make a valid application for a visa if the minister thinks it is in the public interest to do so; and prevent a member of the designated regional processing cohort from being deemed to have been granted a special purpose visa or being deemed to have applied for particular visas under the Migration Regulations 1994.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/7/19
Senate:
(Senator Waters — AG)
Establishes an inquiry into whether Christian Porter is a fit and proper person to be a Minister of State.
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- Negatived at 1st reading 16/6/21, 22/6/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Requires the Prime Minister to direct the Director-General of Security to provide a report on matters relating to security arising from examination of the personal background and circumstances of all current and future ministers of state.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/2/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 4/7/19 (SBC report no. 2 of 2019); report tabled 11/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 29/7/19
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002, Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 and Research Involving Human Embryos Regulations 2017 to allow for the use of permitted mitochondrial donation techniques under a specified mitochondrial donation licence for the purposes of certain research and training, and in clinical settings; and Freedom of Information Act 1982, Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002, Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002, Research Involving Human Embryos Regulations 2017 and Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018 to make consequential and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 17 Govt agreed to; 11 Andrews negatived
- Passed 1/12/21
Senate:
(Senator Hanson-Young — AG)
Establishes a commission of inquiry, with the same powers as a royal commission, to inquire into the management of the Murray-Darling Basin water resources and related matters.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 4/7/19 (SBC report no. 2 of 2019); report tabled 19/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/7/19
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Amends the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 to: introduce a uniform scheme of automatic mutual recognition (AMR) by enabling an individual who is registered for an occupation in their home state to carry on those activities in other states and territories; enable a state minister to exempt a registration in their state from being subject to AMR for a renewable period of up to five years because of a significant risk to consumer protection, the environment, animal welfare or the health or safety of workers or the public; and enable a state minister to exempt a registration in their state for a temporary period of six months after commencement of the Act, with an option to extend for a further period to 30 June 2022 if needed.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 11 Govt agreed to; 2 AG negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 23/6/21
Assent: 23/6/21 (Act No. 50, 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 to: consolidate the medicinal cannabis licensing structure into a single licence framework; enable assessments relating to supply chains to be undertaken at the permit stage rather than the earlier licensing stage; allow licences to be granted for a period of up to five years; include a new simplified outline; and make minor and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 24/6/21 (Act No. 56, 2021)
(Act citation: National Collecting Institutions Legislation Amendment Act 2021)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Amends six Acts to: provide national collecting institutions with broader investment powers in relation to donated revenue than those currently permitted by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013; and make administrative amendments, including standardising delegation powers and the maximum length of service for governing body members, removing ministerial approval requirements in relation to routine financial transactions and assets disposals, and removing certain reporting requirements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/2/21
Senate:
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 20, 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020, the bill establishes the National Commissioner for Defence and Veterans Suicide Prevention, as an independent statutory office holder, to examine defence and veteran deaths by suicide through a broad range of functions and powers, in order to support the prevention of future deaths by suicide.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 21/10/20
Senate:
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exclude the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide, and the Attorney-General's Department to the extent they hold documents related to the performance and exercise of functions or powers of the Commissioner, from the application of the Act; and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to allow the commissioner to be prescribed under the regulations to enable the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to voluntarily disclose information to the commissioner.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 21/10/20
Senate:
(Act citation: National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Mandatory Credit Reporting and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: establish a mandatory comprehensive credit reporting regime to apply from 1 April 2020; provide that a credit provider cannot refuse to provide further credit or reduce a customer's credit limit merely because financial hardship information exists; and provide for transitional arrangements; and Privacy Act 1988 to: permit reporting of financial hardship information within the credit reporting system; require the Attorney-General to cause an independent review and report of the credit reporting system before 1 October 2023; and make a number of minor amendments relating to the administration of credit reporting.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 CA negatived
- Passed 5/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 34 Govt agreed to
- Passed 3/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 3/2/21
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 5, 2021)
(Senator Griff — CA and Senator McAllister — ALP)
Amends the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: impose a cap on the total payments that can be made under a consumer lease (known as rent-to-buy schemes); require small amount credit contracts (SACCs) (known as payday loans) to have equal repayment and payment intervals; remove the ability for SACC providers to charge monthly fees in respect of the residual term of a loan where a consumer fully repays the loan early; prevent lessors and credit assistance providers from undertaking door-to-door selling of leases at residential homes; introduce anti-avoidance protections; and increase penalties.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/19, 9/11/20, 15/3/21
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); extension of time to report 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 21/9/20
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
Amends the National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: impose a cap on the total payments that can be made under a consumer lease (known as rent-to-buy schemes); require small amount credit contracts (SACCs) (known as payday loans) to have equal repayment and payment intervals; remove the ability for SACC providers to charge monthly fees in respect of the residual term of a loan where a consumer fully repays the loan early; prevent lessors and credit assistance providers from undertaking door-to-door selling of leases at residential homes; introduce anti-avoidance protections; and increase penalties.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 30/11/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/8/21
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: provide that responsible lending obligations apply only to small amount credit contracts, small amount credit contract-equivalent loans provided by authorised deposit-taking institutions (ADIs) and consumer leases; provide the minister with the power to determine standards specifying requirements for a credit licensee's systems, policies and processes in relation to certain non-ADI credit conduct; impose a cap on the total payments that can be made by a lessee in connection with a consumer lease; extend the protected earnings requirement for small amount credit contracts to cover all consumers and introduce a similar protected earnings requirements for consumer leases for household goods; restrict the use and disclosure of account statements; amend requirements for licensees to disclose information to consumers; introduce broad anti-avoidance protections to prohibit schemes that are designed to avoid the application of the Act in relation to small amount credit contracts and consumer leases; and make consequential amendments; and Age Discrimination Act 2004 to exempt the reverse mortgage scheme from the application of the Act.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 15/3/21
Senate:
(National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio)
Implements certain recommendations of the Independent review of the adequacy of the regulation of the supports and services provided to Ms Ann-Marie Smith, an NDIS participant, who died on 6 April 2020 by amending the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 to: expand the compliance and enforcement powers of the Commissioner of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission; clarify provider registration provisions; and enable information sharing between the National Disability Insurance Agency and the commission and the disclosure of information to relevant state and territory bodies.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/8/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 17/6/21 (SBC report no. 6 of 2021); report tabled 12/8/21
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 AG negatived; 1 PHON negatived
- Committee amendments: 17 AG/Opp negatived
- Passed 21/10/21
Assent: 28/10/21 (Act No. 116, 2021)
(National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio)
Implements certain recommendations of the 2019 review of the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (the Tune review) by amending the: National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 to establish the Participant Service Guarantee to provide timeframes and engagement principles for how the National Disability Insurance Agency undertakes key administrative processes; enable participant—s plans to be varied without requiring a full plan review; amend the objects and principles of the Act; clarify the eligibility criteria for people with psychosocial disability; streamline certain administrative processes for participants; provide clarity in relation to decisions about plan management requests and extend the risk assessment process for self-management of funding to those using registered plan management providers; enable the National Disability Insurance Agency to make direct payments on behalf of participants; and remove redundant provisions and make technical amendments; and DisabilityCare Australia Fund Act 2013 to make a consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 28/10/21
Senate:
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
Amends the National Greenhouse and Energy Reporting Act 2007 to: amend the reporting requirements of greenhouse gas emissions to include scope 3 emissions (which are indirect greenhouse gas emissions arising as a consequence of the activities of a facility); and require the minister to table Australia—s national greenhouse gas inventory estimates in Parliament every 3 months.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 31/8/21
(Health portfolio)
Amends the National Health Act 1953 to enable the minister to enter into arrangements and make payments in relation to procuring COVID-19 vaccines (including boosters), treatments for COVID-19 and consumables related to the use of such vaccines and treatments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 31/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendment: 1 PHON negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
Assent: 13/9/21 (Act No. 108, 2021)
(Health and Aged Care portfolio)
Amends the National Health Act 1953 to provide that the legislative instrument establishing the Continence Aids Payment Scheme may provide that applications may be made to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal for review of decisions made under the instrument.
