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 | | |
(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 no. 6 of 2020); extensions of time to report 12/11/20, 4/2/21; report due 24/6/21
(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)
- Removed from Notice Paper 23/3/21
(Act citation: Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Improved Home Care Payment Administration No. 2) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care (Transitional Provisions) Act 1997 to amend the arrangements relating to the payment of home care subsidy to approved providers by providing that the Commonwealth will retain, on behalf of home care recipients, any subsidy that may be in excess of the care and services provided, to be drawn down as care and services are provided in future; and A New Tax System (Goods and Services Tax) Act 1999 to ensure that the supply of home care remains GST-free.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 21/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 6 Govt agreed to
- Passed 9/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 2, 2021)
(Act citation: Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Serious Incident Response Scheme and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Aged Care Act 1997 and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to: implement a Serious Incident Response Scheme for residential aged care and flexible care delivered in a residential aged care setting; and expand the Aged Care Quality and Safety Commissioner's powers to administer and enforce the requirements of the scheme and the responsibilities of approved providers and related offences; and Aged Care Quality and Safety Commission Act 2018 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- Committee amendments: 5 AG negatived; 4 Ind (Patrick) negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 9, 2021)
(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:
(Act citation: Agriculture Legislation Amendment (Streamlining Administration) Act 2021)
(Agriculture portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 and Imported Food Control Act 1992 to enable computerised decision-making for certain purposes.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- Bill referred to Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee 28/11/19 (SBC report no. 9 of 2019) upon introduction in the Senate (2/12/19); report presented out of sitting 31/1/20
- Passed 25/2/20
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 16, 2021)
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Repeals the Australian Meat and Live-stock Corporation Amendment Act 1990, National Residue Survey (Consequential Provisions) Act 1992, Wool International Act 1993 and Wool International Privatisation Act 1999.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/7/19
- Read a 1st time 2/7/19
(Senator Rice 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 no. 4 of 2018); extension of time to report 18/6/18; report tabled 16/8/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(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
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for the ordinary annual services of the government, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Supply Act (No. 1) 2020-2021 and Appropriation Act (No. 1) 2020-2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
(Finance portfolio)
Appropriates additional money out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund for certain expenditure, in addition to the appropriations provided for by the Supply Act (No. 2) 2020-2021 and Appropriation Act (No. 2) 2020-2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/2/21
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
(Finance portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/5/21, 13/5/21
(Finance portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/5/21
(Finance portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 11/5/21
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Amends the: Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exclude a right of access to documents provided to, or created by, the Independent Review into the workplaces of Parliamentarians and their staff conducted under the Australian Human Rights Commission Act 1986 by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner; and Archives Act 1983 to provide that these documents would not come into the open access period until 99 years after the year the documents came into existence.
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendment: 1 Ind (Steggall) agreed to
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Senate agreed to House of Representatives amendment 11/5/21
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Amends the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act 1983 to: amend the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Charter to require the ABC to broadcast programs that contribute to a sense of regional and national identity, and inform and entertain, and reflect the geographic and cultural diversity of, the Australian community; require the ABC Board to have two members with a substantial connection to, or substantial experience in, a regional area through business, industry or community involvement; establish a Regional Advisory Council to advise the ABC Board; and require the ABC Board to report annually on a range of additional matters, including the total number of individuals employed in regional and metropolitan areas, and the journalist to support staff ratio of employees.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/7/19, 16/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp pending
(Treasury portfolio)
Establishes the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) to: provide a source of 'patient capital' for small and medium enterprises; authorise investment by the Commonwealth in the ABGF; and appropriate $100 million for the purposes of the ABGF.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 6/2/20
Senate:
(Senator Di Natale 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
(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 no. 12 of 2020); 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
(Act citation: Australian Immunisation Register Amendment (Reporting) Act 2021)
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Australian Immunisation Register Act 2015 to: require recognised vaccination providers to report certain information in relation to certain vaccinations administered both within and outside Australia; authorise the collection and use of Commonwealth assigned identifiers; introduce civil penalties should recognised vaccination providers not comply with the reporting requirements; create a power for the secretary to require recognised vaccination providers to produce information if they do not comply with the reporting requirements; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 3/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- Passed 4/2/21
Assent: 15/2/21 (Act No. 1, 2021)
(Senator Griff 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 no. 3 of 2019); extension of time to report 11/11/19; report tabled 4/12/19
(Dr Haines MP â—¬— Ind)
Introduced with the Australian Local Power Agency (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021, the bill: establishes the Australian Local Power Agency (ALPA) to support the development of community energy projects in Australia, increase the competitiveness of renewable energy supplied by community energy projects and ensure that regional communities share in the benefits of renewable energy; provides for ALPA's functions and powers; establishes the Board of ALPA and provides for its functions, members, meetings and committees; and provides for the appointment of a Chief Executive Officer, staff and consultants.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/2/21
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 24/2/21 (SC report no. 27)
(Dr Haines MP â—¬— Ind)
Introduced with the Australian Local Power Agency Bill 2021, the bill amends the Australian Renewable Energy Agency Act 2011, Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012 and Clean Energy Regulator Act 2011 to make amendments consequential on the establishment of the Australian Local Power Agency.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/2/21
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on the Environment and Energy 24/2/21 (SC report no. 27)
(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
(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
(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
(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 no. 6 of 2020); extension of time to report 3/8/20; report tabled 24/8/20
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to clarify the validity of certain determinations that specify that certain classes of goods are conditionally non-prohibited goods which must not be brought or imported into Australian territory unless they are covered by an import permit or unless alternative conditions specified in the determination are complied with.
