ABBREVIATIONS â—¬— 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 |
| Ind | Independent | SC | House of Representatives Selection Committee |
| JLN | Jacqui Lambie Network | SBC | Senate Selection of Bills Committee |
| KAP | Katter's Australian Party | | |
(Indigenous Australians portfolio)
Amends the: Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976 to: remove the requirement that the term of the Jabiru township lease be 99 years to allow for a shorter term between 40 and 99 years; remove the requirement that the initial grant of the township lease can only be to the Commonwealth; clarify that the new township lease will not automatically extend the term of existing Jabiru subleases beyond the term of the current town head lease; and remove redundant Jabiru-specific leasing provisions; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to make a minor consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 31/8/20
Senate:
- Introduced 1/9/20
- Passed 3/9/20
Assent: 17/9/20 (Act No. 87, 2020)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Aged Care Act 1997 to: introduce an additional, discretionary procedure for classification of recipients of residential aged care and some kinds of flexible care from 1 March 2021; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt/passed
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 147, 2020)
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Aged Care Act 1997 to: require approved residential care service providers to notify the secretary of the ratios of aged care recipients to staff members, broken down into categories of staff members, on a quarterly basis; and require a review of the proposed amendments 12 months after their commencement.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 11/2/20
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to: introduce an emergency leave type that will enable approved providers to remain eligible for residential care subsidy in declared emergency situations; and ensure that approved providers cannot charge aged care residents a fee during a declared emergency to reserve their place in an aged care service.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 13/5/20
Senate:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 14/5/20
Assent: 15/5/20 (Act No. 41, 2020)
(Senator Griff â—¬— 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 6/20); extension of time to report 12/11/20; report due last sitting day in March 2021 (18/3/21)
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 19/10/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport 21/10/20 (SC report no. 21)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to change home care subsidy from being paid to an approved provider in advance of the home care services being delivered to a consumer, to a payment made in arrears after the services have been delivered.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 28/10/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 12/11/20 (SBC report 10/20); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 124, 2020)
(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/passed
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
(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 adjourned 2/12/20
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to establish a database for nationally consistent worker screening to enable employers to search the database to screen potential employees for any history of misconduct.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 11/2/20
(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:
(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 9/19) 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
- Read a 1st time 25/2/20
(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 â—¬— 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 4/18); 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
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 26/10/20
(Act citation: Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 to: expand the circumstances in which reporting entities may rely on customer identification and verification procedures undertaken by a third party; explicitly prohibit reporting entities from providing a designated service if customer identification procedures cannot be performed; prohibit financial institutions from entering into a correspondent banking relationship that permits its accounts to be used by a shell bank; require banks to conduct due diligence assessments before entering, and during, all correspondent banking relationships; and expand exceptions to the prohibition on tipping off to permit reporting entities to share suspicious matter reports and related information with external auditors and foreign members of corporate and designated business groups;
Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to replace existing 'designated agency' information sharing provisions (relating to the use and disclosure of AUSTRAC information) with a more general information sharing power; Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006, Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and Surveillance Devices Act 2004 to create a single reporting requirement for the cross-border movement of monetary instruments; Criminal Code Act 1995 to: clarify that the existence of one Commonwealth constitutional connector is sufficient to establish an instrument of crime offence; deem money or property provided by undercover law enforcement as part of a controlled operation to be the proceeds of crime for the purposes of prosecution; and provide for transitional arrangements; and Australian Federal Police Act 1979 to create a new offence of dishonestly representing conferral of police awards.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 11/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 14/11/19 (SBC report 8/19); extension of time to report 5/2/20; report presented out of sitting 10/3/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Committee amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 133, 2020)
(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 Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2019-2020 and the Supply Act (No. 1) 2019-2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 4/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 26/3/20 (Act No. 33, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2019-2020 and the Supply Act (No. 2) 2019-2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 4/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 26/3/20 (Act No. 34, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Introduced with the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Bill 2020, Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus (Measures No. 2) Bill 2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2019-2020 to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill appropriates 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) 2019-2020, Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2019-2020, Appropriation Act (No. 3) 2019-2020 and Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act (No. 1) 2019-2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 8 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 3 Opp/negatived; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Assent: 9/4/20 (Act No. 39, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Introduced with the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Bill 2020, Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus (Measures No. 2) Bill 2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2019-2020 to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Supply Act (No. 2) 2019-2020, Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2019-2020, Appropriation Act (No. 4) 2019-2020 and Appropriation (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act (No. 2) 2019-2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 8 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 3 Opp/negatived; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Assent: 9/4/20 (Act No. 40, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates 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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 9 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Passed 30/11/20
Assent: 4/12/20 (Act No. 109, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates 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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Passed 30/11/20
Assent: 4/12/20 (Act No. 110, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of the government, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2019-2020 and Supply Act (No. 1) 2019-2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 25, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2019-2020 and Supply Act (No. 2) 2019-2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 26, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure in relation to the parliamentary departments, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Supply (Parliamentary Departments) Act (No. 1) 2020-2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Passed 30/11/20
Assent: 4/12/20 (Act No. 111, 2020)
(Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purposes of making payments to support regions, industry sectors and communities in severely affected regions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 5 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 24, 2020)
(Mr Katter MP â—¬— KAP)
Provides for independent audits of Australian banking corporations and their subsidiaries by the Auditor-General.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 20/10/20
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
Gives effect to certain provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhumane or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by: declaring an Australian Bill of Rights; providing that any Commonwealth, state or territory law that is inconsistent with the Bill of Rights is invalid to the extent of the inconsistency; specifying that Commonwealth, state and territory laws must be interpreted consistently with the Bill of Rights; and providing the Australian Human Rights Commission with a range of additional powers and functions in relation to the rights and freedoms in the Bill of Rights.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/9/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 24/3/20
(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:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 6/2/20 (SBC report 1/20); report presented out of sitting 21/2/20
- Introduced 10/2/20
- In committee 27/2/20
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp/passed; 1 CA/pending
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill: establishes the Australian Business Growth Fund to provide a source of patient capital for small and medium enterprises; and authorises investment by the Commonwealth in the Fund, and appropriates the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purposes of that investment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 28, 2020)
(Senator Di Natale â—¬— 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
(Dr Leigh MP â—¬— ALP)
Amends the Australian Capital Territory (Self-Government) Act 1988 to allow the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Legislative Assembly to make laws relating to the Australian Federal Police's (AFP) provision of police services, where those laws relate to the investigation of integrity and corruption with respect to AFP services provided for the ACT.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/11/20
(Previous title: Australian Citizenship Amendment (Citizenship Cessation) Bill 2019)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to: replace the current arrangements, whereby a person's Australian citizenship automatically ceases through certain conduct, with a discretion for the Minister for Home Affairs to determine that a person who is a national or citizen of a country other than Australia ceases to be an Australian citizen if they have: engaged in specified terrorism-related conduct; fought for, or been in the service of, a declared terrorist organisation outside Australia; or engaged in conduct that results in a conviction for a specified terrorism offence; include transitional provisions to deal with cases where the minister is unaware that a person may have lost their citizenship under the current provisions; reduce the sentence term threshold for which a person convicted of a specified terrorism offence may be considered for citizenship cessation from 6 to 3 years; and extend the period in which persons convicted of a specified terrorism offence resulting in at least 3 years imprisonment may be considered for citizenship cessation from 12 December 2015 to 29 May 2003; and Independent National Security Legislation Monitor Act 2010 and Intelligence Services Act 2001 to enable the Independent National Security Legislation Monitor and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security to review the operation, effectiveness and implication of the citizenship cessation provisions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 19/9/19
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 19/9/19; report tabled in House of Representatives 1/9/20 and Senate 2/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Govt/passed
- Passed 2/9/20
Senate:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- Committee amendments: 2 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Passed 3/9/20
Assent: 17/9/20 (Act No. 88, 2020)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the Australian Education Act 2013 to: introduce a new measure of income methodology for calculating a school community's capacity to contribute financially to a non-government school; enable adjustments to be made to the transition pathways of non-government schools to a nationally consistent Commonwealth share of the Schooling Resource Standard; and provide the authority and appropriation for the Commonwealth to make GST-inclusive payments where necessary.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 4/3/20
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/20 (Act No. 36, 2020)
(Senator Hanson â—¬— 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 12/20); report due first Monday in July 2021 (5/7/21)
(Dr Haines MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 26/10/20
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
(Senator Griff â—¬— 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 3/19); extension of time to report 11/11/19; report tabled 4/12/19
(Senator Di Natale â—¬— 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
(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
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 to enable the Commonwealth to recover the costs of a wider range of activities that are funded by the Commonwealth and recoverable through the framework.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 54, 2020)
(Act citation: Australian Research Council Amendment Act 2020)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the Australian Research Council Act 2001 to: apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts for the financial years commencing on 1 July 2019, 1 July 2020 and 1 July 2021; and insert a new funding cap for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2022.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 26/11/19
Senate:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- Committee amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 11/2/20
Assent: 26/2/20 (Act No. 7, 2020)
(Senator Faruqi â—¬— 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
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Implements the government's response to the report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security into ASIO's questioning and detention powers by amending the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979 in relation to compulsory questioning powers and tracking devices. Also amends four Acts to make consequential amendments; and makes amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 13/5/20; report tabled in House of Representatives 3/12/20 and Senate 8/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 14 Govt/passed; 30 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Committee amendments: 2 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 134, 2020)
(Act citation: Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Enhancing Australiaâ—¬—¢s Anti-Doping Capability) Act 2020)
(Youth and Sport portfolio)
Implements certain recommendations of the Report of the Review of Australia's Sports Integrity Arrangements (the Wood review) by amending the: Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006 and Australian Sports Commission Act 1989 to abolish the Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel; and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006 to: extend statutory protection against civil actions to national sporting organisations and their staff in the exercise of anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) functions; extend the current protection that allows an entrusted person to resist production of protected information to a court or tribunal to any person in possession of protected information; change the statutory threshold at which the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority CEO may issue a disclosure notice from 'reasonably believes' (that a person has information, documents or things that may be relevant to administration of the national anti-doping scheme) to 'reasonably suspects'; allow a person entitled to inspect or view a document produced pursuant to a disclosure notice to do so only at such times and places as the CEO thinks appropriate; increase the penalty for non-compliance with a disclosure notice from 30 to 60 penalty units; and provide that a person is not excused from complying with the requirement to answer a question, and give information or provide a document or thing on the grounds that doing so may incriminate them or expose them to a penalty. Also makes amendments to three Acts contingent on the commencement of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Sport Integrity Australia) Act 2019.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 4/12/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report 9/19); progress report presented out of sitting 3/2/20; extension of time for final report 5/2/20; final report tabled 24/2/20
- Introduced 5/12/19
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 7 AG/negatived
- Passed 11/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendment 12/6/20
Assent: 16/6/20 (Act No. 51, 2020)
(Act citation: Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Sport Integrity Australia) Act 2020)
(Youth and Sport portfolio)
Implements a recommendation of the Report of the Review of Australia's Sports Integrity Arrangements (the Wood review) by amending the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Act 2006 to: establish Sport Integrity Australia to bring together the functions of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority and the National Integrity of Sport Unit within the Department of Health, as well as the sports integrity functions of Sport Australia; and amend the short title of the Act to the Sport Integrity Australia Act 2019. Also makes consequential amendments to eight Acts, and makes amendments to three Acts contingent on the commencement of the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority Amendment (Enhancing Australia's Anti-Doping Capability) Act 2019.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 5/12/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 14/11/19 (SBC report 8/19); progress report presented out of siting 3/2/20; extension of time for final report 5/2/20; final report tabled 5/2/20
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 24/2/20
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 11, 2020)
(Senator Rice â—¬— 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
(Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio)
Introduced with the Australiaâ—¬—¢s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020, the bill establishes a legislative scheme for Commonwealth engagement with arrangements between State or Territory governments and foreign governments, and their associated entities.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Govt/passed
- Passed 11/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); report presented out of sitting 5/11/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 3 Opp/negatived; 12 AG/negatived; 9 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Passed 3/12/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendment 3/12/20
Assent: 10/12/20 (Act No. 116, 2020)
(Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio)
Consequential on the Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 to provide that decisions made under the Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Act 2020 are not subject to judicial review; and Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 to authorise the disclosure of protected information.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- Passed 11/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); report presented out of sitting 5/11/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Committee amendments: 1 Ind (Patrick)/passed; 1 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Passed 3/12/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives disagreed to Senate amendment 3/12/20
Senate:
- Senate did not insist on its amendment 8/12/20
Assent: 10/12/20 (Act No. 117, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the Authorised Deposit-taking Institutions Supervisory Levy Imposition Act 1998 to: increase the statutory upper limit on the authorised deposit-taking institutions supervisory levy to $10 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020; and amend the calculation of the indexation factor used to establish the statutory upper limits applying in later years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 55, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the Authorised Non-operating Holding Companies Supervisory Levy Imposition Act 1998 to: increase the statutory upper limit on the authorised non-operating holding companies supervisory levy to $10 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020; and amend the calculation of the indexation factor used to establish the statutory upper limits applying in later years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 56, 2020)
(Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development portfolio)
Amends the: Civil Aviation (Carriers' Liability) Act 1959 (CACL Act) to: reflect the increase to the domestic liability cap for death or injury to passengers to $925 000 as effected by the Civil Aviation (Carriers' Liability) Regulations 2019; provide for the secretary to make regulations about permitted exclusions of liability in relation to the scope of mandatory insurance that airlines must obtain; and provide that servants and agents of a carrier can avail themselves of the same conditions of liability in addition to the limits of liability applicable to air carriers; and Air Accidents (Commonwealth Government Liability) Act 1963 to provide that increases to the liability caps under Part IV of the CACL Act are incorporated regardless of whether implemented by amendments to the CACL Act or via regulation.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 148, 2020)
(Senator Roberts â—¬— 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 6/20); extension of time to report 3/8/20; report tabled 24/8/20
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Banking Act 1959 to impose certain obligations and requirements on authorised deposit-taking institutions in relation to loans of up to $5 million to small primary production businesses.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/7/19
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Economics 25/7/19 (SC report no. 2)
- Removed from Notice Paper 11/2/20
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Introduced with the Territories Legislation Amendment Bill 2020, the bill amends the Bankruptcy (Estate Charges) Act 1997 to extend the application of the Act to Norfolk Island.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/10/20
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 149, 2020)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to: enable regulations to prescribe different penalty amounts for infringement notices issued for different kinds of alleged contraventions; clarify that the regulations may prescribe different periods of time to pay an infringement notice depending on the kind of goods or class of goods to which an alleged contravention relates; enable the Director of Biosecurity to determine goods or classes of goods that can attract a higher infringement notice amount and provide that the determination is not disallowable; and enable the regulations to incorporate references to the determination as in force from time to time.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 7/10/20
Senate:
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 99, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill provides for the Commissioner of Taxation to make cash flow boost payments to eligible entities comprising the first cash flow boost payments and the second cash flow boost payments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 23, 2020)
(Senator Steele-John â—¬— 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
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Amends the: Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to: enable regional commercial radio broadcasting licensees to nominate to split exemption periods from local news and information content obligations into two periods, together totalling no more than five weeks; amend the minimum service standard obligations which apply after a trigger event occurs; and permit regional and remote commercial television broadcasting licensees to be deemed to have complied with the multi-channel Australian content quota obligation in certain circumstances; and Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 to enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority to delegate an information-gathering power.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 100, 2020)
(Act citation: Business Names Registration (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Commonwealth Registers Bill 2019, Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2019, Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 to create a new Commonwealth business registry regime, the bill amends the Business Names Registration (Fees) Act 2011 to allow the registrar to collect fees related to the performance of registry functions or the exercise of a registry power.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 66, 2020)
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Introduced with the Civil Aviation (Unmanned Aircraft Levy) Bill 2020, the bill amends the Civil Aviation Act 1988 to establish arrangements for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to collect the levy imposed on remotely piloted aircraft operators.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 143, 2020)
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Introduced with the Civil Aviation Amendment (Unmanned Aircraft Levy Collection and Payment) Bill 2020, the bill imposes a levy for future cost recovery arrangements for regulatory services for remotely piloted aircraft operators.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 142, 2020)
(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
Senate:
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
Amends the Climate Change Authority Act 2011 to require the Climate Change Authority to review, by 1 July 2020, the impact of three degrees of global warming on the economy and the environment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 20/10/20
(Ms Steggall MP â—¬— 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 (the 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/11/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 11/11/20 (SC report no. 23)
(Ms Steggall MP â—¬— 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 or duties, or exercising powers, and include this information in annual reports.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/11/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 11/11/20 (SC report no. 23)
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
The bill: declares an environment and climate emergency; outlines the obligations of public service agencies to recognise and act in accordance with the declaration; and establishes the Multi-Party Climate Emergency Committee to report to Cabinet in relation to the climate emergency declaration.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/3/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 1/12/20
(Senator Rice â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/12/20
(Senator Di Natale â—¬— 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 2/19); extensions of time to report 14/10/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 16/4/20
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
Prohibits the Commonwealth government or its agencies from funding the refurbishment, building or purchase of, or providing indirect assistance to, a coal-fired power station.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 11/2/20
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
Amends the: Customs Act 1901 to limit, and prohibit from 2030, the importation and exportation of thermal coal unless it is being used for research, analysis or display; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/10/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/6/20
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 6/20); report due second sitting day of March 2021 (16/3/21)
(Senator Lambie â—¬— 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 3/20); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 3/9/20; report tabled 3/12/20
(Senators McCarthy and Farrell â—¬— 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
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: lower the political donation disclosure threshold from $13 000 to $1000; and remove the indexation of the disclosure threshold.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- Bill referred to Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters 5/2/20 (SC report no. 10); report presented to Senate out of sitting 28/5/20; report tabled in House of Representatives 11/6/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 20/10/20
(Senator Steele-John â—¬— 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
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— 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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/8/20
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to require political parties, state branches of political parties and political campaigners to provide a notice to the Australian Electoral Commission of political donations received over the disclosure threshold amount of $13 800 within five business days of receiving the donation.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/9/19
- Bill referred to Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters 19/9/19 (SC report no. 6); report presented to Senate out of sitting 17/12/19; report tabled in House of Representatives 5/2/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 24/3/20
(Senator Farrell â—¬— 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
(Senator Farrell â—¬— 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
(Dr Haines MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 26/10/20
(Act citation: Commonwealth Registers Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2019, Business Names Registration (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019, Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 to create a new Commonwealth business registry regime, the bill: provides for the appointment, functions and powers of the registrar; and sets the framework for protecting and disclosing information held by the registrar.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 65, 2020)
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Amends the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to enable regulations to prescribe processes which will be deemed to satisfy the definition of 'substantially transformed' for the purposes of the country of origin provisions.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- Passed 27/8/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 27/10/20
Assent: 10/11/20 (Act No. 94, 2020)
(Mr Katter MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/8/20
(Senator Hanson-Young â—¬— 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 2/19); extensions of time to report 25/11/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 16/4/20
(Senator Xenophon â—¬— 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 â—¬— CA and Senator Patrick â—¬— 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
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 29/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/2/20
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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 5/19); extension of time to report 28/8/20; report due 30/6/21
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 29/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/2/20
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Coronavirus Economic Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020 to enable the extension of the jobkeeper scheme to 28 March 2021 by extending the current time limit on payment rules authorised by the Act; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to extend the circumstances in which protected information can be disclosed; Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus (Measures No. 2) Act 2020 and Fair Work Act 2009 to: support the extended operation of the jobkeeper scheme; and make consequential amendments; and Fair Work Act 2009 to ensure provisions regarding agreements in relation to the taking of annual leave are repealed on 28 September 2020, as originally intended.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 12 Opp/negatived
- Passed 26/8/20
Senate:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 6 Govt/passed; 12 Opp/negatived; 4 AG/negatived; 2 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 8 AG/negatived
- Passed 1/9/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 1/9/20
Assent: 3/9/20 (Act No. 81, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill amends: the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to: increase the cost threshold below which small business entities can access an immediate deduction for depreciating assets and certain related expenditure (instant asset write-off) from $30 000 to $150 000, from 12 March to 30 June 2020; and temporarily allow businesses with aggregated turnovers of less than $500 million in an income year to deduct capital allowances for depreciating assets at an accelerated rate; the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Social Security Act 1991, Taxation Administration Act 1953 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to make amendments consequential on the cash flow boost payments; six Acts to provide for two rounds of economic support payments of $750 to certain income support and compensation recipients and holders of qualifying concession cards; Biosecurity Act 2015 to enable the Director of Human Biosecurity to delegate their functions or powers in relation to human biosecurity control orders; the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Regulations 2019 to waive the environmental management charge from 1 April to 31 December 2020; the Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Regulations 1997 to: implement measures to assist employers to retain apprentices and traineeships; and provide financial assistance to participants in the Australian aviation sector; the Corporations Act 2001 to provide short-term regulatory relief to classes of person who are unable to meet their obligations under the Act or the regulations; the A New Tax (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to: allocate extra allowable absence days for child care; and waive the current obligation of services duty to enforce payment of gaps fees for a particular event or circumstance; the Retirement Savings Accounts Regulations 1997 and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulation 1994 to reduce the minimum payment amounts for account based, allocated and market linked pensions by half for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 financial years; the Social Security Act 1991 to: expand eligibility for the youth allowance (other) and jobseeker payments; provide for the payment of a $550 coronavirus supplement to youth allowance (other) and jobseeker recipients and certain other income support recipients; and exempt recipients from certain waiting periods; the Farm Household Support Act 2014 to apply the coronavirus supplement and waiting period exemptions to recipients of the Farm Household Allowance; the Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Simplifying Income Reporting and Other Measures) Act 2020 to delay the commencement of the Act; the Bankruptcy Act 1966 and Bankruptcy Regulations 1996 to provide temporary relief for individuals at risk of bankruptcy; the Corporations Act 2001 and Corporations Regulations 2001 to provide temporary relief for businesses at risk of insolvency; the Corporations Act 2001 to provide temporary relief for directors from their personal duty to prevent insolvency trading; the Retirement Savings Accounts Regulations 1997 and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Regulations 1994 to enable individuals to access up to $10 000 from their superannuation or retirement savings account in the 2019-20 financial year, and up to a further $10 000 in the 2020-21 financial year; the Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to provide that any superannuation lump sum amounts released to an individual in the previous circumstances are non-assessable non-exempt income; the A New Tax System (Medicare Levy Surchargeâ—¬—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; and the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 to delay the next intergenerational report from 2020 to mid-2021. Also grants a minister the power to determine a new sunset day for legislation that is due to sunset on or before 15 October 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 11 Govt/passed; 5 Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/agreed to; 1 AG/agreed to; 3 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 1 Govt/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 13 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendment 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 22, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Bill 2020, Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2019-2020 to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill amends: the Fair Work Act 2009 to temporarily enable employers to issue jobkeeper enabling directions; eight Acts to makes amendments consequential on the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020; the Guarantee of Lending to Small and Medium Enterprises (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act 2020 to ensure that certain categories of smaller non-authorised deposit-taking institutions will fall within the definition of 'financial institution'; the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to: modify how child care subsidy (CCS) entitlements are reviewed when an individual, who is a member of a couple for some but not all of the CCS fortnights in an income year, meets the CCS reconciliation conditions; and provide that payments of Additional Child Care Subsidy and funding agreements for certain grant programs occur under the existing standing appropriation; and the Taxation Administration Act 1953 to allow, until 30 June 2023, the disclosure of de-identified protected information to the Treasury for the purposes of policy development and analysis in relation to the coronavirus. Also: provides a temporary mechanism for ministers to change arrangements for meeting information and documentary requirements under Commonwealth legislation; and allows the Veterans' Minister to: increase, by legislative instrument, the amount paid to a person receiving a payment under the veterans' law by the amount of the coronavirus supplement, and vary the qualifications and eligibility for payments by legislative instrument.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 8 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 3 Opp/negatived; 3 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 AG/negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 4 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Assent: 9/4/20 (Act No. 38, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Coronavirus Economic Response Package Omnibus (Measures No. 2) Bill 2020, Appropriation Bill (No. 5) 2019-2020 and Appropriation Bill (No. 6) 2019-2020 to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill establishes a framework for the Treasurer to make rules which provide for the Commissioner of Taxation to make coronavirus economic response payments to eligible entities for the period from 1 March to 31 December 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 8 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/4/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 3 Opp/negatived; 3 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 7 AG/negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 3 AG/negatived; 2 CA/negatived
- Passed 8/4/20
Assent: 9/4/20 (Act No. 37, 2020)
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 debt restructuring process for eligible small companies and provide temporary relief for eligible companies seeking to enter the process; and expand the situations where documents relating to the external administration of a company may be given electronically and allow documents relating to the external administration of a company to be signed electronically; and Bankruptcy Act 1966 and Corporations Act 2001 to establish a simplified liquidation process for the purpose of winding up the affairs and distributing the property of an eligible company in a creditors' voluntary winding up, as well as the requirements for entering and exiting the process. Also makes consequential amendments to seven Acts.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 130, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response) Bill 2020, the bill amends the Corporations (Fees) Act 2001 to enable the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to charge a fee for an application by an entity to be exempted from the deferred sales model for add-on insurance products.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 137, 2020)
(Act citation: Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Commonwealth Registers Bill 2019, Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2019, Business Names Registration (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 to create a new Commonwealth business registry regime, the bill amends the Corporations (Fees) Act 2001 to allow the registrar to collect fees related to the performance of registry functions or the exercise of a registry power.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 67, 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/9/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 1/10/20
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Crimes Act 1914 and Criminal Code Act 1995 to increase the minimum age of criminal responsibility for Commonwealth offences from 10 years of age to 14 years of age.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/10/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/6/20
(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 10/19); extension of time to report 10/2/20; report presented out of sitting 17/3/20
(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:
(Act citation: Crimes Legislation Amendment (Sexual Crimes Against Children and Community Protection Measures) Act 2020)
(Attorney-Generalâ—¬—¢s portfolio)