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- Passed 5/8/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/8/21
- Passed 1/9/21
Assent: 10/9/21 (Act No. 102, 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: National Health Act 1953 to: provide for price reductions on the fifth, tenth and fifteenth anniversary of a drug listing on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS), and when the first new brand of a drug lists on the PBS; retain ministerial discretion to ensure that the minister can intervene if a legislated price reduction were to have an unintended consequence; and establish a price reduction floor, and stockholding requirements, for certain PBS listed brands that may be susceptible to global medicines shortages; and National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits—Budget and Other Measures) Act 2018 to remove redundant provisions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 UAP to Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 UAP negatived
- Passed 30/11/21
Senate:
- Introduced 30/11/21
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 139, 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the National Health Act 1953 to: establish the statutory authority for the publication of information in relation to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, including meeting agendas, meeting outcomes, public summary documents and information published on the Medicine Status Website; and provide for cost recovery arrangements, including specifying fees for services and costs incurred to be set out in a disallowable legislative instrument, replacing the existing regulations; and make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/3/21
(Senator Waters — AG)
The bill: establishes the Australian National Integrity Commission as an independent public sector anti-corruption commission for the Commonwealth; provides for the appointment, functions and powers of the National Integrity Commissioner and commissioners; and makes consequential amendments to the Law Enforcement Integrity Commissioner Act 2006, Ombudsman Act 1976 and Public Interest Disclosure Act 2013.
Senate:
- Introduced 29/11/18
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 6/12/18 (SBC report no. 15 of 2018); report presented out of sitting 5/4/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 1/8/19
- Passed 9/9/19
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/9/19
- Read a 1st time 10/9/19
(Senator Waters — AG)
The bill: provides for statutory codes of conduct for the members of each house of parliament and their staff; creates a statutory basis for parliamentarians' registers of interests; establishes a Parliamentary Integrity Advisor to provide independent, confidential advice and guidance to parliamentarians and their staff in relation to the applicable codes of conduct; and establishes a Parliamentary Standards Commissioner to assist in the assessment, investigation and resolution of alleged breaches of the applicable codes of conduct.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/10/19
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); extension of time to report 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 12/8/20
(Act citation: National Radioactive Waste Management Amendment (Site Selection, Community Fund and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Previous title: National Radioactive Waste Management Amendment (Site Specification, Community Fund and Other Measures) Bill 2020)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Establishes a National Radioactive Waste Management Facility to permanently dispose of low level radioactive waste and temporarily store intermediate level radioactive waste by amending the National Radioactive Waste Management Act 2012 to: specify the site selected and enable the acquisition of additional land for the facility; abolish the National Repository Capital Contribution Fund and establish a Community Fund to provide economic and social sustainability for the community in which the facility will be located; and provide clear and objective links between the operation of the Act and the relevant Constitutional heads of power.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Govt agreed to
- Passed 11/6/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 27/2/20 (SBC report no. 3 of 2020); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 21/8/20; report presented out of sitting 14/9/20
- Introduced 15/6/20
- Committee amendments: 10 Govt agreed to; 2 Ind (Patrick) to 1 Govt negatived
- Passed 21/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 22/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 59, 2021)
(Social Services portfolio)
Implements certain recommendations of the final report of the second year review of the National Redress Scheme by amending the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Act 2018 to: provide for advance payments of $10 000 to elderly or terminally ill applicants, or where there are other exceptional circumstances for particularly vulnerable people; change the date for which the indexation of relevant prior payments is calculated; extend the acceptance period of a redress offer after it has expired and provide for the period within which to seek a review to be aligned with any extension to the acceptance period; remove the requirement for an application to include a statutory declaration; and provide for redress payments and counselling and psychological care payments to be made in instalments rather than as a lump sum, if requested by an applicant.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/9/21
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
Assent: 13/9/21 (Act No. 109, 2021)
(Social Services portfolio)
Provides a further response to the final report of the second year review of the National Redress Scheme by amending the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Act 2018 to: extend the funder of last resort arrangements to encompass non-defunct institutions that are unable to participate in the scheme, and defunct institutions with which participating jurisdictions do not share responsibility for abuse and there is no parent institution to take responsibility; and provide the scheme operator with specific authority to disclose certain protected information about non-participating institutions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 23/11/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/11/21
- Passed 25/11/21
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 119, 2021)
(Act citation: National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Act 2021)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Act 2018 in relation to the operation of the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse to: clarify how participating institutions that are associates of a responsible institution are to be determined and specified; clarify that where there is more than one funder of last resort, the defunct institution's share of the redress cost is to be divided equally between the government institutions; amend the approval and consultation process in relation to the engagement of an independent decision-maker by a national redress scheme operator; protect the names and symbols used in connection with the scheme; permit a payment to be made to a person who has been appointed by a court, tribunal or board to manage the financial affairs of a person entitled to redress; permit the operator to extend the timeframe for payment of a funding contribution by an institution; authorise the disclosure of certain protected information; and correct minor typographical errors.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 10 Opp negatived
- Passed 4/2/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report no. 9 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 5/11/20
- Introduced 4/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 10 Opp negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 15, 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Intelligence Services Act 2001 to: enable the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) and the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) to undertake activities to produce intelligence where there is, or is likely to be, an imminent risk to the safety of an Australian person; enable ASIS, ASD and AGO to seek ministerial authorisation to produce intelligence on a class of Australian persons who are, or are likely to be, involved with a listed terrorist organisation; enable ASD and AGO to seek ministerial authorisation to undertake activities to produce intelligence on an Australian person, or class of persons, where they are assisting the Australian Defence Force in support of military operations; amend the requirement for ASIS, ASD and AGO to obtain ministerial authorisation to produce intelligence on an Australian person to circumstances where the agencies seek to use covert and intrusive methods which include methods for which the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) would require a warrant to conduct inside Australia; clarify the requirement for ASIS, ASD and AGO to seek ministerial authorisation before requesting a foreign partner agency to produce intelligence on an Australian person; remove the geographic limit requiring that ASIS activities undertaken to support ASIO in the performance of its functions be conducted outside Australia; provide that, for the purposes of carrying out its non-intelligence functions, AGO is not required to seek ministerial approval for cooperation with authorities of other countries; clarify the meaning of authorities of other countries; and make technical amendments; Office of National Intelligence Act 2018 to require the Office of National Intelligence to obtain Director-General approval when undertaking cooperation with public international organisations; Australian Passports Act 2005 and Foreign Passports (Law Enforcement and Security) Act 2005 to extend the period for passport suspension and foreign travel document surrender from 14 to 28 days; Criminal Code Act 1995 to extend immunity provided to staff of ASIS and AGO for computer-related acts done outside Australia to acts which inadvertently affected a computer or device located outside Australia; Intelligence Services Act 2001, Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 and Office of National Intelligence Act 2018 in relation to privacy rules of ASIS, ASD, AGO and Defence Intelligence Organisation; Crimes Act 1914 to allow ASD to participate in the assumed identities scheme; and Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to: approve a class of persons to exercise the authority conferred by an ASIO warrant; clarify the permissible scope of classes; and introduce certain record-keeping requirements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 25/11/21
(Act citation: Native Title Legislation Amendment Act 2021)
(Previous title: Native Title Legislation Amendment Bill 2019)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the: Native Title Act 1993 to: allow a native title claim or compensation group to impose conditions on the authority of its authorised applicant and require public notification of any such conditions; clarify the duties of the applicant to the claim group; allow the applicant to act by majority as the default position; allow the composition of the applicant to be changed without further authorisation in certain circumstances; allow the claim group to put in place succession-planning arrangements for individual members of the applicant; allow body corporate Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) to cover areas where native title has been extinguished; remove the requirement for the Native Title Registrar to notify an area ILUA unless satisfied it meets the ILUA requirements; allow minor amendments to be made to an ILUA without a new registration process; specify that the removal of an ILUA from the register does not invalidate future acts subject to that ILUA; extend the circumstances in which historical extinguishment can be disregarded to areas of national, state or territory parks, and certain pastoral leases; allow a registered native title body corporate to bring a compensation application over an area where native title has been extinguished; require the registrar to create and maintain a public record of section 31 agreements; and make a number of technical amendments; and Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 to: require registered native title bodies corporate (RNTBC) constitutions to include dispute resolution pathways for persons who are or who claim to be common law holders, and provide for all the common law holders to be directly or indirectly represented in the RNTBC; limit the grounds for cancelling the membership of a member of a RNTBC to certain grounds; remove the discretion of directors of RNTBCs to refuse certain membership applications; specify that the registrar may place a RNTBC under special administration in certain circumstances; and ensure that proceedings in respect of a civil matter arising under the Act that relate to a RNTBC are to be instituted and determined exclusively in the Federal Court, unless transferred to another court with jurisdiction; confirm the validity of certain section 31 agreements; and provide that a person would be entitled to compensation if the bill effects the acquisition of property of a person other than on just terms (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xxxi) of the Constitution).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Passed 10/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 17/10/19 (SBC report no. 7 of 2019); extensions of time to report 4/12/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 19/8/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Committee amendments: 13 AG negatived
- Passed 3/2/21
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 6, 2021)
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Consequential on the Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulation 2019, which created two provisional skilled regional visas, the bill amends seven Acts to provide that holders of these provisional skilled regional visas will have the same access to welfare payments and government services as permanent visa holders where eligible.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 14/10/19
Senate:
(Mr Kelly MP — Ind)
Prohibits: Commonwealth, state and territory governments and other non-government entities from issuing domestic COVID-19 vaccine passports; and discrimination on the basis of whether a person has had a COVID-19 vaccination in the provision of goods, services and facilities; and in relation to employment, education, accommodation and sport.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/6/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 21/6/21
(Mr Kelly MP — UAP)
Ensures that Australia complies with Article 6 of the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 30/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 30/8/21
(Resources, Water and Northern Australia portfolio)
Amends the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Act 2016 to: extend the investment time period of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) by five years to 30 June 2026; expand the functions of the NAIF to include the provision of financial assistance to projects that contribute to Northern Australia's economic and population growth; and amend certain governance and administrative processes of the NAIF.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Ind (Steggall) negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 2 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt agreed to; 10 Opp negatived; 1 AG to Opp negatived; 14 AG negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 13/5/21
Assent: 27/5/21 (Act No. 41, 2021)
(Senator Bernardi — Ind)
Amends the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Act 1998 and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to remove prohibitions on the construction or operation of certain nuclear installations.