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Assent: 31/3/21 (Act No. 33, 2021)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Biosecurity Act 2015 to increase the civil and criminal penalty amounts for contraventions of certain key requirements relating to the assessment and management of biosecurity risks of goods that are brought or imported into Australian territory, and the carrying out of biosecurity activities in accordance with an approved arrangement.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/2/21
(Senator Patrick â—¬— Ind)
Senate:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/5/21
(Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications portfolio)
Amends the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 to: reduce the expenditure required by subscription television broadcasting licensees on new eligible drama expenditure from 10 per cent to 5 per cent; provide for subscription television captioning rules to be made by legislative instrument; remove the requirement that all frequency channels allotted or reserved in a digital radio channel plan be within the same frequency band; provide that a regional commercial radio broadcasting licensee does not breach a licence condition if it is only as a result of the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) making a new licence area population determination; and extend the timeframe for the ACMA to make grants under the Regional and Small Publishers Innovation Fund beyond 30 June 2021.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/3/21
Senate:
(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
(Dr Haines MP â—¬— Ind)
Amends the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 to require the Treasurer to release and table regular rural and regional Australia statements to provide information to allow assessment of the impact of government policy decisions on rural and regional Australia.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/3/21
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Amends the Clean Energy Finance Corporation Act 2012 to establish the $1 billion Grid Reliability Fund to support investments in new energy generation, storage and transmission infrastructure, including eligible projects shortlisted under the Underwriting New Generation Investments program.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 27/8/20, 15/2/21, 16/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp pending
Senate:
(Ms Steggall MP 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)
(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
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 4/2/21 (SBC report no. 1 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 21/4/21; final report presented out of sitting 7/5/21
(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 no. 2 of 2019); extensions of time to report 14/10/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 16/4/20
(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 no. 6 of 2020); report tabled 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 no. 3 of 2020); 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
(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
(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, 15/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG pending
(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
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
Amends the: Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: establish the Commonwealth Environment Protection Authority to exercise the routine administrative regulatory functions currently undertaken by the Commonwealth in relation to the Act and other Commonwealth legislation relating to the environment; and establish the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Environment and Energy; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and Water Act 2007 to make consequential amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/3/21
(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
(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
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/3/21
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Competition and Consumer Act 2010 to establish a scheme that mandates that service and repair information provided to car dealership networks and manufacturer preferred repairs be made available for independent repairs and registered training organisations to purchase at a fair market price; and Copyright Act 1968 to provide that the statutory licensing scheme for educational institutions does not apply to such information.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
(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 no. 2 of 2019); extensions of time to report 25/11/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 16/4/20
(Senator Xenophon 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
(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 no. 5 of 2019); extensions of time to report 28/8/20, 4/2/21; report due 30/9/21
(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
(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
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Criminal Code Act 1995 to: amend the offence of bribery of a foreign public official to extend the definition of foreign public official to include a candidate for office, remove the requirement that the foreign official must be influenced in the exercise of the official's duties, replace the requirement that a benefit and business advantage must be 'not legitimately due' with the concept of 'improperly influencing' a foreign public official, and extend the offence to cover bribery to obtain a personal advantage; and create a new offence of failure of a body corporate to prevent foreign bribery by an associate; the Director of Public Prosecutions Act 1983 to implement a Commonwealth Deferred Prosecution Agreement scheme to enable the Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions to invite a person that has engaged in serious corporate crime to negotiate an agreement to comply with a range of specified conditions; and five Acts to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 2/12/19
- Bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); extension of time to report 10/2/20; report presented out of sitting 17/3/20
(Act citation: Crimes Legislation Amendment (Economic Disruption) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Criminal Code Act 1995 to update money laundering offences; Crimes Act 1914 to clarify that certain obligations imposed on investigating officials do not apply to undercover operatives; Proceeds of Crimes Act 2002 to: ensure that buy-back orders cannot be used by criminal suspects and their associates to buy back property forfeited to the Commonwealth or to delay court proceedings; clarify that courts may make orders confiscating the value of a debt, loss or liability that has been avoided, deferred or reduced through criminal offending; clarify that courts with proceeds jurisdiction are able to make orders in respect of property located overseas; increase penalties for non-compliance with information-gathering powers, and clarify and expand the circumstances in which information gathered can be disclosed and used; enable the minister to make grants from the Confiscated Assets Account (CAA) to the States and Territories for crime prevention and certain other measures; and provide that money (other than a penalty) paid to the Commonwealth under a foreign deferred prosecution agreement that represents benefits or property derived from unlawful criminal activity must be credited to the CAA; and COAG Reform Fund Act 2008 and Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 to expand the Official Trustee in Bankruptcy's powers in relation to property, information gathering and cost recovery.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 10/12/20
Senate:
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 3, 2021)