Amends the: Crimes Act 1914 to: insert community safety as a factor that can be taken into account to revoke the parole of a federal offender without notice; remove the requirement to seek leave before a recorded interview of a vulnerable witness can be admitted as evidence in chief; remove the requirement for vulnerable witnesses to be available to give evidence at committal proceedings; introduce mandatory minimum penalties for certain Commonwealth child sex offences and offenders; require a court to state and record the reasons for granting bail; insert a presumption against bail for certain Commonwealth child sex offenders; insert additional factors which must be taken into account when sentencing federal offenders; require the court to have regard to certain rehabilitation considerations when sentencing Commonwealth child sex offenders; insert presumptions in favour of cumulative sentences and actual terms of imprisonment for Commonwealth child sex offenders; impose certain requirements on Commonwealth child sex offenders under a recognizance release order; add 'residential treatment orders' as a sentencing alternative for intellectually disabled offenders; reduce the amount of 'clean street time' that can be credited against the outstanding sentence following commission of an offence by a person on parole and licence; require a period of time to be served in custody if a federal offender's parole order is revoked; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Combatting Child Sexual Exploitation Legislation Amendment Act 2019 and Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment (2019 Measures No. 1) Act 2019; Criminal Code Act 1995 to: clarify the scope of the definition of 'engage in sexual activity'; insert a range of new aggravated offences for child sexual abuse; insert new offences relating to 'grooming' and the provision of electronic services to facilitate dealings with child abuse material online; increase the maximum penalties for certain Commonwealth child sex offences and breaches of reporting requirements; insert new additional factors for mandatory consideration at sentencing; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Combatting Child Sexual Exploitation Legislation Amendment Act 2019.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 15/10/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 12/9/19 (SBC report 5/19); report presented out of sitting 7/11/19
- Introduced 17/10/19
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt/passed; 1 Opp/passed; 4 AG/negatived
- Passed 15/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments nos 1 and 3 and disagreed to amendment no. 2, 16/6/20
Senate:
- Senate did not insist on its amendment no. 2, 16/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 70, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduces offences for entities that make or accept cash payments of $10 000 or more.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 19/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 24/10/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 19/9/19 (SBC report 6/19); extension of time to report 6/2/20; report presented out of sitting 28/2/20
- Introduced 11/11/19
- Discharged from Notice Paper 3/12/20
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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 12/20); report due 12/5/21
(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:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 19/9/19 (SBC report 6/19); report presented out of sitting 20/11/19
- Introduced 11/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/11/19
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Excise Levies Legislation Amendment (Sheep and Lamb) Bill 2020, the bill amends the National Residue Survey (Customs) Levy Act 1998 and Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Act 1999 to align the definition of 'lamb' for the purposes of imposing certain levies and charges that are duties of customs with the definition used for export and industry purposes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- Passed 7/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/12/20
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 144, 2020)
(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 adjourned 3/12/20
(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
(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
(Senator Steele-John â—¬— 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
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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 7/18); 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 Act 1903 to: streamline the process for calling out members of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) Reserves, including for the purposes of responding to natural disasters or emergencies; and provide ADF members, other Defence personnel and members of foreign forces with immunity from criminal or civil liability in certain cases while performing duties to support civil emergency and disaster preparedness, recovery and response; Defence Reserve Service (Protection) Act 2001 to ensure that Reserve members who are subject to a Reserve Call Out Order will continue to receive the existing protections; and Australian Defence Force Cover Act 2015, Australian Defence Force Superannuation Act 2015 and Military Superannuation and Benefits Act 1991 to ensure that Reserve members rendering continuous full-time service will receive the same entitlement to superannuation and related benefits regardless of whether it was voluntary or not.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- Passed 6/10/20
Senate:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- Bill referred to Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report 9/20); report presented out of sitting 4/11/20
- Committee amendments: 10 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 146, 2020)
(Defence portfolio)
Amends the: Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme Act 2008 to extend the period after a member leaves the Australian Defence Force (ADF) within which they can access the Defence Home Ownership Assistance Scheme, from two to five years; Australian Defence Force Superannuation Act 2015 to enable former ADF members, who have provided at least 12 months of service, to continue to make contributions to their ADF Super accounts; and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to require ADF Super to obtain relevant insurance products for ADF Super members who are no longer serving in the ADF.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 14/5/20
Senate:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- Passed 14/5/20
Assent: 25/5/20 (Act No. 45, 2020)
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/20
(Senator Di Natale â—¬— 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
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Payments and Benefits) Act 2020 to enable the Treasurer to make rules to provide for a coronavirus economic response payment in relation to the JobMaker Hiring Credit scheme, which will operate for the period from 7 October 2020 to 6 October 2022.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/10/20
- Passed 19/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report 9/20); report presented out of sitting 6/11/20; addendum tabled 11/11/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 1 AG-Opp/passed; 4 Opp/negatived; 3 AG/negatived; 1 AG-Opp/negatived; 3 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Committee request for amendment: 1 Ind (Patrick)/negatived
- Passed 10/11/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives disagreed to Senate amendments 11/11/20
Senate:
- Senate did not insist on its amendments 11/11/20
Assent: 13/11/20 (Act No. 96, 2020)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: require students commencing from 1 January 2021, and all students from 1 January 2023, to have a unique student identifier (USI) in order to be eligible for Commonwealth assistance; provide that a student's HELP balance is taken to be reduced immediately after the census date for HECS-HELP, FEE-HELP, VET FEE-HELP assistance, and immediately after the census day for vocational education and training (VET) student loans; provide undergraduate students seeking FEE-HELP loans with an exemption from the requirement to pay the 25 per cent loan fee for units of study with census dates from 1 April to 30 September 2020; and make minor and technical amendments; and VET Student Loans Act 2016 to require that all applications for VET student loans made on or after 1 January 2021 must include the student's USI. Also validates certain HELP loans and VET student loans by enabling the secretary to determine certain students who, due to having more than one Commonwealth Higher Education Student Support Number, have exceeded the HELP loan limit, and allow these students to repay the resulting excess debt amounts through the taxation system.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 17/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 18/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 62, 2020)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Introduced with the Higher Education (Up-front Payments Tuition Protection Levy) Bill 2020 to expand the Tuition Protection Service to include domestic up-front fee paying higher education students, the bill amends the: Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to: implement the extension of tuition protection arrangements to apply to domestic students that pay for their tuition fees up-front at a private registered higher education provider; and impose certain obligations on defaulting and replacement providers; Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: provide for a single Higher Education Tuition Protection Director, Higher Education Tuition Protection Fund and Higher Education Tuition Protection Fund Advisory Board to administer and govern tuition protection for domestic up-front fee paying students and HELP students; authorise the collection, use and disclosure of certain information; and impose certain obligations on defaulting providers; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, Higher Education Support (HELP Tuition Protection Levy) Act 2020, Student Identifiers Act 2014 and VET Student Loans Act 2016 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 101, 2020)
(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 adjourned 11/11/20
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the Commonwealth Electoral 1918 to change the method for determining the number of House of Representatives members for the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/20
- Passed 3/12/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/12/20
- Passed 9/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 127, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the: Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to: clarify the interaction between federal, state and territory electoral funding and disclosure regimes following the High Court decision in Spence v Queensland [2019] HCA 15; make technical amendments in relation to entity registration and public election funding rules; and allow a senior Australian Electoral Commission staff member rather than a senior Divisional Returning Officer to be on the Redistribution Committee for the Australian Capital Territory; Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 to amend various aspects of voting and scrutiny processes; and Referendum (Machinery Provisions) Act 1984 to extend the electronically assisted voting method to Australians working in Antarctica.
Senate:
- Introduced 11/6/20
- Bill referred to Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters 17/6/20; report tabled in Senate 25/8/20 and House of Representatives 26/8/20; corrigendum tabled in House of Representatives 2/9/20 and Senate 3/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Committee amendments: 8 Govt/passed; 3 Opp/passed; 10 AG/negatived; 7 JLN/negatived
- Passed 3/9/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Ind (Steggall)/negatived
- Passed 29/10/20
Assent: 10/11/20 (Act No. 95 2020)
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 7/17); 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 â—¬— 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 3/20); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 11/12/20; report due 11/5/21
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to grant National Heritage status to the Great Australian Bight.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 11/2/20
(Senator McKenzie â—¬— 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
(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 10/20); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Customs Charges and Levies Legislation Amendment (Sheep and Lamb) Bill 2020, the bill amends the National Residue Survey (Customs) Levy Act 1998 and Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Act 1999 to align the definition of 'lamb' for the purposes of imposing certain levies and charges that are duties of excise with the definition used for export and industry purposes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 7/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/12/20
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 145, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Product Stewardship (Oil) Amendment Bill 2020 in response to the Federal Court's decision in Caltex Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [2019] FCA 1849, the bill amends the Excise Tariff Act 1921 to narrow the scope of petroleum-based oils and synthetic equivalents for which excise duties are imposed for the purposes of the Product Stewardship for Oil Scheme to exclude diesel and other fuels.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- Passed 25/8/20
Senate:
Assent: 7/9/20 (Act No. 85, 2020)
(Act citation: Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Customs) Amendment Act 2020)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Introduced with the Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Excise) Amendment Bill 2019 and Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—General) Amendment Bill 2019, the bill amends the Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Customs) Act 2015 to make amendments consequential on the enactment of the Export Control Bill 2019 and the proposed repeal of the Export Charges (Collection) Act 2015.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 14, 2020)
(Act citation: Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Excise) Amendment Act 2020)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Introduced with the Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Customs) Amendment Bill 2019 and Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—General) Amendment Bill 2019, the bill amends the Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Excise) Act 2015 to make amendments consequential on the enactment of the Export Control Bill 2019 and the proposed repeal of the Export Charges (Collection) Act 2015.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 15, 2020)
(Act citation: Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—General) Amendment Act 2020)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Introduced with the Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Customs) Amendment Bill 2019 and Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—Excise) Amendment Bill 2019, the bill amends the Export Charges (Impositionâ—¬—General) Act 2015 to make amendments consequential on the enactment of the Export Control Bill 2019 and the proposed repeal of the Export Charges (Collection) Act 2015.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 16, 2020)
(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 adjourned 11/11/20
(Act citation: Export Control Act 2020)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Introduced with the Export Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019, the bill streamlines and consolidates existing legislation to create a new framework for regulating the export of goods, including agricultural products and food, from Australian territory.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 12, 2020)
(Act citation: Export Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2020)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Introduced with the Export Control Bill 2019 to create a new framework for regulating the export of goods, including agricultural products and food, from Australian territory, the bill: repeals 17 Acts; makes consequential amendments to nine Acts; and provides for transitional arrangements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 13, 2020)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Export Control Act 1982 and Export Control Act 2020 to allow for the export of certain narcotic goods, such as medicinal cannabis and low-tetrahydrocannibinol hemp products.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 17/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 73, 2020)
(Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio)
Amends the: Export Market Development Grants Act 1997 to restructure the export market development grants program which provides funding assistance to Australian small and medium enterprise exporters for their export-related marketing expenses; and Australian Trade and Investment Commission Act 1985 to enable decision-making powers of the Chief Executive Officer to be delegated to Australian Public Service employees of a non-corporate Commonwealth entity.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 138, 2020)
(Senator Faruqi â—¬— 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
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: respond to the report of the Senate Select Committee on Stillbirth Research and Education by amending and clarifying the minimum leave entitlements for parents of stillborn babies and babies who die during the first 24 months of life, and providing that where a baby remains in hospital or is hospitalised immediately following birth, the employer and employee can agreed to the employee returning to work while their baby is in hospital and recommencing their unpaid parental leave when the baby is discharged; and provide the ability for employees who are eligible to take unpaid parental leave (UPL) to take up to 30 days of their 12-month entitlement to UPL flexibly, including on a single-day basis, within 24 months of the birth or adoption of a child.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 26/11/20 (Act No. 105, 2020)
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/6/20
(Senator Faruqi â—¬— 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 â—¬— 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
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: introduce a new category of 'protected climate change industrial action' to provide workers with an express right to take such action; allow employees and employers to include matters relating to climate change in their enterprise agreements; and permit employees to take 'protected industrial action', being action taken in support of securing an enterprise agreement, about such matters.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/9/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 24/3/20
(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 adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Ms Burney MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 7/12/20
(Senator McAllister â—¬— 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:
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 to: include certain serious criminal offences as a new category of 'prescribed offence' for the purposes of the automatic disqualification regime for registered organisations; establish an offence for a disqualified person to continue to act as an official or in a way that influences the affairs of an organisation; allow the Federal Court to disqualify officials from holding office in certain circumstances or if they are otherwise not a fit and proper person; allow the Federal Court to cancel the registration of an organisation and make alternative orders on a range of grounds; expand the grounds on which the Federal Court may order remedial action to deal with governance issues in an organisation; expressly provide that the Federal Court may appoint an administrator to an organisation or part of an organisation as part of a remedial scheme; introduce a public interest test for amalgamations of registered organisations where the Fair Work Commissioner has determined the test should apply; provide that the commissioner must prioritise matters that raise serious or systemic concerns in carrying out his or her functions; provide that the minister must cause an independent review of the amendments made by the bill as soon as practicable after the end of two years after the amendments commence; and make minor and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 5/12/19
Senate:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- Discharged from Notice Paper 11/6/20
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009 to establish a process to enable constituent parts of registered organisations that have amalgamated with other organisations to withdraw from the amalgamated organisation outside the current time-limited period of five years post-amalgamation, in specified circumstances.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Passed 9/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 131, 2020)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to specify that a provider is eligible for Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) (child wellbeing) in respect of certain prescribed classes of children, such as foster children; A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 to extend the backdating of ACCS (child wellbeing) certificates and determinations from the current period of 28 days to up to 13 weeks in prescribed exceptional circumstances; extend the period from 13 weeks to up to 12 months in which an ACCS (wellbeing) determination can be made for certain prescribed classes of children, such as children on a long term child protection order, including those in foster care; and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to: correct minor technical drafting errors; and modify how child care subsidy (CCS) entitlements are reviewed when an individual, who is a member of a couple for some but not all of the CCS fortnights in an income year, meets the CCS reconciliation conditions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt/passed
- Passed 24/8/20
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/20
- Passed 27/8/20
Assent: 7/9/20 (Act No. 84, 2020)
(Mr Perrett MP â—¬— 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 â—¬— 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
- Federation Chamber: Referred 26/8/20; 2nd reading adjourned 26/10/20; Bill returned to House of Representatives for further consideration 11/11/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 30/11/20
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the Family Law Act 1975 to provide that: family risk screening information is confidential and cannot be disclosed except in limited circumstances; family safety risk information is inadmissible in court, except in limited circumstances; and court workers (such as registrars and family counsellors) have immunity when involved in family risk screening procedures.