Senate:
- Introduced 14/11/17
- 2nd reading adjourned 14/11/17, 30/11/17
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Bill 2021 to facilitate and regulate the development of electricity infrastructure in Commonwealth waters, the bill: prohibits offshore renewable energy infrastructure and offshore electricity transmission infrastructure in the Commonwealth offshore area without a licence; provides for the minister to declare specified areas suitable for offshore infrastructure activities and to grant licences allowing proponents to undertake offshore infrastructure activities in specified areas; provides for safety and protection zones to protect offshore electricity infrastructure; establishes the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar to administer the licensing scheme, including maintaining a register of licences and managing the licence application process; identifies the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority as the Offshore Infrastructure Regulator with work health and safety, environmental management, infrastructure integrity and regulatory functions; provides for directions, compliance and enforcement powers; and provides for the protection of worker safety through modified application of the Work Health and Safety Act 2011.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 UAP negatived
- Passed 28/10/21
Senate:
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 120, 2021)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Further to the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 and the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure (Regulatory Levies) Bill 2021, the bill amends the: Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to: extend the operation of the Act to provide that a person commits an offence if a regulated entity interferes with offshore infrastructure activities; clarify the dual role of the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) in regulating the Act and the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure framework, including in relation to NOPSEMA's duties, money and annual reporting requirements; and clarify that the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator may also be appointed as the Offshore Infrastructure Registrar; and Coral Sea Islands Act 1969, Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999, Sea Installations Act 1987 and Telecommunications Act 1997 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- Passed 28/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/11/21
- Passed 25/11/21
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 121, 2021)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Electricity Infrastructure Bill 2021 to facilitate and regulate the development of electricity infrastructure in Commonwealth waters, the bill imposes an offshore electricity infrastructure levy on offshore electricity infrastructure licence holders or those engaging in offshore infrastructure activities prescribed by regulations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/21
- Passed 28/10/21
Senate:
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 122, 2021)
(Senator Hanson — PHON)
Amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to broaden the objects clause of the Act to require the National Offshore Petroleum Titles Administrator and the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority to take into account the benefit to the Australian community when granting new leases or renewing existing leases.
Senate:
- Introduced 8/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 8/12/20, 15/3/21
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 4/2/21 (SBC report no. 1 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 11/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG pending
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 17/3/21; progress report presented out of sitting 28/4/21; extension of time to report 11/5/21; final report presented out of sitting 30/6/21
(Senator Whish-Wilson — AG)
Amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to: cancel Petroleum Exploration Permit 11, and Petroleum Exploration Permit/T/49P (King Island, Tasmania); prevent any petroleum exploration leases for the Otway Basin/12 Apostles being granted; and prohibit any further petroleum exploration in the three areas.
Senate:
- Introduced 29/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 29/11/21
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to cancel Petroleum Exploration Permit 11 (PEP11) and prohibit any further petroleum exploration in the PEP11.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/10/21
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the: Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to: provide for oversight and scrutiny of transactions involving a change of control of a petroleum or greenhouse gas titleholder, through a merger or takeover; expand existing powers to 'call back' previous titleholders to decommission infrastructure and remediate the marine environment in the title area where the current or immediate former titleholder is unable to do so (known as 'trailing liability'); provide for specific decision-making criteria and expanded information-gathering powers; and make minor and technical amendments in relation to the operation of the Act, including enabling electronic lodgement of applications. Also repeals 23 obsolete Acts.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 5/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 9/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 8 PHON negatived; 2 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 24/8/21
Assent: 2/9/21 (Act No. 96, 2021)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Titles Administration and Other Measures) Bill 2021, the bill amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Act 2003 to: ensure that if a person who is subject to a remedial direction submits an environment plan or a well operations management plan, that person is required to pay environment plan levy or well activity levy respectively; and provide for payment of safety case levies for safety cases that deal with activities carried out to comply with a remedial direction.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/5/21
- Passed 5/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 9/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Passed 24/8/21
Assent: 3/9/21 (Act No. 97, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Treasury Laws Amendment (Laminaria and Corallina Decommissioning Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2021, the bill imposes a temporary levy on offshore petroleum production to recover the Commonwealth's costs of decommissioning the Laminaria and Corallina oil fields and associated infrastructure.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 20/10/21
Senate:
(Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Online Safety (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021, the bill: retains and replicates certain provisions in the Enhancing Online Safety Act 2015, including the non-consensual sharing of intimate images scheme; specifies basic online safety expectations; establishes an online content scheme for the removal of certain material; creates a complaints-based removal notice scheme for cyber-abuse being perpetrated against an Australian adult; broadens the cyber-bullying scheme to capture harms occurring on services other than social media; reduces the timeframe for service providers to respond to a removal notice from the eSafety Commissioner; brings providers of app distribution services and internet search engine services into the remit of the new online content scheme; and establishes a power for the eSafety Commissioner to request or require internet service providers to disable access to material depicting, promoting, inciting or instructing in abhorrent violent conduct for time-limited periods in crisis situations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 16/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 9/3/21; final report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 2 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 11 Govt agreed to (1 as amended by 3 Opp); 7 Opp agreed to; 4 Opp negatived; 12 AG negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 23/6/21
Assent: 23/7/21 (Act No. 76, 2021)
(Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Online Safety Bill 2021, the bill: repeals the Enhancing Online Safety Act 2015; makes consequential amendments to 10 Acts; amends the Crimes Act 1914, Export Market Development Grants Act 1997 and Online Safety Act 2021, when enacted, to make amendments contingent on the commencement of certain other Acts; and contains transitional and application provisions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Passed 16/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 9/3/21; final report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 2 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 23/7/21 (Act No. 77, 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2021 and Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Act 1995 to: remove the cap on the rate that levies can be set at and provide for the rate of levy to be prescribed by regulations; and remove the levy on the import of equipment that operates using ozone depleting substances.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/21
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2021 and Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Act 1989 in relation to the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Program by: imposing controls that are currently imposed through licence conditions, such as the ban on import of bulk gas in non-refillable containers; clarifying licence and exemptions requirements; increasing the time allowed for submitting reports and payment levies; adopting the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014, including certain minor modifications; updating the offence and civil penalty provisions; introducing information gathering powers including the ability to issue a notice to produce; providing the option of licence suspension as an alternative to immediate cancellation of financial penalties; providing for an internal review mechanism for reviewable decisions; and allowing the use or disclosure of certain information.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/21
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas Management Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2021 and Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Act 1995 to remove the cap on the rate that levies can be set at and provide for the rate of levy to be prescribed by regulations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/21
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 to provide that a person in receipt of a COVID-19 Australian Government payment or the COVID-19 disaster payment will be considered to be performing qualifying work for the purpose of the paid parental leave work test.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Govt agreed to
- Passed 31/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived; 1 CA negatived
- Committee request for amendment: 1 CA negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
Assent: 3/9/21 (Act No. 99, 2021)
(Mr Bandt MP — AG)
Prevents Commonwealth, State or Territory authorities from using or providing COVID-19 check in data for law enforcement purposes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Private Health Insurance Act 2007 to: continue the pause on the indexation of private health insurance income thresholds used in determining the tier for the private health insurance rebate and the Medicare levy surcharge for a further two years; and adjust the formula for recommencement of indexation at the current income thresholds from 1 July 2023.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 24/6/21 (Act No. 51, 2021)
(Health and Aged Care portfolio)
Amends the: Private Health Insurance Act 2007 to: change the maximum allowable age for people to be covered under a family private health insurance policy as a dependent from up to 24 years of age to up to 31 years of age; and enable people with a disability, regardless of their age, to be covered under a family private health insurance policy as a dependent; Age Discrimination Act 2004 to enable private health insurers to cover older dependent people; and Private Health Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2015 to substitute the term of dependent persons for dependent children.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Committee amendments: 2 AG negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 60, 2021)
(Senator Whish-Wilson — AG)
Amends the Product Stewardship Act 2011 to: establish a mandatory product stewardship scheme for manufacturers, importers and distributors of consumer packaging and certain single-use plastics; and prescribe targets, prohibitions, design and labelling requirements, and financial contributions in relation to packaging and products identified under the scheme.