(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 no. 12 of 2020); extension of time to report 18/3/21; report due 17/6/21
(Act citation: Customs Amendment (Product Specific Rule Modernisation) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Customs Act 1901 to streamline the way in which product specific rules of origin of the Australia-Chile Free Trade Agreement, Australia-New Zealand Closer Economic Relations Agreement, Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, Korea-Australia Free Trade Agreement, Malaysia-Australia Free Trade Agreement and Thailand-Australia Free Trade Agreement are given effect domestically.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/9/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/10/19
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 19/9/19 (SBC report no. 6 of 2019); report presented out of sitting 20/11/19
- Introduced 11/11/19
- In committee 3/2/21
- Committee amendments: 7 Opp negatived
- Passed 4/2/21
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 4, 2021)
(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
(Act citation: Customs Tariff Amendment (Incorporation of Proposals and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Customs Tariff Act 1995 to: provide for a free rate of customs duty for certain medical and hygiene products between 1 February 2020 and 31 December 2020; remove the $12 000 special customs duty on used and second-hand motor vehicles that are Peruvian originating goods or that are Trans-Pacific Partnership originating goods; separately identify specifically formulated caffeinated beverages, formulated supplementary sports foods and formulated supplementary foods; specifically identify vitamins and food supplements; provide that wheelie bins do not fall within the classification of vehicles; provide that plates, rods, angles, shapes, sections, tubes, pipes and the like requiring further modification prior to being used cannot be classified as parts; and repeal redundant provisions specifying phasing rates of customs duty under certain free trade agreements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 17/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- Passed 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 10, 2021)
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Introduced with the Data Availability and Transparency (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020 to implement a scheme to authorise and regulate access to Australian Government data, the bill: authorises public sector data custodians to share data with accredited users in accordance with specific authorisations, purposes, principles and agreements; specifies the specific responsibilities imposed on data scheme entities; establishes and specifies the functions and powers of the National Data Commissioner as the regulator of the scheme; establishes and specifies the functions and membership of the National Data Advisory Council as an advisory body to the commissioner in relation to sharing and use of public sector data; and establishes the regulation and enforcement framework for the scheme.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Introduced with the Data Availability and Transparency Bill 2020 to implement a scheme to authorise and regulate access to Australian Government data, the bill makes consequential amendments to the Administrative Decisions (Judicial Review) Act 1977, Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979, Freedom of Information Act 1982 and Privacy Act 1988 in relation to the operation of the scheme.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
Senate:
(Senator Steele-John 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
(Mr Bandt MP â—¬— AG)
Amends the Defence Act 1903 to require parliamentary approval of overseas services by members of the Australian Defence Force.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/2/21
(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 no. 7 of 2018); extensions of time to report 15/10/18, 26/11/18; reported tabled 14/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 26/8/20
(Industry, Science, Energy and Resources portfolio)
Amends the Designs Act 2003 to: implement recommendations of the former Advisory Council on Intellectual Property review of the designs system by: providing designers a 12-month grace period to apply for design protection after publishing or using their design to protect designers from losing their rights through inadvertent disclosure; introducing an infringement exemption for prior use; streamlining the initial steps for registering a design; correcting an anomaly to the innocent infringer defence where infringement occurs between filing and registration; providing exclusive licensees with legal standing to take infringement action through the courts; and extending the power of the Registrar of Designs to make directions about the forms of documents to 'approved forms' for designs; and make minor technical amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 2/12/20
- Passed 4/2/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- Read a 1st time 4/2/21
(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
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Australian Research Council Act 2001 to: apply indexation to existing appropriation amounts for the financial years commencing on 1 July 2020, 1 July 2021 and 1 July 2022; and insert a new funding cap for the financial year commencing on 1 July 2023; and Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: re-categorise the University of Notre Dame Australia as a Table A provider from 2021; and correct a typographical error.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Passed 13/5/21
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to: enable former permanent humanitarian visa holders who transition to a resident return visa to retain their eligibility for Higher Education Loan Program assistance; and make minor and technical amendments; and Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to: clarify and extend the application of the Act to former registered providers; and make minor and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/5/21
(Act citation: Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Refunds of Charges and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to: enable refunds of registration charges in special circumstances; amend the definition of 'course'; and enable the minister responsible for international education to include and exempt certain courses from the requirements of the Act.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 18/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Passed 25/2/21
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 18, 2021)
(Mr Wilkie MP â—¬— Ind)
The bill: establishes a legal framework governing immigration detention in Australia; provides alternatives to immigration detention; and prioritises non-citizens' immediate needs and refugee and international human rights law.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/2/21
- Bill referred to House of Representatives Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs 24/2/21 (SC report no. 27)
(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 no. 7 of 2017); report tabled 14/9/17
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Hanson-Young 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 no. 3 of 2020); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 11/12/20; progress report presented out of sitting 16/4/21; extension of time to report 11/5/21; final report due 20/10/21
(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
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 18/2/21 (SBC report no. 2 of 2021); extension of time to report 11/5/21; report tabled 13/5/21
(Senator Hanson-Young â—¬— AG)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: prevent the minister from approving an action which involves the clearing of koala habitat; and remove the exemption of regional forest agreements from requirements of the Act where there is, may, or is likely to have significant impacts on koalas.
