Ministerial Responses

Where the committee writes to a minister it expects a response to be received in time to be considered by the committee and reported on while the bill is still before the Parliament.

If the committee has not completed its inquiry due to the failure of a minister to respond to the committee's concerns, Senate standing order 24 enables Senators to ask the responsible minister why the committee has not received a response.

The table below sets out the bills for which the committee has requested a response and the response has either not yet been received or has been received but the committee has not yet finally reported on it. If a bill is likely to be subject to debate in the Senate before the due date set by the committee, the committee expects the response to be provided prior to the debate.

Bills listed in red indicate that the response is outstanding.

Publication of ministerial responses

Where it may assist in providing timely scrutiny of bills before the Senate, the committee may choose to publish (in the table below) ministerial responses together with the committee's preliminary comments on those responses, prior to tabling its regular Scrutiny Digest.

All ministerial and other responses are published online with the relevant Scrutiny Digest after tabling. 

Bill Minister Committee comment Response due Response received
Administrative Review Tribunal (Consequential and Transitional Provisions No. 2) Bill 2024 Attorney-General Digest 3 of 2024 14 March 2024 3 April 2024
Agriculture (Biosecurity Protection) Charges Bill 2024
Agriculture (Biosecurity Protection) Levies Bill 2024
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry Digest 4 of 2024 19 April 2024* 15 April 2024
Agriculture (Biosecurity Protection) Levies and Charges Collection Bill 2024
Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry
Digest 4 of 2024 19 April 2024*
15 April 2024
Australian Research Council Amendment (Review Response) Bill 2023 – Senate amendment
Education
Digest 5 of 2024 11 April 2024 11 April 2024
Crimes Amendment (Strengthening the Criminal Justice Response to Sexual Violence) Bill 2024
Attorney-General Digest 3 of 2024
21 March 2024* 25 March 2024
Financial Framework (Supplementary Powers) Amendment Bill 2024
Finance Digest 4 of 2024 4 April 2024 26 March 2024
Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Bill 2023
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Digest 15 of 2023
22 January 2024*  
Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions and Other Measures) Bill 2023
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Digest 15 of 2023 22 January 2024*  
Migration Amendment (Removal and Other Measures) Bill 2024
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs
Digest 5 of 2024 24 April 2024*  
Migration and Other Legislation Amendment (Bridging Visas, Serious Offenders and Other Measures) Bill 2023 – Senate amendments
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Digest 3 of 2024 14 March 2024  
Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards and Other Measures) Bill 2023 Communications Digest 3 of 2024 14 March 2024 23 April 2024
Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Bill 2024
Health and Aged Care
Digest 5 of 2024 11 April 2024
9 April 2024

* Revised due date