Senate:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/9/19
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 12/9/19 (SBC report no. 5 of 2019); extensions of time to report 16/9/19, 8/4/20; report tabled 17/2/21
(Senator McAllister — ALP)
Amends the Productivity Commission Act 1998 to: expand the functions of the Productivity Commission to include the undertaking of research on inequality and its effects on the Australian economy and community; require the commission to have regard in the exercise of its functions to the need to mitigate the negative effects of inequality; and provide for reporting requirements.
Senate:
- Introduced 14/6/17
- Passed 12/11/18
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/11/18
- Read a 1st time 26/11/18
- Lapsed at prorogation of 45th Parliament 11/4/19
Senate:
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 17/10/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/10/19
(Mr Hill MP — ALP)
Amends the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to: provide that the cashless debit card regime sunsets on 31 January 2022; require the minister to prepare a local services and jobs plan in conjunction with communities where the cashless debit card regime is in operation; and require the minister to publish the full cost to the Commonwealth of the operation of the cashless debit card regime, all contracts between the Commonwealth and Indue Ltd and all documents relating to the Cashless Debit Card Technology Working Group.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Senator Gallagher — ALP)
Amends the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 to provide for reporting and tabling requirements for certain grants which have been approved by a minister based on an application which an official has recommended should be rejected or does not meet relevant selection criteria or which have been approved by a minister, who is a member of the House of Representatives, for a grantee in their electorate.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/8/21, 18/10/21, 22/11/21
(Mr Wilkie MP — Ind)
Amends the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 to: include a definition of 'sustainable procurement principles'; create a duty for Commonwealth entities to ensure procurement of recycled goods and consideration of sustainable procurement principles when making procurement and purchasing decisions; and require the minister to consider sustainable procurement principles when drafting new procurement instruments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/6/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/2/21
(Senator Patrick — Ind)
Amends the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to impose disclosure, consideration and reporting requirements on government agencies and Commonwealth entities entering into contracts with companies or providing grants to persons or companies that are, or have related entities, domiciled in prescribed tax havens.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/11/19
- Bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 14/11/19 (SBC report no. 8 of 2019); extensions of time to report 27/2/20, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 4/9/20
(Senator Gallagher — ALP)
Amends the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013 to require the Department of Finance to state in its annual report the number of waivers of debt granted and act of grace payments made, and the total dollar amount of debt waived and act of grace payments made.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- Passed 9/8/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/8/21
- Read a 1st time 9/8/21
(Mr Watts MP — ALP)
Establishes a mandatory requirement for Commonwealth, state or territory entities, corporations and partnerships to report to the Australian Cyber Security Centre ransomware payments paid in response to a ransomware attack.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/6/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 21/6/21
(Senator Kenneally — ALP)
Establishes a mandatory requirement for Commonwealth, state or territory entities, corporations and partnerships to report to the Australian Cyber Security Centre ransomware payments paid in response to a ransomware attack.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/8/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/8/21
(Senator Rice — AG)
The bill: repeals the Regional Forest Agreements Act 2002; and makes consequential amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Senate:
- Introduced 7/9/17
- 2nd reading adjourned 7/9/17, 8/2/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Act citation: Regulatory Powers (Standardisation Reform) Act 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: six Acts to remove current provisions providing for regulatory regimes and apply the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014; and the Regulatory Powers (Standards Provisions) Act 2014 to make minor amendments to the ability of monitoring powers to be exercised in relation to matters and the descriptions of offence provisions and provisions relating to infringement notices which might apply to the contravention of both a civil penalty and criminal offence provision.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 32, 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Religious Discrimination (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 and Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021, the bill: prohibits discrimination on the basis of a person's religious belief or activity in a range of areas of public life, including in relation to employment, education, access to premises and the provision of goods, services and accommodation; establishes general and specific exceptions from the prohibition of religious discrimination; provides that certain statements of belief do not constitute discrimination for the purposes of certain specified Commonwealth, state or territory anti-discrimination laws; creates offences in relation to victimisation and discriminatory advertisements; establishes the office of the Religious Discrimination Commissioner; confers certain functions on the Australian Human Rights Commission; and provides for miscellaneous matters including delegation of powers or functions, protection from civil actions and a review of the operation of the Act.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21, 2/12/21
Senate:
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021 and Human Rights Legislation Amendment Bill 2021, the bill amends the: Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 to: extend the Australian Human Rights Commission's complaints-handling functions to complaints of unlawful religious discrimination under the Religious Discrimination Act 2021, when enacted; and establish the Religious Discrimination Commissioner as a member of the commission; Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to allow the Inspector-General to inquire into acts or practices of intelligence agencies that may be inconsistent with or contrary to the Religious Discrimination Act 2021, referred by the Australian Human Rights Commission; Civil Aviation Act 1988 to provide that civil aviation regulations may be inconsistent with the Religious Discrimination Act 2021 if necessary for the safety of air navigation; Fair Work Act 2009 (FWA) to recognise the Religious Discrimination Act 2021 as an anti-discrimination law for the purposes of the FWA—s general protection provisions; Sea Installations Act 1987 (SIA) to recognise the Religious Discrimination Act 2021 as an anti-discrimination law for the purposes of the SIA; and Religious Discrimination Act 2021 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Equal Opportunity (Religious Exceptions) Amendment Act 2021 (Vic).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/21
Senate:
(Mr Katter MP — KAP)
Requires the Secretary of the Department of Defence to ensure that sensitive data held in high-risk offshore storage facilities are transferred to sovereign Australian storage facilities by 25 April 2022.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/6/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 21/6/21
(Senator Steele-John — AG)
Amends the: Royal Commissions Act 1902 to apply the limits on the use and disclosure of information given to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of People with Disability (the commission) in private session, and the restrictions on the ability of such private session information to be used in evidence against the person who gave the information, to information given to the commission for purposes other than in a private session, where the commission has indicated the information is to be treated as confidential and has treated it as such; and Freedom of Information Act 1982 to make a consequential amendment.
Senate:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- Passed 15/2/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Read a 1st time 15/2/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the: Royal Commissions Act 1902 to: apply limitations on the use and disclosure of certain information provided by individuals to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability outside of a private session, where the commission indicated that it would be treated as confidential; enable certain members of a Royal Commission to make non-publication directions; and enable a Commonwealth Royal Commission, during the course of inquiring into a matter, to communicate information and evidence to a Royal Commission, or commission of inquiry, of a state or territory; and Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exempt certain information given to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability from the operation of the Act.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/3/21
- Committee amendments: 7 Govt agreed to
- Passed 25/8/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 30/8/21
Assent: 10/9/21 (Act No. 103, 2021)
(Senator Hanson — PHON)
Amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to: require the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to determine a base minimum price for milk for each dairy season; require the minister to refer to the Productivity Commission for inquiry the effectiveness of determining a base price for milk and the potential effectiveness of a divestiture regime for the dairy industry; and establish a mandatory industry code for the food and grocery industry, including the dairy industry.