Senate:
- Introduced 26/8/20
- Passed 8/10/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 19/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/11/20
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 98, 2020)
(Previous title: Family Law Amendment (Western Australia De Facto Superannuation Splitting and Bankruptcy) Bill 2019)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Family Law Act 1975 and Bankruptcy Act 1966 to: give effect to a referral of power from Western Australia to the Commonwealth in respect of superannuation matters in family law proceedings for separating de facto couples in Western Australia; extend federal bankruptcy jurisdiction to the Family Court of Western Australia to hear bankruptcy proceedings concurrently with family law proceedings; and provide for transitional arrangements; and 21 Acts to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt/passed
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
Assent: 8/12/20 (Act No. 112, 2020)
(Senator Hanson â—¬— 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, Drought and Emergency Management portfolio)
Amends the Farm Household Support Act 2014 to: remove the use of business income reconciliation for the purposes of determining a personâ—¬—¢s rate of farm household allowance; and remove the 28 day time limit for conducting a farm financial assessment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 26/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 26/2/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 26/3/20 (Act No. 35, 2020)
(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:
(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:
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Hayne Royal Commission Response) Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Corporations Act 2001 and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: strengthen the existing voluntary code of conduct framework by enabling the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) to designate enforceable code provisions in approved codes of conduct which, if breached, may attract civil penalties; and establish a mandatory code of conduct framework for the financial services and consumer credit industry through regulations, with the ability to designate certain provisions of civil penalty provisions; Insurance Contracts Act 1984 to: limit the circumstances in which an insurer can avoid a life insurance contract on the basis of non-fraudulent misrepresentation or non-disclosure by an insured; and replace the duty of disclosure for consumer insurance contracts with a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation; Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 to: implement an industry-wide deferred sales model for the sale of add-on insurance products; and formalise ASIC's meeting procedures; Corporations Act 2001 to: provide for the interaction of the deferred sales model with the anti-hawking obligations; make claims handling and settling a financial service; and ban the hawking of financial products; Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to cap the commission that may be paid in relation to add-on risk products supplied in connection with the sale or long-term lease of a motor vehicle; Insurance Act 1973 to restrict the use of the terms 'insurance' and 'insurer'; Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to: impose a new condition on licences held by a body corporate trustee of a registrable superannuation entity; and amend the roles and responsibilities of superannuation industry regulators; Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 and Corporations Act 2001 to extend the financial services licensing regime to cover a broader range of activities undertaken by superannuation trustees regulated by the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA); Corporations Act 2001, National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2009 to: impose new obligations on financial services licensee and credit licensees in relation to reference checking and information sharing, and breach reporting and remediation; and clarify and strengthen the breach reporting regime for financial services licensees and introduce a breach reporting regime for credit licensees; and Australian Prudential Regulation Authority Act 1998 and Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 to require APRA and ASIC to cooperate and share information with each other, including requiring them to notify each other when they reasonably believe there may be material breaches of each other's legislation. Also makes consequential amendments to five Acts.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Committee amendment: 1 Opp/passed
- Passed 10/12/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendment 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 135, 2020)
(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 adjourned 9/12/20
(Act citation: Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Responseâ—¬—Protecting Consumers (2019 Measures)) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Gives effect to certain recommendations of the Financial Services Royal Commission by amending the: Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC Act) and Insurance Contracts Act 1984 (IC Act) to enable the unfair contract terms regime under the ASIC Act to apply to insurance contracts covered by the IC Act; ASIC Act and Corporations Act 2001 to specify that the consumer protection provisions of the ASIC Act apply to funeral expenses policies; National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2009 to: require mortgage brokers to act in the best interests of consumers and give priority to consumers in certain circumstances where there is a conflict of interest; provide that mortgage brokers and mortgage intermediaries must not accept conflicted remuneration; prohibit employers, credit providers and mortgage intermediaries from giving conflicted remuneration to mortgage brokers or mortgage intermediaries; and enable the circumstances in which the prohibition on conflicted remuneration applies to be prescribed by regulation; and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 5/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- Passed 6/2/20
Assent: 17/2/20 (Act No. 2, 2020)
(Act citation: Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Responseâ—¬—Stronger Regulators (2019 Measures)) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Gives effect to certain recommendations of the Financial Services Royal Commission by amending the: Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001 (ASIC Act) and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: relocate the existing search warrant powers of the Australian and Securities Investment Commission (ASIC) from across ASIC administered legislation into the ASIC Act; and enhance ASIC's existing search warrant powers by reference to the search warrant powers in the Crimes Act 1914; Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979 to allow ASIC to receive and use interception information for its own investigations and prosecutions of serious offences; Corporations Act 2001 to replace the requirement for obtaining an Australian financial services licence (AFS licence) that a person be of 'good fame and character' with the requirement that they be a 'fit and proper person'; National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2009 to: enable ASIC to cancel an AFS licence if the licensee does not start to provide the relevant financial services within six months after the licence is granted; clarify ASIC's power to suspend or cancel an Australian credit licence if the person does not engage, or ceases to engage, in credit activities; and require licensees to notify ASIC if they do not start to provide the financial services or engage in the credit activities covered by the licence within six months of it being granted; Corporations Act 2001 and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to strengthen and broadly align provisions relating to false or misleading statements; and Corporations Act 2001, National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Transitional and Consequential Provisions) Act 2009 to: expand the grounds on which ASIC can make a banning order against a person; and enable ASIC to make additional types of banning orders to prohibit a person from controlling or performing any or particular functions in relation to a financial services or credit business. Also amends seven Acts to make consequential amendments and provide for transitional arrangements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 5/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- Passed 6/2/20
Assent: 17/2/20 (Act No. 3, 2020)
(Mr Katter MP â—¬— KAP)
Amends the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 to: prevent foreign persons or entities from acquiring more than 10 per cent or greater interest in Australian land, water or other assets that are of 'strategic economic importance' or 'strategic defensive importance' to Australia; and establish the Foreign Ownership Assessment Board.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/11/20
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Foreign Investment Reform (Protecting Australia's National Security) Bill 2020, the bill amends the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Fees Imposition Act 2015 to establish a new fee framework for applications, notices and notifiable national security actions under the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/20
- Passed 7/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 10/12/20 (Act No. 115, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Fees Imposition Amendment Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 to: introduce a new national security test which requires mandatory notification of investments in a sensitive national security business or land and allows investments not otherwise notified to be 'called in' for review on national security grounds; provide the Treasurer, as a last resort and in extraordinary circumstances, with the ability to issue a divestment order where there is no other remedy for a national security risk; expand the enforcement, monitoring and investigative powers of the Treasurer and the Commissioner of Taxation; amend the circumstances in which an investor satisfies the change in control test; deem a foreign person to have acquired an interest in securities in an entity where the persons' proportional holdings have increased without the person taking any action; amend the definition of Australian business to include state and territory business functions; expand the tracing rules to unincorporated limited partnerships; enable information sharing with foreign governments; create a Register of Foreign Ownership of Australian Assets which incorporates the existing Register of Foreign Ownership of Water Entitlements and Register of Foreign Ownership of Agricultural Land, and create additional obligations to notify the Registrar of a broader range of interests; provide that fees are payable for new types of actions; and make consequential and technical amendments; Foreign Acquisitions and Takeovers Act 1975 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to enable the Commissioner of Taxation to disclose protected information to the Foreign Investment Review Board for certain purposes; and Administrative Appeals Tribunal Act 1975 and Security of Critical Infrastructure Act 2018 to make consequential amendments. Also repeals the Register of Foreign Ownership of Water or Agricultural Land Act 2015.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 KAP to Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Ind (Wilkie)/negatived
- Passed 7/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 28/10/20; report presented out of sitting 26/11/20
- Introduced 8/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp/passed; 4 AG/negatived; 6 PHON/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 9/12/20
Assent: 10/12/20 (Act No. 114, 2020)
(Senator O'Neill â—¬— ALP)
Amends the: Competition and Consumer (Industry Codesâ—¬—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
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/9/20
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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 9/18); 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
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 15/18); 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
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the General Insurance Supervisory Levy Imposition Act 1998 to: increase the statutory upper limit on the general insurance supervisory levy to $10 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020; and amend the calculation of the indexation factor used to establish the statutory upper limits applying in later years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 57, 2020)
(Senator Siewert â—¬— 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 â—¬— 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 Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Act 1975 to waive the requirement for permission holders to remit the environmental management charge to the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority for the period 1 January to 31 March 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 15/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 16/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 63, 2020)
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
The bill: establishes Renew Australia as a statutory authority to oversee the transition of Australia's electricity system to one based on renewable energy by 2030 and provides for its functions and powers; establishes the Board of Renew Australia and provides for its functions, members and meetings; provides for the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer and staff, consultants and committees; provides for financial arrangements; and sets out a timetable for the phased closure of coal-fired power stations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/6/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 8/12/20
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill appropriates money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to enable the Commonwealth to grant guarantees to financial institutions in connection with loans made, or to be made, to small and medium enterprises.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Committee amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 29, 2020)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Health Insurance Act 1973 to remove the requirement for the Medicare Benefits Schedule services tables to cease annually; Health and Other Services (Compensation) Act 1995 and Health Insurance Act 1973 to remove redundant provisions and definitions; and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to make a consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/9/20
- Passed 10/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 26/11/20 (Act No. 106, 2020)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to enable the Commonwealth to recover amounts overpaid for incorrectly claimed Medicare benefits or payments where a false or misleading statement has led to a payment that should not have been made.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 29/10/20
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 150, 2020)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to: continue the Office of the National Rural Health Commissioner beyond 1 July 2020; and amend the functions of the office.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 17/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 18/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 25/6/20 (Act No. 74, 2020)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to: simplify administrative processes for recognition as a specialist general practitioner (GP) for Medicare purposes; align Medicare eligibility for GPs with the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme registration requirements; and replace references to repealed legislation in relation to the definition of a quality assurance activity under the Qualified Privilege Scheme. Also repeals the Health Practitioner Regulation (Consequential Amendments) Act 2010.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 14/5/20
Senate:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Assent: 16/6/20 (Act No. 50, 2020)
(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/passed
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
(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 adjourned 28/10/20
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: redesign the Commonwealth Grant Scheme (CGS) funding clusters and the Commonwealth contribution amounts (CCAs); provide that higher education providers continue to receive the same amount of CGS funding for 'grandfathered students' enrolled in a Commonwealth supported place (CSP) where the current maximum student contributions amounts (SCAs) will apply for units those students enrol in after 1 January 2021; change the way grants are paid to higher education providers for CSPs; remove the broad exclusion of 'work experience in industry' units of study from CGS funding; change the maximum SCAs for a place in a unit of study to reflect the changes to funding clusters and CCAs; ensure that 'grandfathered students' do not have to pay the higher maximum SCA for a unit of study they enrol in after 1 January 2021 where the SCA for that unit would otherwise increase; provide legislative authority for the National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund and allow for the transition arrangements required to implement the Indigenous, Regional and Low Socio-Economic Status Attainment Fund; introduce student protection and provider integrity requirements; reduce, for units of study with a census date on or after 1 January 2021, the loan fee for students obtaining a FEE-HELP loan for an undergraduate court of study at a non-Table B Provider from 25 per cent to 20 per cent; and make minor technical amendments; Higher Education Support Amendment (2009 Budget Measures) Act 2009 to remove saving arrangements for education and nursing students; Education Legislation Amendment (Provider Integrity and Other Measures) Act 2017 to extend quality and accountability requirements to all higher education providers (including universities); and Social Security Act 1991 to reduce from six to three the number of months a student living away from home must be receiving eligible student support payments before being eligible to receive Fare Allowance for a return journey home.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 1/9/20
Senate:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); report presented out of sitting 25/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 10 Govt/passed; 2 AG/negatived
- Committee request for amendment: 1 Govt/passed
- Passed 8/10/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives made Senate request for amendment 8/10/20
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 19/10/20
Assent: 27/10/20 (Act No. 93, 2020)
(Act citation: Higher Education Support (HELP Tuition Protection Levy) Act 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Part of a package of three bills to implement a tuition protection model for students participating in the VET Student Loans program and for higher education students accessing FEE-HELP or HECS-HELP assistance at a private education provider or TAFE, the bill imposes the HELP tuition protection levy, specifies the amounts that are payable by providers, and prescribes the levy components and the manner in which, and by whom, they will be determined each year.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/9/19
- Passed 24/10/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 17/10/19 (SBC report 7/19); report presented out of sitting 22/11/19
- Introduced 11/11/19
- Committee requests for amendments: 4 Govt/passed
- Passed 5/2/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives made Senate requests for amendments 5/12/19
Assent: 17/2/20 (Act No. 4, 2020)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Introduced with the Education Legislation Amendment (Up-front Payments Tuition Protection) Bill 2020 to expand the Tuition Protection Service to include domestic up-front fee paying higher education students, the bill imposes the up-front payments tuition protection levy, specifies the amounts that are payable by providers and prescribes the levy components and the manner in which, and by whom, they will be determined each year.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 26/8/20
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 102, 2020)
(Senator Bernardi â—¬— 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 Hanson â—¬— 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 4/19); 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
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Immigration (Education) Act 1971 to: remove the 510 hour limit on an eligible person's entitlement to English tuition; amend the upper limit for eligibility to access English tuition from functional English to vocational English; remove the time limits on the registration, commencement and completion of English tuition for certain visa holders; and provide English tuition to certain visa holders or visa applicants outside Australia.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 29/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 139, 2020)
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(Act citation: Intellectual Property Laws Amendment (Productivity Commission Response Part 2 and Other Measures) Act 2020)
(Industry, Innovation and Science portfolio)
Amends the: Patents Act 1990 to: introduce an objects clause; phase out the innovation patent system; replace the 'reasonable requirements of the public' test in relation to applications for a compulsory licence with a public interest test; provide that only the patentee of a dependent patent can seek a compulsory licence over the use of the original patent; provide for 'omnibus claims' in patent specifications to be removed at stages of consideration subsequent to examination; clarify the Commissioner of Patents' power to redact sensitive information from patent documents; remove the requirement to file a certificate of verification for documents translated into English, unless required by the regulations; clarify that Crown use can be invoked for the provision of a service that any Commonwealth, state or territory government has the primary responsibility for providing or funding; require governments to seek negotiated outcomes with patent owners before invoking Crown use; and require ministerial authorisation for invoking Crown use if a negotiated outcome is unsuccessful or in emergency situations; Designs Act 2003 to modify provisions relating to Crown use consistently with the changes to the Patents Act 1990; and Patents Act 1990 and Trade Marks Act 1995 to enable the Patent Office and Trade Mark Office to keep and use their official seal in electronic form when supplying electronic certified copies of documents to customers.