Senate:
- Introduced 4/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/2/21, 22/2/21
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); report due 2/12/21
(Environment portfolio)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: establish a framework for the making, varying, revoking and application of National Environmental Standards; and establish an Environment Assurance Commissioner to undertake monitoring or auditing of the operation of bilateral agreements with states and territories and Commonwealth processes for making and enforcing approval decisions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/2/21
Senate:
(Environment portfolio)
Amends the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to: provide that, where an approval bilateral agreement declares that an action in a class of actions does not require approval, the action may not be referred to the minister for assessment and approval under Part 7 of the Act; enable the minister to complete an assessment and approval of an action where a bilateral agreement with a state or territory is suspended or cancelled, or an approval bilateral agreement otherwise ceases to apply to a particular action; remove the current prohibition on approval bilateral agreements applying to an action that has, will have or is likely to have a significant impact on water resources (the water trigger); allow the minister to accredit a broader range of state and territory approval processes for the purposes of approval bilateral agreements; enable the states and territories to make minor changes to environmental assessment processes without the need for the amendment of a bilateral agreement or the re-accreditation of a management arrangement or authorisation process; and make technical amendments in relation to the making and operation of bilateral agreements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 3/9/20
Senate:
- Introduced 6/10/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 6/10/20
- Bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 12/11/20 (SBC report no. 10 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
(Act citation: Export Control Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Act 2021)
(Agriculture, Water and the Environment portfolio)
Amends the Export Control Act 2020 to: clarify the circumstances where a fit and proper person test is required for an application to vary a registration of an establishment, or to approve an alteration of an establishment; enable the rules to prescribe circumstances where the secretary may approve or refuse to approve a notice of intention to export prescribed goods; provide the secretary with the power to prescribe requirements in the rules for determining whether to issue or to refuse to issue an export permit; enable the rules to modify how certain provisions in the Act and the Administrative Appeals Tribunals Act 1975 apply to reviewable decisions for tariff rate quotas; and enable the rules to apply matters contained in any instrument of a foreign country that sets out, or provides a method for calculating, the tariff rate quota for the importation of a kind of goods into that country.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 11/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 2/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- Committee amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 11, 2021)
(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
(Senator Waters â—¬— AG)
Amends the Fair Work Act 2009 to: remove restrictions on employees' rights to disclose the amount of, or information about, their pay or earnings; and prohibit employers from taking adverse action against employees for disclosing this information.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/9/15
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/9/15
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 15/10/15 (SBC report no. 13 of 2015); report due 12/5/16
- Lapsed due to prorogation of first session of 44th Parliament 17/4/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 19/4/16
- Lapsed due to dissolution of 44th Parliament 9/5/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 31/8/16
- 2nd reading adjourned 19/3/18
- Bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 1/9/16 (SBC report no. 5 of 2016); extension of time to report 10/11/16; report tabled 30/11/16
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 17/3/21
(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
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/2/21
(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
(Previous title: Fair Work Amendment (Supporting Australiaâ—¬—¢s Jobs and Economic Recovery) Bill 2020)
(Industrial Relations portfolio)
Amends the: Fair Work Act 2009 in relation to: defining casual employment; including a casual conversion entitlement in the National Employment Standards; providing a Casual Employment Information Statement to casual employees; offsetting casual loading amounts against claims for leave and other entitlements in certain circumstances; additional hours for part-time employees; flexible work directions; enterprise agreement making and approval processes; extending the nominal life of greenfields agreements relating to the construction of major projects; the compliance and enforcement framework; Fair Work Commission processes; and consequential amendments; Fair Work (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Act 2009 to provide for the cessation of certain agreement based transitional instruments on 1 July 2022; Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 to: enable the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner to accept an enforceable undertaking in relation to a suspected remuneration-related contravention; and require the commissioner to publish certain information in relation to enforcement proceedings; Building and Construction Industry (Improving Productivity) Act 2016 and Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 to make consequential amendments; and Fair Work Act 2009 and Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Govt agreed to; 3 AG negatived
- Passed 23/2/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 10/12/20 (SBC report no. 12 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 25/2/21
- Committee amendments: 15 Govt agreed to; 2 Opp agreed to; 11 PHON agreed to;4 Ind (Patrick)-JLN agreed to; 16 Opp negatived; 1 CA negatived; 2 Ind (Patrick)-JLN negatived; 33 PHON withdrawn; 6 CA withdrawn
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments (14 Opp amendments in place of Senate amendments nos 10, 11, 20 and 22 negatived) 22/3/21
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 25, 2021)
(Ms Burney MP 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:
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Act 1999 and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 to: expand the circumstances in which business continuity payments (BCPs) can be paid to approved child care providers; and correct drafting errors made by the Family Assistance Legislation Amendment (Improving Assistance for Vulnerable and Disadvantaged Families) Act 2020; and A New Tax System (Family Assistance) (Administration) Act 1999 in relation to: Administrative Appeals Tribunal review; delegation of funding agreement powers; child care subsidy reconciliation deadlines; ensuring that BCPs will not be offset against future CCS payments during the period 6 April to 12 July 2020 (the relevant period); allowing the minister's rules to specify circumstances in which BCPs paid to providers during the relevant period are to be debts; not including the relevant period in determining cessation of child's enrolment; removing the requirement to report provision of care to children during the relevant period; and provider applications and approvals.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Passed 18/3/21
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 26, 2021)
(Mr Perrett MP 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, 30/11/20, 22/3/21
- Federation Chamber: Referred 26/8/20, 17/2/21; 2nd reading adjourned 26/10/20, 22/2/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Family Law Act 1975 to: establish new federal family violence orders which, if breached, can be criminally enforced; and broaden the protections for Registrars of a Family Court of a State in conducting conferences; six Acts to make consequential amendments; and the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021 to broaden the protections for the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Registrars and Registrars in the Federal Circuit and Family Court in conducting conferences.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 13/5/21 (SBC report no. 5 of 2021); report due 29/7/21
(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
(Act citation: Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2019, the bill unifies the administrative structure of the Family Court of Australia and the Federal Circuit Court of Australia to create the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, comprised of Division 1 (which will be a continuation of the Family Court) and Division 2 (which will be a continuation of the Federal Circuit Court).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 1/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); report presented out of sitting 20/11/20
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 3 Govt agreed to; 2 Opp to 1 Govt negatived
- Committee requests for amendments: 2 AG to 1 Govt negatived
- Passed 17/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 12, 2021)
(Act citation: Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Act 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Bill 2019, the bill amends: the Family Law Act 1975 and Federal Court of Australia Act 1976 to make consequential amendments to align these Acts with the operation of the newly created Federal Circuit and Family Court (FCFC); the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2019, when enacted, to make an amendment consequential on the commencement of certain changes enacted by the Public Sector Superannuation Legislation Amendment Act 2018; five Acts in relation to making rules of court; 132 Acts to make further consequential amendments; and various Acts to make amendments contingent on the commencement of nine Acts. Also provides for transitional arrangements in relation to the judges and personnel of the FCFC, court administration and appeals; and repeals the Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- Passed 1/12/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); report presented out of sitting 20/11/20
- Introduced 2/12/20
- 2nd reading amendments: 3 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Passed 17/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 13, 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/5/21
(Treasury portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/5/21
(Act citation: Financial Sector Reform (Hayne Royal Commission Response No. 2) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: Corporations Act 2001 to: require financial services providers that receive fees under an ongoing fee arrangement to: provide clients with a document each year which outlines the fees they will be charged and the services they will be entitled to in the following 12 months and which seeks annual renewal for all ongoing fee arrangements; and obtain written consent before fees under an ongoing fee arrangement can be deducted from a client's account; require a financial services licensee or authorised representative to give a written disclosure of lack of independence where they are authorised to provide personal advice to a retail client; and make consequential amendments; and Superannuation Industry (Supervision) Act 1993 to: provide that a superannuation trustee can only charge advice fees to a member where certain conditions are satisfied; and remove a superannuation trustee's ability to charge fees under an ongoing fee arrangement for financial product advice from MySuper products.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Passed 25/2/21
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 19, 2021)
(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
- Passed 22/2/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/2/21
- Read a 1st time 22/2/21
(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 no. 9 of 2018); report presented out of sitting 30/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/8/20
(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 no. 15 of 2018); report tabled 14/2/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 13/2/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/2/20
(Senator Siewert 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: Hazardous Waste (Regulation of Exports and Imports) Act 1989 to: implement Australia's obligations under the Basel Convention on the Control or Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; apply the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014 and insert new audit powers; update existing criminal offences and introduce new strict liability offences and civil penalties to cover non-compliance relating to the export, import and transit of hazardous waste; increase penalties for offences relating to the export, import and transit of hazardous waste and introduce new aggravated offences where the non-compliance results in injury or damage to human beings or the environment; authorise information sharing between Commonwealth, state and territory governments; introduce recordkeeping requirements and information gathering powers to protect, use and disclose information; and replace the Hazardous Waste Technical Group with a requirement to consult with persons with appropriate expertise; and Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 to make a consequential amendment.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/3/21
Senate:
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Health Insurance Act 1973 to remove the requirement for new specialists and consultant physicians to pay a $30 prescribed fee when applying for access to higher Medicare rebates.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- Passed 13/5/21
(Act citation: Higher Education Legislation Amendment (Provider Category Standards and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