Senate:
(Previous title: Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Bill 2020
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 to: enhance the existing framework for managing risks relating to critical infrastructure by introducing: additional positive security obligations for critical infrastructure assets, including a risk management program, to be delivered through sector-specific requirements and mandatory cyber incident reporting; enhanced cyber security obligations for assets of national significance; government assistance to relevant entities for critical infrastructure sector assets in response to significant cyber attacks; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020; Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 to exclude certain decisions from judicial review; AusCheck Act 2007 to enable background checks should they be required as part of a critical infrastructure risk management program; National Emergency Declaration Act 2020 and Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the National Emergency Declaration Act 2020; and Criminal Code Act 1995 to provide for an immunity to apply in relation to the Australian Signals Directorate for conduct occurring outside of Australia.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 18/12/20; report presented to Senate out of sitting 29/9/21; report tabled in House of Representatives 18/10/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 59 Govt agreed to
- Passed 20/10/21
Senate:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 22/11/21
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 124, 2021)
(Ms Steggall MP — Ind)
Amends the Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to provide a general prohibition on sexual harassment, such that it will be unlawful for a person to sexually harass another person in any setting or circumstance.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/3/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 26/10/21
(Attorney-General—s portfolio)
Implements certain recommendations of the Australian Human Rights Commission's report Respect@Work: National Inquiry into Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces by amending the: Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 to: amend the definition of 'unlawful discrimination'; and extend the period of time between an alleged incident and the lodging of a complaint in relation to the President's discretion to terminate a complaint; Fair Work Act 2009 to: provide that a worker who is sexually harassed at work may apply for a Fair Work Commission (FWC) order to stop the sexual harassment; provide that the FWC can make an order to stop sexual harassment following a single instance of sexual harassment; provide that sexual harassment in connection with an employee's employment can be a valid reason for dismissal; and extend the minimum entitlement for compassionate leave in relation to miscarriage; and Sex Discrimination Act 1984 to: prohibit discrimination involving harassment on the ground of sex; extend the application of the Act to members of parliament, members of the ACT and Northern Territory legislative assemblies and their staff, judges, staff and consultants employed under the Members of Parliament (Staff) Act 1984, state employees, including independent contractors; and the public authority of a state; and include definitions of 'worker' and 'persons conducting a business or undertaking' to extend the protection from sexual harassment to all paid and unpaid workers, including volunteers, interns and the self-employed.
Senate:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 24/6/21 (SBC report no. 7 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 6/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 CA negatived
- Committee amendments: 1 Govt agreed to; 43 Opp negatived; 4 Opp-AG negatived; 18 AG negatived
- Passed 1/9/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 51 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
Assent: 10/9/21 (Act No. 104, 2021)
(Mr Bandt MP — Ind)
Amends the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997 to prohibit the Snowy Hydro Company and Snowy hydro-group companies from being involved in creating or investing in new fossil fuel-based electricity generation capacity.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Removed from Notice Paper 23/11/21
(Senator Waters — AG)
Amends the Snowy Hydro Corporatisation Act 1997 to prohibit the Snowy Hydro Company and Snowy hydro-group companies from being involved in creating or investing in new fossil fuel-based electricity generation capacity.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/5/21, 21/6/21
(Dr Webster MP — Nats)
Enables the minister to set basic expectations of social media service providers regarding the hosting of defamatory material on social media platforms, and ensures that service providers are liable for defamatory material hosted on their platforms which is not removed within a reasonable timeframe.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to: extend the end date for existing cashless debit card (CDC) trial areas from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2021 and establish an end date for the CDC trial in the Cape York area of 31 December 2021; remove the cap on the number of CDC trial participants; remove the exclusion to allow people in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay trial area to be able to voluntarily participate in the CDC trial; establish the Northern Territory and Cape York areas as CDC trial areas and transition income management participants in these sites onto the CDC trial in 2020; enable the secretary to advise a community body when a person has exited the CDC trial; and remove the requirement that an evaluation be conducted by an independent expert within 6 months of the completion of a review of the CDC trial.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 10 Govt agreed to
- Passed 27/11/19
Senate:
(Senator Siewert — AG)
Amends the: Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus Act 2020 and Social Security Act 1991 to maintain the coronavirus supplement at the rate of $550 per fortnight for recipients of jobseeker payment, partner allowance, widow allowance, youth allowance, austudy, ABSTUDY Living Allowance, parenting payment, farm household allowance, and special benefit; and Social Security Act 1991 to extend the coronavirus supplement to recipients of disability support pensions and age pensions who receive Commonwealth rent assistance.
Senate:
- Introduced 9/10/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/10/20, 9/11/20
(Indigenous Australians portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to provide for a supplementary payment to be made to eligible job seekers in remote engagement program pilot communities so that they can engage in activities or placements that are like having a job; Social Security Act 1991 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Streamlined Participation Requirements and Other Measures) Act 2021; and Age Discrimination Act 2004, Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to remove redundant provisions relating to the former Community Development Employment Projects Scheme.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 1/9/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 26/10/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Finance and Public Administration Legislation Committee 2/9/21 (SBC report no. 11 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 14/10/21
- Introduced 22/11/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Passed 29/11/21
Assent: 2/12/21 (Act No. 123, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to: create a single set of employment pathway plan requirement provisions, which will allow better use of technology, enabling job seekers more choice about how they enter into an employment pathway plan and meet the requirements of that plan; repeal certain redundant and outdated 'activity test' provisions; create a single set of criteria for exemptions from mutual obligation requirements; provide legislative authority for expenditure on employment programs; and repeal certain redundant provisions; Farm Household Support Act 2014 to make consequential amendments; Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to amend the targeted compliance framework to provide that sanctions need not be imposed when recipients of participation payments have a valid reason for failing to meet their requirements or immediately re-engage; Social Security Act 1991 to: allow payments or benefits from Commonwealth and state and territory employment programs to not be considered income for social security law purposes; provide that the declaration of an approved program of work for income support payment is by legislative instrument; consolidate certain provisions in relation to activities that do not give rise to employment under certain industrial relations legislation; clarify that those receiving youth allowance as a job seeker continue to be treated as such when undertaking study as part of their requirements; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Act 2018; and Farm Household Support Act 2014, Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to align the start day provisions for certain job seekers claiming jobseeker payment or youth allowance.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/5/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 27/5/21; progress report presented out of sitting 3/6/21; extension of time to report 15/6/21; final report presented out of sitting 18/6/21
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to: introduce a no negative equity guarantee to the pension loans scheme; and enable participants to access an advance of their entitlement to regular pension loans scheme payments; and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to make a consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/21
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Student Assistance Act 1973 to introduce a new regime to enable the secretary to request, but not compel, a person to provide their tax file number; Social Security Act 1991 and Student Assistance Act 1973 to clarify that the collection, use and disclosure of personal information or protected information relates not only to the administration of the ABSTUDY scheme, but also to the Assistance for Isolated Children scheme; and Social Security Act 1991, Social Security (Administration) Act 1999, Social Security (International Agreements) Act 1999 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to make technical amendments to confirm that the definition of 'social security law' includes legislative instruments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Passed 13/5/21
Assent: 27/5/21 (Act No. 42, 2021)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 to: restrict access to the relocation scholarship to students relocating within Australia and students studying in Australia; align pensioner education supplement fortnightly rates with the amount of study undertaken by eligible students; and provide that payments of the pensioner education supplement cease during semester breaks and holiday periods; and Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to align education entry payment rates with the amount of study undertaken by eligible students.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/9/19
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 to: increase the newly arrived resident's waiting period (NARWP) for carer payment and carer allowance to 208 weeks; remove the qualifying residence period for parenting payment; apply the 208-week NARWP for the low income health care card and Commonwealth seniors health card to temporary visa holders; make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Social Security Legislation Amendment (Streamlined Participation Requirements and Other Measures) Act 2021; and make minor technical amendments; Social Security (International Agreements) Act 1999 to make consequential amendments; A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 to: increase the NARWP for family tax benefit (FTB) Part A to 208 weeks; and introduce a 208-week NARWP for FTB Part B; and Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 to increase the NARWP for parental leave pay and dad and partner pay to 208 weeks.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/6/21
Senate:
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to establish a two year drug testing trial in three regions for 5000 new recipients of newstart allowance and youth allowance; Farm Household Support Act 2014 to make consequential amendments; and Farm Household Support Act 2014, Social Security Act 1991 and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to substitute references to the newstart allowance with references to the jobseeker payment following commencement of the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Act 2018.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/10/19
Senate:
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 to: amend the residency requirements for the age pension and the disability support pension by changing certain timeframes which need to be met before claims will be deemed payable to eligible recipients; and increase the maximum liquid assets waiting period for youth allowance, austudy, newstart allowance (or jobseeker payment from 20 March 2020) and sickness allowance from 13 weeks to 26 weeks; New Skilled Regional Visas (Consequential Amendments) Act 2019, when enacted, to make contingent amendments to a transitional provision; and Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to cease payment of the pension supplement after six weeks temporary absence overseas and immediately for permanent departures.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/12/19
Senate:
- Introduced 3/12/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/19
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Social Security Act 1991, Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 and Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2014 to include a discretionary power to grant portability extensions to pensioners who are temporarily away from their country of residence and unable to return home within 26 weeks for reasons such as serious illness, death of a family member, natural disaster or public health crisis.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/6/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 27/5/21; report presented out of sitting 10/6/21
- Introduced 17/6/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 24/6/21 (Act No. 53, 2021)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the Social Security Act 1991 to: increase, from 1 April 2021, the maximum basic rates of all working age social security payments by $50 per fortnight; extend, until 30 June 2021, the criteria for a person to qualify for youth allowance (other) or jobseeker payment in circumstances where the person is in quarantine or self-isolation or caring for a family member or household member in quarantine or self-isolation due to COVID-19; extend, until 30 June 2021, the portability period for certain age pensioners and recipients of the disability support pension unable to return to, or depart from, Australia within 26 weeks due to the impact of COVID-19; and permanently increase the ordinary income-free area for jobseeker payment, youth allowance (other), parenting payment partnered and related payments to $150 per fortnight.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG to Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 2 AG negatived; 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 8 AG negatived; 1 Opp withdrawn
- Committee requests for amendments: 20 AG negatived
- Passed 18/3/21
Assent: 22/3/21 (Act No. 23, 2021)
(Senator Griff — CA)
Amends the: Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to require that voice calls communicating an electoral matter to a person must identify the use of any actors at the beginning of the call; and Spam Act 2003 to require political parties to provide an unsubscribe function for all unsolicited electronic communications containing political content.