Senate:
- Introduced 25/7/19
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 1/8/19 (SBC report 4/19); report presented out of sitting 4/9/19; corrigendum presented out of sitting 10/10/19
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp/passed; 1 CA/negatived
- Passed 16/10/19
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 16/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 5/2/20
Assent: 26/2/20 (Act No. 9, 2020)
(Senator McAllister â—¬— 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 3/20); 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 â—¬— 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 9/18); 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
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
Amends the Interactive Gambling Act 2001 to: restrict the provision of prohibited interactive gambling and social casino services to Australian customers; create a criminal offence and civil liability for any persons who provides these services; and enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority to apply to the Federal Court of Australia for injunctions against carriage service providers to block domain names, URLs and IP addresses of online locations which provide prohibited interactive gambling and social casino services to Australian customers.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/6/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs 11/6/20 (SC report no. 16)
- Removed from Notice Paper 8/12/20
(Senator Griff â—¬— 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
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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 11/20); report due 5/4/21
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 2/15); 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 â—¬— 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 24/2/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/11/20
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the Life Insurance Supervisory Levy Imposition Act 1998 to: increase the statutory upper limit on the life insurance supervisory levy to $10 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020; and amend the calculation of the indexation factor used to establish the statutory upper limits applying in later years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 58, 2020)
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
Amends the Australian Meat and Livestock Industry Act 1997 and Export Control Act 1982 to: permanently ban from 1 July 2022 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 2/12/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 20/10/20
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 7/12/20
(Senator Faruqi â—¬— 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
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
Amends the Australian Meat and Live-stock Industry Act 1997 and Export Control Act 1982 to restrict the long haul export of live sheep and lambs during the northern hemisphere summer months of June, July, August or September in a five year transitional period, or at any time after that period, where the voyage is by ship and of duration exceeding 10 days, and where a place in that voyage is either the Persian Gulf or the Red Sea (regardless of whether it is the final destination).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/7/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 11/2/20
(Senator Sterle â—¬— 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
(Act citation: Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Act 2020)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Introduced with the Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Bill 2019, the bill amends the Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Act 1997 to provide that a person who paid the non-commercial application charge in relation to their current period of registration, but gives immigration assistance otherwise than on a non-commercial basis, is liable to pay an adjusted charge.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 72, 2020)
(Mr Hill MP â—¬— ALP)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable applicants for Subclass 309 (Partner (Provisional)) visas to be granted the visa whilst the applicant remains onshore until 31 December 2021 (due to restrictions of international travel in and out of Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 30/11/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 30/11/20
(Senator Keneally â—¬— 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
(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:
(Act citation: Migration Amendment (Regulation of Migration Agents) Act 2020)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Introduced with the Migration Agents Registration Application Charge Amendment (Rates of Charge) Bill 2019, the bill amends the Migration Act 1958 to: remove unrestricted legal practitioners from the regulatory scheme that governs migration agents; allow eligible restricted legal practitioners to be both registered migration agents and restricted legal practitioners for a period of up to two years; enable the time period in which a person can be considered an applicant for repeat registration as a migration agent to be specified in delegated legislation; remove the 12-month time limit within which a person must apply for registration following completion of a prescribed course; clarify that the powers under Part 3 of the Act are exercisable by the minister; enable the Migration Agents Registration Authority (MARA) to refuse an application to become a registered migration agent where an applicant has failed to provide information or answer questions in relation to their application; require registered migration agents to notify MARA if they have paid the non-commercial application charge for their current period of registration but give immigration assistance otherwise than on a non-commercial basis; and provide that the definitions of 'immigration assistance' and 'makes immigration representations' include assisting a person in relation to a request to the minister to exercise his or her power under the Act to revoke a character-related visa refusal or cancellation decision.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report 9/19); report tabled 27/2/20
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Committee amendments: 2 AG/negatived
- Passed 15/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 71, 2020)
(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: 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
(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 Patrick â—¬— 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 2/19); report tabled 11/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 29/7/19
(Senator Hanson-Young â—¬— 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 2/19); report tabled 19/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/7/19
(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 adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(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:
(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 adjourned 5/2/20
(Ms Sharkie MP â—¬— CA)
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 16/9/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 24/3/20
(Senator Griff â—¬— CA and Senator McAllister â—¬— 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
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report 10/19); extension of time to report 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 21/9/20
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 30/11/20
(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 adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Act citation: National Consumer Credit Protection (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Commonwealth Registers Bill 2019, Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2019, Business Names Registration (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 and Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 to create a new Commonwealth business registry regime, the bill amends the National Consumer Credit Protection (Fees) Act 2009 to allow the registrar to collect fees related to the performance of registry functions or the exercise of a registry power.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 68, 2020)
(National Disability Insurance Scheme portfolio)
Amends the National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 to: broaden the circumstances in which the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commissioner may make a banning order against a National Disability Insurance Scheme provider or other person; and clarifies the commissioner's related powers.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 7 Govt/passed
- Passed 7/10/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived; 1 CA/negatived
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 103, 2020)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the National Emergency Declaration (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020 to implement a recommendation of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, the bill: establishes a framework for the declaration of a national emergency by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister; enables ministers to suspend, vary or substitute administrative requirements in legislation they administer in certain circumstances; and enables the Prime Minister to require Commonwealth entities to report on available stockpiles, assets and resources, and options and recommendations to respond to a national emergency.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Govt/passed
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 128, 2020)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the National Emergency Declaration Bill 2020 to implement a recommendation of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, the bill amends: 24 Acts, four regulations and four ordinances that contain powers that are used by the Commonwealth when responding to, or supporting the recovery from, emergencies to enable the use of alternative or simplified statutory tests to streamline the exercise of those powers where a national emergency has been declared; and National Emergency Declaration Act 2020 and Radiocommunications Act 1992 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Radiocommunications Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 129, 2020)
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— 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 24/2/20
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 27/2/20 (SC report no. 13); report tabled 31/8/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/11/20
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 15/18); 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
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— 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.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/9/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 3/3/20
(Senator Waters â—¬— 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 10/19); extension of time to report 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 12/8/20
(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/passed
- Passed 11/6/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 27/2/20 (SBC report 3/20); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 21/8/20; report presented out of sitting 14/9/20
- Introduced 15/6/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/6/20
(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 adjourned 8/10/20
Senate:
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Establishes the office of the National Skills Commissioner to provide advice and collect, analyse, share and publish data on Australia's workforce skills needs, efficient prices for vocational education and training (VET) courses, the public and private return on government investment in VET and other matters relating to the VET system.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Ind (Haines)/negatived
- Passed 10/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 11/6/20
- Committee amendments: 3 Govt/passed; 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived; 3 AG/withdrawn
- Passed 18/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 24/8/20
Assent: 2/9/20 (Act No. 76, 2020)
(Act citation: National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment Act 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Amends the: National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 in relation to: registration requirements, conditions and decision timings relating to National VET Regulator (NVR) registered training organisations (NVR RTOs); notification requirements for NVR RTOs in relation to changes to the operation of an NVR RTO or events likely to significantly affect an NVR RTO's ability to comply with the VET Quality Framework; reviewable decisions made by the delegate of the NVR; compliance standards and conditions for accredited courses; preparation and publication of audit reports by the NVR; electronic sharing and publication of information authorised by the NVR; information that the NVR is required to enter on the National Register; the NVR's powers to request documents in electronic form, use of enforceable undertakings and to allow for regulatory decisions to be stayed while under reconsideration; cancellation of VET qualifications and statements of attainment; the minister's powers to issue directions to, and determine certain fees charged by, the NVR; certain offence provisions relating to the delivery of a VET course; processes for the appointment of acting Commissioners, the Deputy Chief Commissioner and the Chief Commissioner of the NVR; NVR's annual operational and corporate plans; and technical amendments; and National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Transitional Provisions) Act 2011 to provide for transitional arrangements.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 6/2/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 13/2/20
Assent: 26/2/20 (Act No. 10, 2020)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 to: amend the governance structure of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator by replacing the existing Chief Commissioner/Chief Executive Officer and two commissioners with a single independent statutory office holder; establish the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Advisory Council; include information sharing arrangements that support the use of data collected by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Amendment Act 2020; National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Transitional Provisions) Act 2001 to provide for transitional and application arrangements; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, Higher Education Support Act 2003, National Vocational Education and Training Regulator (Charges) Act 2012 and VET Student Loans Act 2016 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 17/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- Committee amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 24/8/20
Assent: 3/9/20 (Act No. 77, 2020)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the Native Title Act 1993 to extend the operation of Subdivision JA, which requires native title holders and claimants to be notified about proposed public works and provides them with an opportunity to be consulted about the impact of the proposed future act on their native title rights and interests, for a further 10 years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/10/20
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- Committee amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 3/12/20
Assent: 8/12/20 (Act No. 113, 2020)
(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/passed
- Passed 10/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 17/10/19 (SBC report 7/19); extensions of time to report 4/12/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 19/8/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/11/20
(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:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 12/9/19 (SBC report 5/19); report presented out of sitting 11/10/19
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/10/19
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Amends the Norfolk Island Act 1979 to: make technical amendments to the provisions authorising off-island sittings of the Supreme Court of Norfolk Island to remove any doubt that the Supreme Court may exercise its criminal or civil jurisdiction in a state, in the absence of an arrangement between the Commonwealth and the state government or authority, where no powers, duties or functions are conferred or imposed upon a state officer; and clarify the basis under which travelling allowances are determined for judges of the Supreme Court.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 24/8/20
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/20
- Passed 27/8/20
Assent: 7/9/20 (Act No. 83, 2020)
(Senator Bernardi â—¬— 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
(Act citation: Official Development Assistance Multilateral Replenishment Obligations (Special Appropriation) Act 2020)
(Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio)
Appropriates money from the Consolidated Revenue Fund to meet certain Official Development Assistance Multilateral Replenishment Obligations in relation to the World Bank's International Development Association and debt relief schemes, including the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative and the Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative; the Asian Development Bank's Asian Development Fund; the Global Environment Facility Trust Fund; and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 24/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 25/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/6/20
Assent: 16/6/20 (Act No. 52, 2020)
(Senator Hanson â—¬— 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
(Act citation: Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Cross-boundary Greenhouse