Amends the: Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to: implement the recommendations of the Review of the Higher Education Provider Category Standards; implement an outstanding recommendation of the Review of the impact of the TEQSA Act on the higher education sector to refer to the Threshold Standards as a single unified framework; include reference to the new Australian Qualifications Framework qualification type 'undergraduate certificate' in the definition of 'higher education award'; allow the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) to extend the period of a provider's registration or course accreditation more than once; allow review by the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of a decision by TEQSA not to change the category in which a provider is registered; enable TEQSA to assume control of higher education student records from a registered higher education provider in the event the provider ceases operations; and protect the use of the word 'university' in Australian internet domain names; and Higher Education Support Act 2003 to confirm that higher education providers can use Indigenous student assistance grants to assist prospective, as well as existing, Indigenous students.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 2/9/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 3 Govt agreed to
- Passed 12/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report no. 9 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 27/11/20
- Introduced 30/11/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Passed 18/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 14, 2021)
(Education, Skills and Employment portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 13/5/21
(Act citation: Higher Education Support Amendment (Freedom of Speech) Act 2021)
(Education portfolio)
Amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 to insert a new definition of 'academic freedom' and replace references to 'free intellectual inquiry' with the allied concepts of 'freedom of speech' and 'academic freedom'.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 28/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Committee amendments: 1 Opp negatived; 4 AG negatived; 1 PHON negatived
- Passed 15/3/21
Assent: 22/3/21 (Act No. 22, 2021)
(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 no. 4 of 2019); extension of time to report 9/9/19; report tabled 17/10/19
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Pursuant to the objectives of the Intergovernmental Agreement on Identity Matching Services (IGA), agreed by COAG on 5 October 2017, the bill provides for the exchange of identity information between the Commonwealth, state and territory governments by enabling the Department of Home Affairs to collect, use and disclose identification information in order to operate the technical systems that will facilitate the identity-matching services envisaged by the IGA.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 31/7/19
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 2/8/19; report tabled in House of Representatives 24/10/19 and Senate 13/11/19
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill: establishes decision-making principles that set out characteristics for categorising industrial chemicals according to their level of concern to the environment based on their use; enables the minister to make scheduling decisions to categorise an industrial chemical and set out the controls applicable to the use, handling and disposal of an industrial chemical; provides for consultation with the public and states and territories on matters relating to scheduling decisions and decision-making principles; establishes a register of scheduling decisions for industrial chemicals; establishes the Advisory Committee on the Environmental Management of Industrial Chemicals; provides for the sharing, protection, use and disclosure of information; enables the minister to delegate their functions and powers and make rules; and sets out matters relating to the scheduling charge.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 27, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (Customs) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual scheduling charge on registered introducers of industrial chemicals, so far as that charge is a duty of customs.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 28, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (Excise) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual scheduling charge on registered introducers of industrial chemicals, so far as that charge is a duty of excise.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 29, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Charge (General) Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual scheduling charge on registered introducers of industrial chemicals, so far as that charge is neither a duty of customs nor a duty of excise.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 30, 2021)
(Act citation: Industrial Chemicals Legislation Amendment Act 2021)
(Environment portfolio)
Part of a package of five bills to establish a national framework to manage the ongoing use, handling and disposal of industrial chemicals, the bill amends the: Industrial Chemicals Act 2019 to: provide that the scheduling charge can be collected in conjunction with the registration charge; provide that the scheduling charge is not credited to the Industrial Chemicals Special Account; and correct a drafting error; and Industrial Chemicals Environmental Management (Register) Act 2020, when enacted, to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 31, 2021)
(Industry, Science and Technology portfolio)
Amends the: Industry Research and Development Act 1986 to rename Industry and Innovation Australia to Industry Innovation and Science Australia; and Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, Pooled Development Funds Act 1992, Taxation Administration Act 1953 and Venture Capital Act 2002 to make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/2/21
- Passed 18/3/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 22/3/21
- Read a 1st time 22/3/21
(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 no. 3 of 2020); extensions of time to report 8/4/20, 6/10/20; report tabled 9/12/20
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to: extend the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security's (IGIS) jurisdiction to the intelligence functions of the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission and the Australian Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (AUSTRAC); streamline the IGIS's reporting procedures; make technical amendments to clarify the operation of the Act, modernise drafting expressions and remove redundant provisions; and make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Act 2020; the Intelligence Services Act 2001 to extend the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security's jurisdiction to the intelligence functions of AUSTRAC; 17 Acts to make consequential amendments; the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing and Other Legislation Amendment Act 2020; and nine Acts to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Surveillance Legislation Amendment (Identify and Disrupt) Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 9/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 9/12/20