Senate:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 20/10/21
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Amends the Special Recreational Vessels Act 2019 to extend the operation of the Act from 30 June 2021 to 30 June 2023.
Senate:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 3/6/21
Assent: 10/6/21 (Act No. 43, 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends 41 Acts to replace provisions that require forms to be prescribed by regulations and reflect modern drafting practices, such as providing for the forms to be approved by a specified person or body, by notifiable instrument, or enabling regulations to directly mandate the requirements themselves rather than requiring particular forms.
Senate:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 20/10/21
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 25/11/21 (SBC report no. 13 of 2021); extension of time to report 1/12/21; report due 28/2/22
(Mr Kelly MP — UAP)
Amends the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 to ensure workers have life insurance as part of their superannuation policy that is suitable for dangerous occupations immediately after they start a job which is high risk.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/10/21
(Previous title: Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Bill 2020)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends: the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 and Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to: introduce data disruption warrants to enable the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission (ACIC) to disrupt data by modifying, adding, copying or deleting data in order to frustrate the commission of serious offences online; and make minor technical corrections; the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 to introduce network activity warrants to enable the AFP and ACIC to collect intelligence on serious criminal activity by permitting access to the devices and networks used to facilitate criminal activity; the Crimes Act 1914 to: introduce account takeover warrants to enable the AFP and ACIC to take over a person's online account for the purposes of gathering evidence to further a criminal investigation; and make minor amendments to the controlled operations regime to ensure controlled operations can be conducted effectively in the online environment; and 10 Acts to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 8/12/20; report tabled in Senate and House of Representatives 5/8/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 60 Govt agreed to
- Passed 24/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Ind (Patrick) negatived; 9 AG negatived
- Passed 25/8/21
Assent: 3/9/21 (Act No. 98, 2021)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust Act 2001 to: implement certain recommendations of the Independent Review of the Sydney Harbour Federal Trust by enabling the Harbour Trust to operate as an ongoing entity, amending processes relating to the appointment of members, increasing the threshold for ministerial approval of contracts to $5 million and providing for indexation of the threshold amount, and amending the processes for entering into long-term leases or licences; extend the existing regulation-making powers; establish compliance and enforcement powers; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 23/6/21 (Act No. 49, 2021)
(Act citation: Telecommunications Amendment (Infrastructure in New Developments) Act 2021)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Amends the Telecommunications Act 1997 to: extend the existing prohibition on developers who are constitutional corporations from selling or leasing a building lot or building unit in a new development unless fibre-ready facilities are installed in proximity to the lot or unit to all types of developers, whether incorporated or unincorporated; clarify that a fibre-ready facility must be technically capable of being used in connection with an optical fibre line; and make a technical correction.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 4/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- Passed 4/2/21
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 7, 2021)
(Senator Keneally — ALP)
Amends the Telecommunications Act 1997 to: clarify actions that designated communications providers must not be requested or required to do in technical assistance requests, technical assistance notices or technical capability notices; require the Australian Federal Police Commissioner not to approve technical assistance notices issued by the chief officer of state or territory interception agencies unless satisfied that the requirements of the notice are reasonable and proportionate, and compliance with the notice is practicable and technically feasible; remove the ability of the minister to edit and delete information in relevant reports prepared by the Commonwealth Ombudsman; and insert a judicial authorisation requirement in the approval or varying of technical assistance requests, technical assistance notices or technical capability notices.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/12/19, 10/2/20
(Act citation: Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (International Production Orders) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to: provide a framework for Australian agencies to obtain independently-authorised international production orders for interception, stored communications and telecommunications data directly to designated communications providers in foreign countries with which Australia has a designated international agreement; make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020; and remove the ability for nominated Administrative Appeals Tribunal members to issue certain warrants. Also amends: six Acts to make consequential amendments; and the Surveillance Devices Act 2004 to correct a drafting error.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/3/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 12/3/20; report tabled in Senate 12/5/21 and House of Representatives 13/5/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 502 Govt agreed to
- Passed 23/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/6/21
Assent: 23/7/21 (Act No. 78, 2021)
(Senator Griff — CA)
Amends the: Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to require that voice calls communicating an electoral matter to a person must identify the use of any actors at the beginning of the call; Do Not Call Register Act 2006 to enable consumers who register on the Do Not Call Register to opt out of receiving phone calls from charities; Spam Act 2003 to require political parties to provide an unsubscribe function for all unsolicited electronic communications containing political content; and Telecommunications Act 1997 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp pending
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report no. 9 of 2019); report presented out of sitting 17/4/20
(Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts portfolio)
Amends: the Telecommunications Act 1997 to: define Telstra successor companies and designated Telstra successor entities and replace references to Telstra with references to the successor entities; allow the Minister and Australian Communications and Media Authority to make determinations relating to the designated successor entities; and make technical and consequential amendments; Telstra Corporation Act 2001 to extend existing regulations relating to the operation and ownership of Telstra to its successor entities; the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to: extend existing regulations relating to the operation and ownership of Telstra to its successor entities; and make consequential amendments; the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 to: extend the Minister's powers to impose service provider obligations to Telstra's successor entities and retail price controls on each successor entity; and make consequential technical amendments; and amends three regulations, four determinations and a code of access in relation to ownership of Telstra shares, access to telecommunications infrastructure, carrier licence conditions, emergency call persons and services, real estate development exemptions, arbitration and sunsetting.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 29/11/21
Senate:
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 140, 2021)
(Indigenous Australians portfolio)
Introduced with the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme (Facilitation) Bill 2021 to facilitate the implementation of certain aspects of the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, the bill amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to provide that redress payments are exempt from income tax; Bankruptcy Act 1966 to provide that redress payments are not available to creditors of recipients for the purposes of recovering money under bankruptcy proceedings; Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to ensure that redress payments do not count as income for the purposes of any income support payments; and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to authorise the use of protected information.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- Passed 27/10/21
Senate:
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 141, 2021)
(Indigenous Australians portfolio)
Introduced with the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021 to facilitate the implementation of certain aspects of the Territories Stolen Generations Redress Scheme, the bill: provides that the receipt of a redress payment does not affect a person's eligibility for any pension, benefit, payment or service under a law of the Commonwealth or require the repayment of an amount to the Commonwealth; and provides that the redress payment cannot be transferred to another person, either by voluntary act or by operation of law.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/21
- Passed 27/10/21
Senate:
Assent: 7/12/21 (Act No. 126, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Introduced with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Bill 2021, the bill amends the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to enable the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency to collect and administer the registered higher education provider charge.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Passed 25/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 9/8/21
Assent: 13/8/21 (Act No. 80, 2021)
(Education and Youth portfolio)
Introduced with the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment Bill 2021, Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Bill 2021 and Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Cost Recovery and Other Measures) Bill 2021, the bill amends the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (Charges) Act 2021, when enacted, to remove references to the annual registration and entry to market charges.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- Passed 9/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 10/8/21
- Passed 12/8/21
Assent: 27/8/21 (Act No. 87, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Introduced with the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Cost Recovery) Bill 2021, the bill imposes a registered higher education provider charge to recover the costs of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency's monitoring and regulatory oversight activities.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 9/8/21
Assent: 13/8/21 (Act No. 81, 2021)
(Act citation: Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2020 Measures No. 2) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 to: enable pharmacists to substitute a different medicine for one that has been prescribed where there is a serious scarcity of the prescribed medicine; allow the making of regulations to establish a unique device identification database for the traceability and monitoring of medical devices in Australia; enable authorised employees in the Department of Health to obtain and possess prescription medicines, or unapproved therapeutic goods, without contravening state and territory laws; allow the making of regulations to prohibit the import, export, supply or manufacture of therapeutic goods that are prohibited under international agreements; ensure the timely availability of COVID-19 vaccines by enabling the secretary to consent to the importation and supply of registered or listed therapeutic goods that do not have their registration or listing number on the label; make amendments in relation to the operation of the data protection scheme for assessed listed medicines; and make minor and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 3/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- Passed 18/2/21