Gas Titles and Other Measures) Act 2020)
(Industry, Innovation and Science portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2019, the bill amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Act 2006 to: provide for the grant and administration of single greenhouse gas (GHG) titles that straddle the boundary between Commonwealth waters and state or Northern Territory coastal waters; enable unification of adjacent Commonwealth GHG titles; and strengthen and clarify the powers of National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority inspectors during oil pollution emergencies.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 11/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report 10/19); report presented out of sitting 7/2/20
- Introduced 12/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 AG/negatived; 2 CA/negatived
- Passed 12/5/20
Assent: 15/5/20 (Act No. 43, 2020)
(Act citation: Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Act 2020)
(Industry, Innovation and Science portfolio)
Introduced with the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Cross-boundary Greenhouse Gas Titles and Other Measures) Bill 2019, the bill amends the Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Act 2003 to: provide that the greenhouse gas related provisions of the Act and regulations apply, and are taken to have always applied, to the states and the Northern Territory; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 11/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 15/5/20 (Act No. 42, 2020)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 to implement changes to the paid parental leave scheme to enable eligible claimants to claim up to 30 days of parental leave pay (PLP) within 24 months of the birth or adoption of a child, in addition to 12 weeks of PLP within 12 months of the child's birth or adoption; and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 25/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 6/2/20 (SBC report 1/20); report presented out of sitting 19/3/20
- Introduced 25/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Committee amendments: 7 Govt/passed
- Committee requests for amendments: 2 AG/negatived; 1 CA/negatived
- Passed 11/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 11/6/20
Assent: 16/6/20 (Act No. 53, 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Introduced with the Payment Times Reporting (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020, the bill establishes a Payment Times Reporting Scheme which requires businesses and government enterprises with an annual total income of over $100 million to biannually report on their payment terms and practices for their small business suppliers.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 11/6/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 12/6/20 (SBC report 5/20); report presented out of sitting 30/7/20
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Committee amendments: 17 Govt/passed; 1 PHON/passed; 9 Opp/negatived; 4 JLN to 1 Opp/negatived; 4 JLN/negatived
- Passed 3/9/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments (6 Opp amendments negatived) 6/10/20
Assent: 14/10/20 (Act No. 91, 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Introduced with the Payment Times Reporting Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Taxation Administration Act 1953 to enable the Commissioner of Taxation to disclose certain tax information to the Payment Times Reporting Regulator for the purposes of administering the Payment Times Reporting Scheme; and Payment Times Reporting 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 13/5/20
- Passed 11/6/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/9/20 (Act No. 89, 2020)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Primary Industries (Customs) Charges Act 1999 to: impose an export charge on the export of dairy cattle; and amend the rate provision to provide for two different rates of charges: a per head charge on dairy cattle and a per kilogram charge on cattle other than dairy cattle.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 24/8/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee 12/6/20 (SBC report 5/20); report presented out of sitting 30/7/20
- Introduced 25/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 3/9/20
Assent: 17/9/20 (Act No. 90, 2020)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the Privacy Act 1988 to: incorporate into primary legislation the provisions of the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirementsâ—¬—Public Health Contact Information) Determination 2020 to provide privacy protections for users of, and data collected by, the COVIDSafe app; and introduce additional privacy protections. Also repeals the Biosecurity (Human Biosecurity Emergency) (Human Coronavirus with Pandemic Potential) (Emergency Requirementsâ—¬—Public Health Contact Information) Determination 2020; and provides for the future repeal of certain definitions and Part VIIIA of the Privacy Act 1988.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/5/20
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Committee amendments: 7 AG/negatived; 4 CA/negatived; 13 AG-CA/negatived
- Passed 14/5/20
Assent: 15/5/20 (Act No. 44, 2020)
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
Amends the: Private Health Insurance Act 2007 and Private Health Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2015 to: prevent private health insurers from providing differential rebates for the same treatment provided under the same product in the same jurisdiction; enable the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority to intervene in the private health insurance market if private health insurers are inappropriately using information obtained from the Health Industry Claims and Payments Service to influence that market; and prevent private health funds from being both insurers and service providers of general health treatments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/11/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 1/9/20
(Senator Whish-Wilson â—¬— 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 5/19); extensions of time to report 16/9/19, 8/4/20; report due second sitting Wednesday of 2021 (17/2/21)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Excise Tariff Amendment Bill 2020 in response to the Federal Court's decision in Caltex Australia Petroleum Pty Ltd v Commissioner of Taxation [2019] FCA 1849, the bill amends the Product Stewardship (Oil) Act 2000 to amend the definition of 'oils' to apply only to lubricant oils, fluid oils and other oils and greases manufactured from base oils.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 25/8/20
Senate:
Assent: 7/9/20 (Act No. 82, 2020)
(Senator McAllister â—¬— 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 2/12/19
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/6/20
(Senator Patrick â—¬— 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 8/19); extensions of time to report 27/2/20, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 4/9/20
(Senator Gallagher â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/19, 15/6/20
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Radiocommunications (Receiver Licence Tax) Amendment Bill 2020 and Radiocommunications (Transmitter Licence Tax) Amendment Bill 2020, the bill amends: the Radiocommunications Act 1992 to: amend the object of the Act; provide for the minister to issue ministerial policy statements which the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) must have regard to in exercising its spectrum management; require ACMA to publish an annual work program covering a minimum five-year period; streamline spectrum allocation and re-allocation processes; extend maximum licence terms for apparatus and spectrum licences, confer certain powers on ACMA to make equipment rules that prescribe standards of equipment and impose obligations or prohibitions in relation to equipment; make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020; expand ACMA's accreditation, compliance and enforcement, and information-gathering powers; make miscellaneous amendments in relation to ACMA's powers to grant exemptions from penalty provisions, exemptions for Defence related activities, and ACMA's ability to use computer assisted decision making; and extend the maximum duration of spectrum and apparatus licences; the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 in relation to annual reporting requirements; the Radiocommunications Act 1991 and four other Acts to repeal the datacasting transmitter licence framework; the Radiocommunications Act 1992 and Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005 to repeal redundant provisions in relation to public inquiries; and five Acts to make consequential or minor amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); report presented out of sitting 4/11/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Committee amendments: 5 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 151, 2020)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Radiocommunications Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Bill 2020 and Radiocommunications (Transmitter Licence Tax) Amendment Bill 2020, the bill amends the Radiocommunications (Receiver Licence Tax) Act 1983 to enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority to determine whether, for a specified class of licences with longer than 12 months duration, the receiver licence tax is imposed on the issue of the licence for the full period the licence is in force, or whether it should be paid in annual instalments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 152, 2020)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Radiocommunications Legislation Amendment (Reform and Modernisation) Bill 2020 and Radiocommunications (Receiver Licence Tax) Amendment Bill 2020, the bill amends the Radiocommunications (Transmitter Licence Tax) Act 1983 to enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority to determine whether, for a specified class of licences with longer than 12 months duration, the transmitter licence tax is imposed on the issue of the licence for the full period the licence is in force, or whether it should be paid in annual instalments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 153, 2020)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Recycling and Waste Reduction (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (General) Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Customs) Bill 2020 and Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Excise) Bill 2020, the bill establishes a framework to: regulate the export of waste materials, in line with the agreement to ban the export of waste plastic, paper, glass and tyres by the Council of Australian Governments in 2020; manage the environmental, health and safety impacts of products, in particular those impacts associated with the disposal of products; and provide for voluntary, co-regulatory and mandatory product stewardship schemes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 16 Govt/passed; 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 28/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); extension of time to report 30/9/20; report presented out of sitting 1/10/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 36 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 119, 2020)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (General) Bill 2020 and Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Excise) Bill 2020, the bill imposes charges in relation to the export of regulated waste material, so far as those charges are duties of customs.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 28/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); extension of time to report 30/9/20; report presented out of sitting 1/10/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 121, 2020)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (General) Bill 2020 and Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Customs) Bill 2020, the bill imposes charges in relation to the export of regulated waste material, so far as those charges are duties of excise.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 28/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); extension of time to report 30/9/20; report presented out of sitting 1/10/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 122, 2020)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Customs) Bill 2020 and Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Excise) Bill 2020, the bill imposes charges in relation to the export of regulated waste material, so far as those charges are neither duties of customs nor duties of excise.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 28/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); extension of time to report 30/9/20; report presented out of sitting 1/10/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 123, 2020)
(Environment portfolio)
Introduced with the Recycling and Waste Reduction Bill 2020, Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (General) Bill 2020. Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Customs) Bill 2020 and Recycling and Waste Reduction Charges (Excise) Bill 2020, the bill: repeals the Product Stewardship Act 2011; provides for application, saving and transitional provisions relating to product stewardship; enables the minister to make transitional rules; and amends the Recycling and Waste Reduction Act 2020 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 28/10/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); extension of time to report 30/9/20; report presented out of sitting 1/10/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 120, 2020)
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
Establishes the Asia Pacific Asylum Seeker Solution as a regional framework for the Australian Government, in partnership with other countries within the Asia Pacific region, to provide for the protection and processing of asylum seekers and refugees.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/19
- Removed from Notice Paper 25/8/20
(Senator Rice â—¬— 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
(Attorney-Generalâ—¬—¢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 adjourned 3/12/20
Senate:
(Mr Joyce MP â—¬— Nats)
Amends the: Representation Act 1983 to: impose a geographical requirement on the representation requirements for the Senate, comprised of 6 divisions per state represented by two senators; and Commonwealth Electoral Act 1983 to make a consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/20
- Removed from Notice Paper 10/11/20
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the Retirement Savings Account Providers Supervisory Levy Imposition Act 1998 to: increase the statutory upper limit on the retirement savings account providers supervisory levy to $10 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020; and amend the calculation of the indexation factor used to establish the statutory upper limits applying in later years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 59, 2020)
(Senator Steele-John â—¬— 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 6/10/20
(Senator Hanson â—¬— 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:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/19
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report 10/19); report presented out of sitting 20/3/20
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 18/12/20
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends: 17 Acts to make consequential amendments as a result of the establishment of Services Australia as an executive agency under the Public Service Act 1999 on 1 February 2020; and the Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988, Human Services (Centrelink) Act 1997 and Human Services (Medicare) Act 1973 to make governance changes in relation to Services Australia.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 20/10/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 20/11/20 (Act No. 104, 2020)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to: remove the trial parameters to establish the Cashless Debit Card (CDC) as an ongoing program; establish the Northern Territory and Cape York areas as CDC program areas and transition income management participants in these areas to the CDC program in 2021; remove a current exclusion to enable people in the Bundaberg and Hervey Bay program area to voluntary participate in the CDC program; enable a voluntary participant to continue to volunteer for the CDC even if they no longer reside in a program area; enable the secretary to advise a community body when a person has exited the CDC program; enable the minister to determine decision-making principles for the purposes of determining whether a person can demonstrate reasonable and responsible management of the person's affairs; enable the secretary to review a wellbeing exemption or exit determination in certain circumstances and remove the determination as a result of such a review; enable the secretary to issue and revoke a notice informing a person that they are a CDC program participant; remove the requirement that an evaluation be conducted by an independent expert of a review of the CDC program; and extend the sunset date for income management in Cape York from 30 June 2020 to 31 December 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 7/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report 9/20); report presented out of sitting 17/11/20
- Introduced 8/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Ind (Patrick)/passed; 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 10 Govt/passed; 4 Ind (Patrick)/passed; 2 Ind (Patrick)/negatived; 4 JLN/negatived; 3 JLN/withdrawn
- Passed 10/12/20 a.m.
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 136, 2020)
(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/passed
- Passed 27/11/19
Senate:
(Senator McAllister â—¬— ALP)
Amends the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to provide that the department secretary may not make deductions from social security payments if the deductions relate to goods hired under a consumer lease entered into by a social security recipient.