- Bill referred to Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security 18/12/20
(Senator Patrick 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 no. 9 of 2018); report tabled 12/11/18
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 4/7/19
(Senator Griff 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:
(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 no. 11 of 2020); extension of time to report 18/3/21; report due 20/5/21
(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 no. 2 of 2015); report presented out of sitting 30/9/15
- Lapsed due to prorogation of first session of 44th Parliament 17/4/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 19/4/16
- Lapsed due to dissolution of 44th Parliament 9/5/16
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 31/8/16
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/11/16
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 31/7/19
(Mr 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
(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
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to: clarify that the Act does not require or authorise the removal of an unlawful non-citizen who has been found to engage protection obligations through the protection visa process unless the decision finding that the non-citizen engages protection obligations has been set aside, the minister is satisfied that the non-citizen no longer engages protection obligations or the non-citizen requests voluntary removal; and ensure that, in assessing a protection visa application, protection obligations are always assessed, including in circumstances where the applicant is ineligible for a visa due to criminal conduct or risks to security.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 4 Govt agreed to
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Committee amendments: 3 AG negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
(Mr Hill MP â—¬— ALP)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable, until 31 December 2021, visas to be granted, regardless of whether the applicant is in Australia or outside Australia (due to restrictions on international travel in and out of Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/2/21
(Mr Hill MP â—¬— ALP)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 to enable, until 31 December 2021, applicants for Subclass 309 (Partner (Provisional)) visas to be granted a visa while the applicant remains in Australia (due to restrictions on international travel in and out of Australia as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 30/11/20
- 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:
(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:
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- Passed 12/5/21
Senate:
- Introduced 13/5/21
- Passed 13/5/21
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the: Migration Act 1958 to: create a framework to protect disclosure of confidential information provided by gazetted intelligence and law enforcement agencies where the information is used for decisions made to refuse or cancel a visa on character grounds, or revoke or set aside such decisions; amend the definition of non-disclosable information to include protected information where the disclosure of such information would be contrary to Australia's national interests; and provide that an officer performing certain functions commits an offence if protected information is disclosed in certain circumstances; Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to: protect protected information where the information is used for certain citizenship decisions, renunciations of citizenship by conduct, and cessation of citizenship for service outside Australia in armed forces of an enemy country or a declared terrorist organisation; and create a framework for the management of the disclosure to, and by, the Administrative Appeals Tribunal of information that has been certified by the minister to be contrary to the public interest for specified reasons, or that was provided in confidence; and create a power for the secretary to delegate functions or powers under the Act and the Australian Citizenship Regulation 2016; Freedom of Information Act 1982 and Inspector of Transport Security Act 2006 to make consequential amendments; and Australian Citizenship Act 2007 and Migration Act 1958 to make amendments contingent on the commencement of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Act 2020.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/12/20
- 2nd reading adjourned 10/12/20
Senate:
(Home Affairs portfolio)
Amends the Migration Act 1958 and Migration Regulations 1994 to: prevent unauthorised maritime arrivals or transitory persons (referred to as members of the designated regional processing cohort) who were at least 18 years of age and were taken to a regional processing country after 19 July 2013 from making a valid application for an Australian visa; enable the minister to permit a member of the designated regional processing cohort, or a class of persons within the designated regional processing cohort, to make a valid application for a visa if the minister thinks it is in the public interest to do so; and prevent a member of the designated regional processing cohort from being deemed to have been granted a special purpose visa or being deemed to have applied for particular visas under the Migration Regulations 1994.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 4/7/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 4/7/19
Senate:
(Senator 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 no. 2 of 2019); report tabled 11/11/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 29/7/19
(Health portfolio)
Amends the: Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002, Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002 and Research Involving Human Embryos Regulations 2017 to allow for the use of permitted mitochondrial donation techniques under a specified mitochondrial donation licence for the purposes of certain research and training, and in clinical settings; and Freedom of Information Act 1982, Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction Act 2002, Research Involving Human Embryos Act 2002, Research Involving Human Embryos Regulations 2017 and Therapeutic Goods (Excluded Goods) Determination 2018 to make consequential and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 24/3/21
(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 no. 2 of 2019); report tabled 19/9/19
- 2nd reading adjourned 22/7/19
(Prime Minister's portfolio)
Amends the Mutual Recognition Act 1992 to: introduce a uniform scheme of automatic mutual recognition (AMR) by enabling an individual who is registered for an occupation in their home state to carry on those activities in other states and territories; enable a state minister to exempt a registration in their state from being subject to AMR for a renewable period of up to five years because of a significant risk to consumer protection, the environment, animal welfare or the health or safety of workers or the public; and enable a state minister to exempt a registration in their state for a temporary period of six months after commencement of the Act, with an option to extend for a further period to 30 June 2022 if needed.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 11 Govt agreed to; 2 AG negatived