Assent: 19/2/21 (Act No. 8, 2021)
(Act citation: Transport Security Amendment (Serious Crime) Act 2021)
(Previous title: Transport Security Amendment (Serious Crime) Bill 2019)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 and Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003 to: prevent the use of aviation and maritime transport or offshore facilities in connection with serious crime; establish a regulatory framework to implement harmonised eligibility criteria for the aviation security identification card (ASIC) and maritime security identification card (MSIC) schemes; clarify and align the legislative basis for undertaking security checking of ASIC and MSIC applicants and holders; provide for regulations to prescribe penalties for offences; and insert an additional severability provision to provide guidance to a court as to Parliament's intention.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Govt agreed to; 8 Opp negatived
- Passed 7/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report no. 9 of 2019); extension of time to report 10/2/20; report presented out of sitting 25/3/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Bill referred to Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee 22/2/21; report presented out of sitting 11/3/21
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp agreed to; 10 Opp negatived
- Passed 16/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendment 16/6/21
Assent: 22/6/21 (Act No. 44, 2021)
(Previous title: Treasury Laws Amendment (2020 Measures No. 4) Bill 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to make refunds of large-scale generation shortfall charges non-assessable non-exempt income for income tax purposes; Treasury Laws Amendment (Putting Consumers First—Establishment of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority) Act 2018 to: facilitate the closure and any transitional arrangements associated with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) replacing the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal (SCT); provide for the transfer of records and documents from the SCT to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission; include a power for the Federal Court to remit cases back to AFCA; and include a rule-making power to allow the minister to prescribe matters of a transitional nature; Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to increase the maximum amount of penalty units that can be included in regulations that prescribe an industry code from 300 to 600 penalty units; and Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus (Measures No. 2) Act 2020 to extend the temporary mechanism which enables ministers to change arrangements for meeting information and documentary requirements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Govt agreed to
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Corporations Act 2001 to: allow companies to execute documents, hold meetings, provide notices relating to meetings and keep minutes using electronic means or other alternative technologies until 16 September 2021; and make contingent amendments; and Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 and Corporations Act 2001 to: provide that all civil penalty proceedings commenced under the continuous disclosure and misleading and deceptive conduct provisions must prove that an entity or officer acted with 'knowledge, recklessness or negligence' in respect of an alleged contravention; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 18/2/21 (SBC report no. 2 of 2021); extension of time to report 25/2/21; report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics References Committee 17/3/21; report presented out of sitting 30/6/21
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 12 Govt agreed to; 1 Opp negatived; 2 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 9/8/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 10/8/21
Assent: 13/8/21 (Act No. 82, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to require a fund, authority or institution to be a registered charity or an Australian government agency, or be operated by a registered charity or an Australian government agency, to be entitled to a deductible gift recipient endorsement; Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to remove the concessional tax treatment for offshore banking units (OBU); and Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 to: remove the ability of the minister to issue determinations or declarations that a person or entity is an OBU; and remove the withholding tax exemption for OBUs for interest (including interest consisting of gold) paid on or after 1 January 2024.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 11/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 PHON agreed to; 1 AG negatived; 2 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 2/9/21
Assent: 13/9/21 (Act No. 110, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surcharge—Fringe Benefits) Act 1999 and Medicare Levy Act 1986 to: increase the Medicare levy and Medicare levy surcharge low-income threshold amounts for individuals, families and individual taxpayers and families eligible for the seniors and pensioners tax offset; and increase the phase-in limits as a result of the increased threshold amounts; National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation Act 2018 to expand the objects of the Act to include the National Housing Finance and Investment Corporation improving housing outcomes for Australians by assisting earlier access to the housing market by single parents with dependants; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to provide that annual and lump sum payments made by the Commonwealth to thalidomide survivors are exempt from income tax and do not count as income for the purposes of any income support payments; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: make disaster recovery grant payments in relation to the storms and floods that occurred in February and March 2021 non-assessable non-exempt income; update the list of deductible gift recipients to include six new entities; and extend the period in which two entities are deductible gift recipients.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Ind (Haines) negatived
- Passed 27/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Committee amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 22/6/21
Assent: 29/6/21 (Act No. 61, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986 to provide employers with an exemption from fringe benefits tax if they provide training or education to a redundant, or soon to be redundant, employee for the purpose of assisting that employee to gain new employment; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: extend the operation of the junior minerals exploration incentive for a further four years; and include a reporting requirement for mineral exploration companies where no exploration investment has occurred to enable unused exploration credits to be identified earlier and reallocated; Treasury Laws Amendment (Junior Minerals Exploration Incentive) Act 2018 to make consequential amendments; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to provide a capital gains tax exemption for granny flat arrangements where there is a formal written agreement in place; Corporations Act 2001 and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to provide that the Australian Securities and Investment Commission is not prohibited from making a product intervention order that has conditions relating to fees, charges or other consideration payable by a retail client or consumer in relation to a financial or credit product; International Tax Agreements Act 1953 to disregard days spent in Australia due to COVID-19 by New Zealand sportspersons on teams participating in cross-border competitions and their support staff in determining whether income derived from such competitions is taxable in Australia; and Treasury Laws Amendment (A Tax Plan for the COVID-19 Economic Recovery) Act 2020 to retain the low and middle income tax offset for the 2021-22 financial year.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/5/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Senate:
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 72, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends: the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: increase the producer offset for films that are not feature films released in cinemas to 30 per cent of total qualifying Australian production expenditure; increase the minimum qualifying Australian production expenditure threshold for claiming the producer offset and the post, digital and visual effects offset to $1 million; remove the 65 commercial hour cap on claiming qualifying Australian production expenditure for a drama series and seasons of a drama series; and create limitations on what a company can count as a films qualifying Australian production expenditure; 15 Acts to make amendments consequential on new debt restructuring and liquidation processes for eligible incorporated small businesses; and 16 Acts in the Treasury portfolio to make miscellaneous and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 10/8/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 5/8/21 (SBC report no. 8 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 20/8/21; extension of time to report 23/8/21; progress report presented out of sitting 27/8/21; final report tabled 31/8/21
- Introduced 11/8/21
- Committee amendments: 1 Govt agreed to; 5 Opp agreed to
- Passed 1/12/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 1/12/21
Assent: 7/12/21 (Act No. 127, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: make refunds of large-scale generation shortfall charges exempt from income tax; and remove the requirement for superannuation trustees to provide an actuarial certificate when calculating exempt current pension income using the proportionate method, where all members of the fund are fully in the retirement phase for all of the income year; Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to: increase the maximum amount of penalty units that can be included in regulations that prescribe an industry code from 300 to 600 penalty units; clarify that if regulations prescribe an industry code, the industry code may confer on a person or body functions and powers in relation to the code; and Family Law Act 1975 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to create an information sharing mechanism to allow the family law courts to access certain superannuation information held by the Commissioner of Taxation for the purpose of permitting family law proceedings.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 26/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 31/8/21
- Committee amendments: 2 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 2/9/21
Assent: 13/9/21 (Act No. 111, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Taxation Administration Act 1953 to require electronic platform operators to provide information on transactions made through the platform to the Australian Taxation Office; Treasury Laws Amendment (Putting Consumers First—Establishment of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority) Act 2018 to facilitate the closure and any transitional arrangements associated with the Australian Financial Complaints Authority replacing the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal; and Fringe Benefits Tax Assessment Act 1986, Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to remove the $250 non-deductible threshold for work-related self-education expenses.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 18/10/21
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to extend the concessional tax treatment of payments received during the 2021-22 financial year by eligible businesses under eligible COVID-19 recovery grant programs administered by a state or territory government or authority; and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to enable tax information to be disclosed to Services Australia for the purposes of administering the COVID-19 disaster payment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/6/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 23/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 23/6/21
- Passed 24/6/21