Senate:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Negatived at 2nd reading 7/12/20
(Senator Siewert â—¬— 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
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends: six Acts to provide for two rounds of additional economic support payments of $250 to certain income support recipients and holders of eligible concession cards; the Social Security Act 1991 to: recognise the six-month period between 25 March and 24 September 2020 as contributing to existing workforce independence criteria for youth allowance; and create a temporary pathway for young Australians, who are seeking to qualify as independent for the purposes of assessing youth allowance (student), to encourage them to undertake seasonal agricultural work; the Paid Parental Leave Act 2010 to temporarily extend the paid parental leave work test period from 13 months prior to the birth or adoption of a child to 20 months for parents who have had their employment impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; the A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 to increase the maximum amount that eligible families are able to access after a stillbirth or a child's death shortly after birth up to the child's first birthday, irrespective of whether this is their first or subsequent claim; and the Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 to enable the minister to determine average weekly earnings trend figures ordinarily published by the Australian Statistician, for child support assessment purposes, where the publication of this trend figure has been suspended.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 22/10/20; report presented out of sitting 6/11/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 11/11/20
Assent: 13/11/20 (Act No. 95, 2020)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 to: extend the COVID-19 supplement to 31 March 2021 for all persons in receipt of youth allowance, including full time students and new apprentices; extend the temporary COVID-19 qualification rules for jobseeker payment and youth allowance to 31 March 2021; end the COVID-19 exemptions from the liquid assets test waiting period and assets tests from 1 January 2021; and temporarily enable the minister to determine modifications to specified provisions of the social security law in response to COVID-19; Farm Household Support Act 2014 and Social Security Act 1991 to provide that the COVID-19 supplement and the exemptions from the ordinary waiting period, newly arrived resident's waiting period and seasonal work preclusion period cannot be extended beyond 31 March 2021; and Social Security Act 1991 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to introduce a discretionary power to extend the principal home exemption temporary absence provisions for the purposes of the social security and veterans' entitlements assets tests. Also permits jobkeeper information provided to Services Australia on or before 28 March 2021 to continue to be used after that date.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Opp/negatived
- Passed 2/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 12/11/20 (SBC report 10/20); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp/passed; 2 Opp/negatived; 1 Opp/withdrawn; 1 AG/withdrawn
- Committee requests for amendments: 2 AG/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives disagreed to Senate amendment 10/12/20
Senate:
- Senate did not insist on its amendment 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 140, 2020)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends: the Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to provide that offences for providing false and misleading statements or documents apply to circumstances when the information is not provided to a natural person; four Acts to require a person served with a formal notice or summons by a Royal Commission to produce documents or information, or give evidence, to comply with that requirement even if the document or information is protected by secrecy provisions; and six Acts to make technical and consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 26/11/20 (Act No. 107, 2020)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the Social Security Act 1991 and four other Acts to: provide that, for the purposes of determining a person's rate of payment under social security law, employment income is assessed once it is paid to a social security recipient (replacing the current requirement for recipients to estimate and report the amount of employment income they have earned in a social security instalment period); and enable Services Australia to use data collected by the Australian Taxation Office (primarily information from the Single Touch Payroll system) in connection with the new assessment model.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 6/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 6/2/20 (SBC report 1/20); report presented out of sitting 20/2/20
- Introduced 12/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG/negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp/passed; 1 Opp/negatived; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 27/2/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 2/3/20
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 17, 2020)
(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 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:
(Senator Siewert â—¬— AG)
Amends the: Social Security Act 1991 to: increase the maximum single rates of newstart allowance, youth allowance (away from home rates only), austudy, sickness allowance, special benefit, widow allowance and crisis payment by $150 a fortnight; standardise the indexation arrangements for certain pensions and allowances; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Social Services Legislation Amendment (Welfare Reform) Act 2018; and Social Security (Administration) Act 1999 to provide that these payments are made from monies appropriated by the Parliament.
Senate:
- Introduced 10/9/18
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/9/18, 18/10/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- Discharged from Notice Paper 17/6/20
(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
(Youth and Sport portfolio)
Amends the: Sports Integrity Australia Act 2020 to implement revisions to the World Anti-Doping Code by: introducing a new category of person (non-participant) who may be subject to the National Anti-Doping Scheme; broadening the discretion of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sport Integrity Australia to not publish details of violations committed by athletes who compete for recreational purposes, or if the CEO believes an athlete does not have the mental capacity to understand the anti-doping rules; broadening the situations where the CEO may respond to public comment on unfinalised matters; and amending the definition of athlete to include persons who competed in sport within the last six months; and National Sports Tribunal Act 2019 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 26/8/20
- Passed 8/10/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 19/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 126, 2020)
(Attorney-Generalâ—¬—¢s portfolio)
Amends 10 Acts to: replace references to specific provisions of regulations with more general means of identifying the provisions, so that the correct links between the contents of regulations and Acts will remain even if the regulations are remade, renamed or renumbered; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 26/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 26/2/20
- Passed 27/2/20
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 18, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of eight bills to respond to the economic impacts of the coronavirus, the bill establishes the Structured Finance Support (Coronavirus Economic Response) Fund and the Structured Finance Support (Coronavirus Economic Response) Fund Special Account to enable the Commonwealth to make targeted investments in structured finance markets.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 1 Opp/negatived; 2 Opp to Opp/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp/passed; 1 AG/passed; 3 AG/negatived
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 27, 2020)
(Act citation: Student Identifiers Amendment (Enhanced Student Permissions) Act 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Amends the Student Identifiers Act 2014 to: allow any entity to request access to an individual's authenticated vocational education and training (VET) transcripts (or extract), where that access is permitted by the access controls set by the individual; and introduce new civil penalties in relation to further applications for student identifiers, alteration of authenticated VET transcripts and representing that a non-authentic document is an authenticated VET transcript (or extract).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/2/20
Senate:
Assent: 25/5/20 (Act No. 46, 2020)
(Act citation: Student Identifiers Amendment (Higher Education) Act 2020)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the Student Identifiers Act 2014 to: enable the extension of the unique student identifier from vocational education and training to higher education students; expand the powers and functions of the Student Identifiers Registrar to include the operation of the student identifier in the higher education sector; and make minor amendments contingent on the commencement of the Education Legislation Amendment (Tuition Protection and Other Measures) Act 2019 and Student Identifiers Amendment (Enhanced Student Permissions) Act 2019.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 24/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 24/2/20
- Passed 27/2/20
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 19, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Amends the Superannuation Act 2005 to extend membership of the Public Sector Superannuation Accumulation Plan to certain current and former Commonwealth employees and statutory office holders who are not otherwise eligible.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 25/8/20
Senate:
- Introduced 25/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/passed
- Passed 27/8/20
Assent: 7/9/20 (Act No. 86, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Part of a package of seven bills to implement changes to the financial institution supervisory levy framework, the bill amends the Superannuation Supervisory Levy Imposition Act 1998 to: increase the statutory upper limit on the superannuation industry supervisory levy to $10 million for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2020; and amend the calculation of the indexation factor used to establish the statutory upper limits applying in later years.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 60, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Makes interim provision to appropriate money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of the government.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 30, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Makes interim provision to appropriate money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 31, 2020)
(Finance portfolio)
Makes interim provision to appropriate money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for expenditure in relation to the parliamentary departments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Senate:
- Introduced 23/3/20
- Passed 23/3/20
Assent: 24/3/20 (Act No. 32, 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
- 2nd reading adjourned 3/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 8/12/20
(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 adjourned 3/12/20
(Senator Keneally â—¬— 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 (Competition and Consumer) Act 2020)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Telecommunications (Regional Broadband Scheme) Charge Bill 2019, the bill amends the: Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Telecommunications Act 1997 in relation to: Layer 2 bitstream services; and statutory infrastructure providers; Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Telecommunications Act 1997 and two legislative instruments in relation to local access lines; Competition and Consumer Act 2010, Telecommunications Act 1997 and Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999 in relation to funding of fixed wireless broadband and satellite broadband; and National Broadband Network Companies Act 2011 to require NBN Co to provide certain data about premises connected, or due to be connected, to the NBN. Also repeals four declarations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 13/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report 9/19); report presented out of sitting 14/2/20
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Committee amendments: 7 Govt/passed; 10 Opp/passed; 2 AG/negatived
- Passed 14/5/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 14/5/20
Assent: 25/5/20 (Act No. 47, 2020)
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 5/3/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 12/3/20
(Senator Griff â—¬— 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 9/19); report presented out of sitting 17/4/20
(Act citation: Telecommunications (Regional Broadband Scheme) Charge Act 2020)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer) Bill 2019, the bill establishes an ongoing funding arrangement for fixed wireless and satellite infrastructure (the Regional Broadband Scheme) by imposing a monthly charge on carriers, including NBN Co Ltd, in relation to each premises connected to their network that has an active fixed-line superfast broadband service during the month.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/11/19
- Passed 13/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report 9/19); report presented out of sitting 14/2/20
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Committee request for amendment: 1 Govt/passed
- Passed 14/5/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives made Senate request for amendment 14/5/20
Assent: 25/5/20 (Act No. 48, 2020)
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Introduced with the Bankruptcy (Estate Charges) Amendment (Norfolk Island) Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Norfolk Island Act 1979, Christmas Island Act 1958 and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Act 1955 to ensure the effective operation of the laws of other states and territories which have been applied in these external territories; Norfolk Island Act 1979 to: enable the Australian Government to enter into arrangements with any state or territory government to support state-type service delivery in Norfolk Island; and provide for the possible future conferral upon the courts of a state or territory jurisdiction in relation to Norfolk Island; Corporations Act 2001, Australian Securities and Investments Commission Act 2001, National Credit Protection Act 2009, Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and Cross-Border Insolvency Act 2008 to extend the application of the Acts to the external territories; ASIC Supervisory Cost Recovery Levy Act 2017 and ASIC Supervisory Cost Recovery Levy (Collection) Act 2017 to remove outdated references to the 'Crown in right of Norfolk Island'; Bankruptcy Act 1966 to enable the Australian Financial Security Authority to provide bankruptcy and personal property security services to Norfolk Island; Freedom of Information Act 1982 to clarify its application to bodies established under a law in force in Norfolk Island; Privacy Act 1988 to: clarify its application to statutory bodies in the external territories; and clarify the application of the Australian Privacy Principles to state and territory laws which have been applied in the external territories and the Jervis Bay Territory; Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977 to: extend its coverage to decisions made by Commonwealth officials under applied laws in the external territories and the Jervis Bay Territory; and extend the right to judicial review to decisions made under laws made by the former Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly and continued pre-self-government ordinances; Criminal Code Act 1995 to update the definition of 'Commonwealth public official' to include people exercising powers or functions under a law in force in Norfolk Island; Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to enable the Australian Communications and Media Authority to issues licences and undertake future broadcasting planning in Norfolk Island; Copyright Act 1968 to ensure Norfolk Island is treated as a territory instead of a state for the purposes of the Act; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to extend the application of the Act to Norfolk Island. Also makes consequential amendments to eight Acts.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 154, 2020)
(Act citation: Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services) Act 2020)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to: create a new criminal offence of providing or advertising an academic cheating service on a commercial basis; and broaden the role of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency to include the prevention and minimisation of the use and promotion of academic cheating services in courses provided by higher education providers.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Committee amendments: 3 AG/negatived; 4 CA/negatived
- Passed 26/8/20
Assent: 3/9/20 (Act No. 78, 2020)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 to: align certain device-related definitions with the equivalent definition in the European Union; enable the secretary to provide early scientific advice to a sponsor about the safety, quality or efficacy of a registrable medicine; enable a clinical trial sponsor to request variations to approved clinical trials; introduce a new preliminary assessment procedure for applications for new ingredients for listed and assessed listed medicines; remove a limitation on the circumstances in which medical practitioners may be authorised to supply specified unapproved therapeutic goods to their patients; remove certain offences for persons claiming to be able to arrange supply of therapeutic goods; impose a condition of registration or listing of therapeutic goods; specify the circumstances in which a sponsor may apply for the provisional registration of a medicine, without having to first obtain a provisional determination; introduce a data protection regime for assessed listed medicines; and make minor amendments and corrections; and Patents Act 1990 to remove a reference to therapeutic devices.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/3/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 17/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 25/6/20 (Act No. 75, 2020)
(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 adjourned 9/12/20
(Act citation: Trade Support Loans Amendment (Improving Administration) Act 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Amends the Trade Support Loans Act 2014 to: enable the secretary to provide for offsetting arrangements where an amount is wrongly paid as an instalment of a trade support loan (TSL); provide the secretary with a discretion to extend the period for notifying a change of address; and align the minimum periods for TSL recipients to notify the secretary of information under the Act.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/2/20
- Passed 24/2/20
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 20, 2020)
(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/passed; 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 9/19); extension of time to report 10/2/20; report presented out of sitting 25/3/20
- Introduced 9/11/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/11/20
(Previous title: Transport Security Amendment (Testing and Training) Bill 2019)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 to: introduce powers for aviation security inspectors to conduct covert compliance testing of aviation industry participants' aviation security systems at all regulated locations; and provide certain exemptions for aviation security inspectors from civil or criminal liability when they are covertly testing aviation industry participants' aviation security systems; and Aviation Transport Security Act 2004 and Maritime Transport and Offshore Facilities Security Act 2003 to: require screening officers to have completed relevant training and to hold relevant qualifications prior to exercising powers or performing screening functions; allow for the making of legislative instruments to determine training, qualifications and other requirements for specified screening officers in the exercise of powers or performance of screening functions, and requirements relating to the use of identity cards and uniforms; and make technical amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report 10/19); report presented out of sitting 19/2/20
- Committee amendments: 7 Govt/passed; 3 Opp/passed; 2 AG/negatived
- Passed 24/8/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 15/12/20 (Act No. 125, 2020)