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 71, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020 to enable the Treasurer to make rules for economic response payments to provide support to an entity where they are adversely affected by restrictions imposed by a state or territory public health order that is directed at controlling the transmission of COVID-19; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to enable tax information to be disclosed to Australian government agencies for the purposes of administering COVID-19 business support programs; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to make payments received by eligible businesses under certain COVID-19 business support programs and Commonwealth COVID-19 disaster payments exempt from income tax; and Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus (Measures No. 2) Act 2020 to reinstate a temporary mechanism for ministers to change arrangements relating to meeting information and document requirements under Commonwealth legislation.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/8/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 3/8/21
Senate:
- Introduced 4/8/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 AG agreed to; 1 Opp negatived; 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendment: 1 Ind (Patrick) agreed to
- Passed 5/8/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives disagreed to Senate amendment 5/8/21
Senate:
- Senate did not insist on its amendment 9/8/21
Assent: 10/8/21 (Act No. 79, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 to remove the $450-a-month threshold before an employee's salary or wages count towards the superannuation guarantee; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to increase the limit on the maximum amount of voluntary contributions made over multiple financial years that are eligible to be released under the First Home Super Saver Scheme from $30 000 to $50 000; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: enable individuals aged 60 and above to make downsizer contributions to their superannuation plan from the proceeds of selling their home; apply the work test to individuals aged between 67 and 75 who claim a deduction for personal superannuation contributions and allow such individuals to make or receive non-concessional superannuation contributions under the bring forward rule; and enable superannuation trustees to choose their preferred method of calculating exempt current pension income when they have member interests in both accumulation and retirement phases for part, but not all, of the income year; and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to extend the temporary full expensing regime to 30 June 2023.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/10/21
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Petroleum (Laminaria and Corallina Decommissioning Cost Recovery Levy) Bill 2021, the bill amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Assessment Act 1987 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to specify certain administrative features relating to the Laminaria and Corallina decommissioning levy, including the requirement that the levy is payable to the Commissioner of Taxation annually.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 20/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 20/10/21
Senate:
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (More Flexible Superannuation) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to enable individuals aged 65 and 66 to make up to three years of non-concessional superannuation contributions under the bring forward rule.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 31/8/20
Senate:
- Introduced 31/8/20
- Committee amendments: 4 PHON agreed to
- Passed 17/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 17/6/21
Assent: 22/6/21 (Act No. 45, 2021)
(Previous title: Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media and Digital Platforms Mandatory Bargaining Code) Bill 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to establish a mandatory code of conduct that applies to news media businesses and digital platform corporations when bargaining in relation to news content made available by digital platform services.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 19 Govt agreed to
- Passed 17/2/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 10/12/20 (SBC report no. 12 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 12/2/21
- Introduced 22/2/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp agreed to; 3 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 5 Govt agreed to; 1 AG to Govt negatived; 4 AG negatived; 3 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 25/2/21
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 21, 2021)
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (Reuniting More Superannuation) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Retirement Savings Accounts Act 1997, Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 and Superannuation (Unclaimed Money and Lost Members) Act 1999 to: facilitate the closure of eligible rollover funds by 30 June 2021; and enable the Commissioner of Taxation to reunite amounts he or she receives from eligible rollover funds with a member's active account; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 11/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/2/20
- Committee amendments: 14 Govt agreed to
- Committee requests for amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Passed 15/3/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives made Senate requests for amendments 25/2/21
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 16/3/21
Assent: 22/3/21 (Act No. 24, 2021)
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (Self Managed Superannuation Funds) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to increase the maximum number of allowable members from four to six in self managed superannuation funds and small APRA funds; and Corporations Act 2001, Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 and Superannuation (Unclaimed Money and Lost Members) Act 1999 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report no. 8 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 4/11/20
- Committee amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/6/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/6/21
- Passed 17/6/21
Assent: 22/6/21 (Act No. 47, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 to: provide that if a new employee has an existing 'stapled' superannuation fund and does not choose a fund to receive contributions, their employer is required to make contributions on behalf of the employee into the stapled fund; and ensure that employers are not in breach of various rules, or are not liable for superannuation guarantee charge, in certain circumstances; Superannuation Act 1990 and Superannuation Act 2005 to make consequential amendments; Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to: require the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to conduct an annual performance test for MySuper products and other products to be specified in regulations; make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Self Managed Superannuation Funds) Act 2021, when enacted, and Family Law Amendment (Western Australia De Facto Superannuation Splitting and Bankruptcy) Act 2020, when enacted; require trustees of registrable superannuation entities and self managed superannuation funds and directors of the corporate trustee of a registrable superannuation entity to perform their duties and exercise their powers in the best financial interests of the beneficiaries; reverse the evidential burden of proof for the best financial interests duty so that the onus is on the trustee of a registrable superannuation entity; allow regulations to be made to prohibit certain payments made by trustees of registrable superannuation entities and prescribe additional requirements on trustees and directors of trustee companies of registrable superannuation entities; and allow contraventions of record-keeping obligations specified in regulations to be subject to a strict liability offence; and Corporations Act 2001 to remove an exemption from disclosing information about certain investments under the portfolio holdings disclosure rules.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt agreed to; 19 Opp negatived; 3 Ind (Kelly) negatived; 14 Ind (Steggall) negatived
- Passed 3/6/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 18/2/21 (SBC report no. 2 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 21/4/21; final report presented out of sitting 29/4/21
- Introduced 15/6/21
- Committee amendments: 8 Govt agreed to; 30 Opp negatived; 11 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 17/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 17/6/21
Assent: 22/6/21 (Act No. 46, 2021)
(Ms Sharkie MP — CA)
Amends the: Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to require that voice calls communicating an electoral matter to a person must identify the use of any actors at the beginning of the call; and Spam Act 2003 to require political parties to provide an unsubscribe function for all unsolicited electronic communications containing political content.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/10/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/10/21
(Act citation: VET Student Payment Arrangements (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and VET Student Loans Act 2016 to: phase out the Commonwealth's obligation to pay VET FEE-HELP (VFH) to VET providers in respect of old student data, and prevent those providers from pursuing students for the amounts the Commonwealth does not pay; enable the Commonwealth to set off debts owed by providers to the Commonwealth under the VFH scheme against amounts of FEE-HELP assistance or VET student loans payable to the provider; and revoke the approval of remaining VET providers, while providing for the continuing operation of the Higher Education Support Act 2003 and relevant legislative instruments to enable the Commonwealth to deal with and resolve outstanding matters under the VFH scheme.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Passed 3/12/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/12/20
- Passed 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 17, 2021)
(Veterans' Affairs portfolio)
Amends: nine Acts to: exempt certain payments, known as the adjusted disability pension, from the social security income test; and remove the Defence Force Income Support Allowance; the Veterans' Entitlement Act 1986 to: remove the disability income rent test; replace references to 'disability pension' with references that clarify the nature of the payment as a compensation payment; and adjust the mechanism for indexation of certain payments; and the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 to establish a non-liability rehabilitation pilot to provide veterans with access to rehabilitation support without the requirement to have lodged a compensation claim.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 30/11/21
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/21
- Passed 2/12/21
Assent: 13/12/21 (Act No. 142, 2021)
(Resources, Water and Northern Australia portfolio)
Amends the Water Act 2007 to: establish the role of an independent Inspector-General of Water Compliance to monitor, and provide independent oversight of, water compliance; provide for the Inspector-General's powers and functions; introduce new offence and civil penalty provisions for unlawful conduct relating to the taking of water and new civil penalties for conduct relating to trading of water rights; and make minor amendments. Also makes consequential amendments to the Basin Plan 2012.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 3/6/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/6/21
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp agreed to; 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt agreed to; 2 PHON agreed to; 6 Nats negatived; 10 Ind (Patrick) withdrawn
- Passed 23/6/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments nos 2 and 3 and disagreed to amendments nos 1 and 4, 24/6/21
Senate:
- Senate did not insist on its amendments nos 1 and 4, 24/6/21
Assent: 30/6/21 (Act No. 74, 2021)
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 to clarify the operation of the Act in relation to the Commonwealth's undertakings on Norfolk Island.
Senate:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Passed 30/8/21
Assent: 10/9/21 (Act No. 105, 2021)
MORE INFORMATION
For further information about the consideration of legislation in the Senate:
Bills and related material can be accessed at https://www.aph.gov.au/bills
Committee reports can be accessed at https://www.aph.gov.au/committees