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (2018 Measures No. 2) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Corporations Act 2001 and National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to allow regulations to provide for exemptions from the Australian Financial Services Licence and Australian Credit Licence requirements for the purposes of testing financial and credit products and services under certain conditions; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to amend the venture capital and early stage investor provisions to ensure that they operate as intended in relation to capital gains tax transactions, managed investment trusts and the early stage investor tax offset; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 to amend the definition of public trading trusts. Also provides for an independent review of the operation of the exemptions from the Australian Financial Services Licence and Australian Credit Licence requirements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- Consideration in detail amendments: 8 Opp/negatived
- Passed 15/10/19
Senate:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- Committee amendments: 8 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/2/20
Assent: 26/2/20 (Act No. 8, 2020)
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (2019 Measures No. 3) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends: the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 to provide that the tax concessions available to minors for income from a testamentary trust apply only in respect of income generated from assets of the deceased estate transferred to the testamentary trust (or the proceeds of the disposal or investment of those assets); the Corporations Act 2001 to defer the transitional timeframes for existing providers to comply with the education and training standard requiring completion of an approved degree or equivalent qualification and the passing of an approved exam to 1 January 2026 and 1 January 2022, respectively; and 30 Acts to make minor and technical amendments to laws relating to taxation, superannuation, corporations and credit.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp/negatived
- Passed 11/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 12/2/20
- Committee amendments: 2 CA/passed; 2 AG/negatived
- Passed 12/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives disagreed to Senate amendments 15/6/20
Senate:
- Senate insisted on its amendments 16/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives insisted on disagreeing to Senate amendments 16/6/20
Senate:
- Senate did not again insist on its amendments 17/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 64, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 in relation to the 2019-20 bushfires to: make government support payments to volunteer firefighters and relief and recovery payments and non-cash benefits provided by Australian governments non-assessable non-exempt income; and update the list of deductible gift recipients to include the Australian Volunteers Support Trust and the Community Rebuilding Trust.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- Passed 5/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- Passed 6/2/20
Assent: 13/2/20 (Act No. 1, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to extend the circumstances in which an entity is a significant global entity; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to: amend the country by country (CBC) reporting requirements and the requirement to provide general purpose financial statements so that they apply to a subset of significant global entities (referred to as CBC reporting entities) rather than all significant global entities; and make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 14/5/20
Senate:
- Introduced 14/5/20
- Passed 14/5/20
Assent: 25/5/20 (Act No. 49, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: amend the hybrid mismatch rules; introduce a general category of deductible gift recipient (DGR) for community sheds; and update the list of DGRs to include eight new entities; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to: broaden the amounts that employers can voluntarily report under the Single Touch Payroll rules to include employer withholding of child support deductions and child support garnishee amounts; and enable the disclosure of protected information, relating to the jobkeeper scheme, to the Fair Work Commission and the Fair Work Ombudsman; Child Support (Assessment) Act 1989 and Child Support (Registration and Collection) Act 1988 to make consequential amendments; and International Finance Corporation Act 1955 and International Monetary Agreements Act 1947 to: establish frameworks under which Australia may enter into agreements with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Finance Corporation of the World Bank Group to buy additional shares of their respective capital stocks; and authorise appropriations from the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the purposes of such payments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- Passed 16/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 17/6/20
- 2nd reading amendment:1 AG/passed
- Committee amendments: 2 CA/passed
- Passed 17/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives disagreed to Senate amendments 17/6/20
Senate:
- Senate insisted on its amendments 17/6/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives insisted on disagreeing to Senate amendments 18/6/20
Senate:
- Senate did not again insist on its amendments 25/8/20
Assent: 3/9/20 (Act No. 79, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: International Monetary Agreements Act 1947 to: enable Australia to enter into loan agreements with the International Monetary Fund (IMF); enable Australia to meet its funding obligations under any such agreements, as well as under the existing New Arrangements to Borrow with the IMF; and enable Australia to continue to enter into agreements with other countries to provide them with financial assistance in support of a program of the IMF; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to update the list of deductible gift recipients to include three new entities; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to: extend the $150 000 instant asset write-off for a further six months until 31 December 2020; and adjust the criteria for access to the instant asset write-off for businesses that have adopted a substituted accounting period; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to reduce the gross domestic product adjustment factor for the 2020-21 financial year to nil; and Boosting Cash Flow for Employers (Coronavirus Economic Response Package) Act 2020 to clarify that the payments for which an entity can receive a cash flow boost payment include amounts that are subject to withholding under the special withholding obligations applying to certain personal service income payments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Senate:
- Introduced 18/6/20
- Passed 18/6/20
Assent: 19/6/20 (Act No. 61, 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 Firstâ—¬—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 adjourned 28/10/20
Senate:
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: enable the minister to declare certain grant programs as eligible for non-assessable non-exempt income tax treatment under an instrument-making power; and update the list of deductible gift recipients to include Neighbourhood Watch Australasia; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Superannuation (Unclaimed Money and Lost Members) Act 1999 to facilitate the payment of unclaimed superannuation held by the Commissioner of Taxation directly to New Zealand KiwiSaver schemes.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 11/12/20 (Act No. 118, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends: the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to: provide an alternative mechanism to the existing test for working out if the $5 billion threshold applies to qualify for the temporary full expensing concession; enable entities to opt out of temporary full expensing and the backing business investment incentives on an asset-by-asset basis; and make a minor clarification to the operation of the temporary loss carry back provisions; the Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to make a minor technical correction; the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to: reallocate the responsibility for conducting sectoral assessments and making consumer data rules; and make miscellaneous amendments in relation to the consumer data right regime; the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012 to provide that an entity is not a basic religious charity if the entity has been identified as being responsible for past institutional child sexual abuse and it has not participated in the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse; and 17 Acts in the Treasury portfolio to make minor and technical amendments. Also repeals 18 Acts in the Treasury portfolio.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 8/12/20
Senate:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 141, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends: the Income Tax Rates Act 1986 to: bring forward, to the 2020-21 financial year, the increases to certain income tax thresholds; the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936, Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to bring forward, to the 2020-21 financial year, the increase in the amount of the low income tax offset to $700; the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to: retain the low and middle income tax offset for the 2020-21 financial year; enable corporate tax entities with an aggregated turnover of less than $5 billion to carry back a tax loss for the 2019-20, 2020-21 or 2021-22 financial years and apply it against tax paid in a previous financial year back to the 2018-19 financial year; and extend the concept of tax benefits in the general anti-avoidance rule in Part IVA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 to include the research and development (R&D) tax offset; the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 to provide that the income tax general anti-avoidance rule applies to schemes entered into for the purpose of obtaining a low carry back tax offset; seven Acts to enable eligible entities with an aggregated turnover of $10 million or more and less than $50 million to access certain small business entity tax concessions; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Tax Laws Amendment (Research and Development) Act 2015 to: permanently increase the R&D expenditure threshold from $100 million to $150 million; link the R&D tax offset for refundable R&D tax offset claimants to claimants' corporate tax rates plus an 18.5 percentage point premium; and increase the R&D tax incentive for larger R&D entities with high levels of R&D intensity; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Income Tax Rates Act 1986 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to: remake and consolidate provisions relating to clawback of R&D recoupments and feedstock adjustments; introduce a new uniform clawback rule that applies for recoupments, feedstock adjustments and balancing adjustment amounts that are included in an R&D entity's assessable income; and introduce a new catch-up rule for R&D assets; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to require the Commissioner of Taxation to publish information about the R&D activities of R&D entities claiming the R&D tax offset; Industry Research and Development Act 1986 to: provide for the Board of Innovation and Science Australia (ISA) to make a determination, by notifiable instrument, about how it will exercise its powers and perform its functions and duties; and expand the existing power of the Board of ISA and its committees to delegate some or all of their functions to include certain members of the Australian Public Service; the Industry Research and Development Decision-making Principles 2011 to impose a three-month limit on the Board of ISA's ability to grant an extension of time; Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to enable businesses with an aggregated turnover of less than $5 billion to deduct the full cost of eligible depreciating assets that are first held, and first used or installed ready for use for a taxable purpose, between the 2020 budget time and 30 June 2022; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to extend the time by which assets that qualify for the enhanced instant asset write-off must be first used or installed ready for use for a taxable purpose until 30 June 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 7/10/20
- Passed 8/10/20
Senate:
- Introduced 8/10/20
- Committee amendments: 10 AG/negatived
- Passed 9/10/20
Assent: 14/10/20 (Act No. 92, 2020)
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (Combating Illegal Phoenixing) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends: the Corporations Act 2001 to: introduce new criminal offences and civil penalty provisions for company officers that fail to prevent the company from making creditor-defeating dispositions and other persons that facilitate a company making a creditor-defeating disposition; allow liquidators to apply for a court order in relation to a voidable creditor-defeating disposition; enable the Australian Securities and Investments Commission to make orders to recover, for the benefit of a company's creditors, company property disposed of or benefits received under a voidable creditor-defeating disposition; and prevent directors from improperly backdating resignations or ceasing to be a director when this would leave a company with no directors; the A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to enable the Commissioner of Taxation to collect estimates of anticipated goods and services tax (GST) liabilities and make company directors personally liable for their company's GST liabilities in certain circumstances; the Taxation Administration Act 1953 to authorise the commissioner to retain tax refunds where a taxpayer has failed to lodge a return or provide other information that may affect the amount of a refund; and five Acts to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Opp/negatived
- Passed 27/11/19
Senate:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- Committee amendments: 2 Opp/passed; 2 AG/negatived
- Passed 5/2/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 5/2/20
Assent: 17/2/20 (Act No. 6, 2020)
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/8/20
(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 adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (Recovering Unpaid Superannuation) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 to provide for a one-off amnesty to encourage employers to self-correct historical superannuation guarantee non-compliance; and Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 to limit the Commissioner of Taxation's ability to remit penalties for historical superannuation guarantee non-compliance, where an employer fails to disclose information relevant to their historical superannuation guarantee shortfall.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 28/11/19
Senate:
Assent: 6/3/20 (Act No. 21, 2020)
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (Registries Modernisation and Other Measures) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Introduced with the Commonwealth Registers Bill 2019, Business Names Registration (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019, Corporations (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 and National Consumer Credit Protection (Fees) Amendment (Registries Modernisation) Bill 2019 to create a new Commonwealth business registry regime, the bill: amends 12 Acts to bring 35 existing business registers into the new regime; and Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006, Corporations Act 2001, Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 and Taxation Administration Act 1953 to introduce a director identification number requirement.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/12/19
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 13/2/20
- Passed 12/6/20
Assent: 22/6/20 (Act No. 69, 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 and Tax Laws Amendment (Research and Development) Act 2015 to: permanently increase the research and development (R&D) expenditure threshold from $100 million to $150 million; link the R&D tax offset for refundable R&D tax offset claimants to their corporate tax rates plus a 13.5 percentage point premium; cap the refundability of the R&D tax offset at $4 million per annum; and increase the targeting of the R&D tax incentive to larger R&D entities with high levels of R&D intensity; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 to extend the concept of tax benefits in the general anti-avoidance rule in Part IVA of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 to include the R&D tax offset; Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Income Tax Rates Act 1986 and Income Tax (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to: remake and consolidate provisions relating to clawback of R&D recoupments and feedstock adjustments; introduce a new uniform clawback rule that applies for recoupments, feedstock adjustments and balancing adjustment amounts included in an R&D entity's assessable income; and introduce a new catch-up rule for R&D assets; Taxation Administration Act 1953 to require the Commissioner of Taxation to publish information about relevant activities of R&D entities claiming the R&D tax offset following a two-year delay; Industry Research and Development Act 1986 (IR&D Act) to: provide for the Board of Innovation and Science Australia (ISA) to make a determination, by notifiable instrument, about how it will exercise its powers and perform its functions and duties; and expand the existing power of the Board of ISA and its committees to delegate some or all of their functions to include certain members of the Australian Public Service; and Industry Research and Development Decision-making Principles 2011 to provide that extensions of time granted under the IR&D Act may relate to certain applications.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 6/2/20 (SBC report 1/20); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 3/8/20, 21/8/20; report presented out of sitting 12/10/20
- Introduced 10/2/20
- Discharged from Notice Paper 9/11/20
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/2/20
(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
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/9/20
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 3/9/20 (SBC report 8/20); report presented out of sitting 4/11/20
(Act citation: Treasury Laws Amendment (Your Superannuation, Your Choice) Act 2020)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Act 1992 to provide that employees under workplace determinations or enterprise agreements have the right to choose their superannuation fund.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/11/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 12/2/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report 9/19); extension of time to report 6/2/20; report presented out of sitting 20/3/20
- Introduced 12/2/20
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt/passed; 1 Ind (Patrick)/passed; 8 Opp/negatived; 5 AG/negatived
- Passed 25/8/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 25/8/20
Assent: 3/9/20 (Act No. 80, 2020)
(Act citation: VET Student Loans (VSL Tuition Protection Levy) Act 2020)
(Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio)
Part of a package of three bills to implement a tuition protection model for students participating in the VET Student Loans program and for higher education students accessing FEE-HELP or HECS-HELP assistance at a private education provider or TAFE, the bill imposes the VSL tuition protection levy, specifies the amounts that are payable by various classes of providers, and prescribes the levy components and the manner in which, and by whom, they will be determined each year.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/9/19
- Passed 24/10/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 17/10/19 (SBC report 7/19); report presented out of sitting 22/11/19
- Introduced 11/11/19
- Committee requests for amendments: 4 Govt/passed
- Passed 5/2/20
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives made Senate requests for amendments 5/12/19
Assent: 17/2/20 (Act No. 5, 2020)
(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
- Read a 1st time 7/12/20
(Veterans' Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to create a new position on the Repatriation Commission and Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission to represent the families of veterans; Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004 to enable the provision of assistance or benefits to former Australian Defence Force members to assist them to transition into civilian work; and Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986 to extend eligibility for the quarterly energy supplement to holders of gold cards under the Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests and British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Treatment) Act 2006 and Treatment Benefits (Special Access) Act 2019.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 10/11/20
Senate:
- Introduced 10/11/20
- Passed 12/11/20
Assent: 26/11/20 (Act No. 108, 2020)
(Act citation: Wine Australia Amendment (Label Directory) Act 2020)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Amends the Wine Australia Act 2013 to provide for Wine Australia to establish and maintain a directory of labels that are attached to grape products such as wine intended for export from Australia.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 24/2/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp/negatived
- Passed 9/12/20
Assent: 17/12/20 (Act No. 132, 2020)
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