- Passed 12/5/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives reported message from Senate returning bill with amendments 12/5/21
(Health portfolio)
Amends the Narcotic Drugs Act 1967 to: consolidate the medicinal cannabis licensing structure into a single licence framework; enable assessments relating to supply chains to be undertaken at the permit stage rather than the earlier licensing stage; allow licences to be granted for a period of up to five years; include a new simplified outline; and make minor and technical amendments.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 25/2/21
(Act citation: National Collecting Institutions Legislation Amendment Act 2021)
(Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts portfolio)
Amends six Acts to: provide national collecting institutions with broader investment powers in relation to donated revenue than those currently permitted by the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013; and make administrative amendments, including standardising delegation powers and the maximum length of service for governing body members, removing ministerial approval requirements in relation to routine financial transactions and assets disposals, and removing certain reporting requirements.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 25/2/21
Senate:
Assent: 2/3/21 (Act No. 20, 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020, the bill establishes the National Commissioner for Defence and Veterans Suicide Prevention, as an independent statutory office holder, to examine defence and veteran deaths by suicide through a broad range of functions and powers, in order to support the prevention of future deaths by suicide.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 21/10/20
Senate:
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Introduced with the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide Prevention Bill 2020, the bill amends the: Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exclude the National Commissioner for Defence and Veteran Suicide, and the Attorney-General's Department to the extent they hold documents related to the performance and exercise of functions or powers of the Commissioner, from the application of the Act; and Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security Act 1986 to allow the commissioner to be prescribed under the regulations to enable the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security to voluntarily disclose information to the commissioner.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 27/8/20
- Passed 21/10/20
Senate:
(Act citation: National Consumer Credit Protection Amendment (Mandatory Credit Reporting and Other Measures) Act 2021)
(Treasury portfolio)
Amends the: National Consumer Credit Protection Act 2009 to: establish a mandatory comprehensive credit reporting regime to apply from 1 April 2020; provide that a credit provider cannot refuse to provide further credit or reduce a customer's credit limit merely because financial hardship information exists; and provide for transitional arrangements; and Privacy Act 1988 to: permit reporting of financial hardship information within the credit reporting system; require the Attorney-General to cause an independent review and report of the credit reporting system before 1 October 2023; and make a number of minor amendments relating to the administration of credit reporting.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 5/12/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 CA negatived
- Passed 5/2/20
Senate:
- Introduced 5/2/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 34 Govt agreed to
- Passed 3/2/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 3/2/21
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 5, 2021)
(Senator Griff 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, 15/3/21
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 5/12/19 (SBC report no. 10 of 2019); extension of time to report 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 21/9/20
(Mr Wilkie MP 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 amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 15/3/21
Senate:
(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 Australiaâ—¬—¢s national greenhouse gas inventory estimates in Parliament every 3 months.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 15/2/21
National Health Amendment (Pharmaceutical Benefits Transparency and Cost Recovery) Bill 2021
(Health portfolio)
Amends the National Health Act 1953 to: establish the statutory authority for the publication of information in relation to the Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee, including meeting agendas, meeting outcomes, public summary documents and information published on the Medicine Status Website; and provide for cost recovery arrangements, including specifying fees for services and costs incurred to be set out in a disallowable legislative instrument, replacing the existing regulations; and make consequential amendments.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/3/21
(Senator Waters 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 no. 15 of 2018); report presented out of sitting 5/4/19
- Lapsed immediately before commencement of 46th Parliament 1/7/19
- Restored to Notice Paper at 2nd reading 1/8/19
- Passed 9/9/19
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 10/9/19
- Read a 1st time 10/9/19
(Senator Waters 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 no. 10 of 2019); 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 agreed to
- Passed 11/6/20
Senate:
(Act citation: National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Amendment (Technical Amendments) Act 2021)
(Social Services portfolio)
Amends the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse Act 2018 in relation to the operation of the National Redress Scheme for Institutional Child Sexual Abuse to: clarify how participating institutions that are associates of a responsible institution are to be determined and specified; clarify that where there is more than one funder of last resort, the defunct institution's share of the redress cost is to be divided equally between the government institutions; amend the approval and consultation process in relation to the engagement of an independent decision-maker by a national redress scheme operator; protect the names and symbols used in connection with the scheme; permit a payment to be made to a person who has been appointed by a court, tribunal or board to manage the financial affairs of a person entitled to redress; permit the operator to extend the timeframe for payment of a funding contribution by an institution; authorise the disclosure of certain protected information; and correct minor typographical errors.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 8/10/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 10 Opp negatived
- Passed 4/2/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee 8/10/20 (SBC report no. 9 of 2020); report presented out of sitting 5/11/20
- Introduced 4/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Committee amendments: 10 Opp negatived
- Passed 15/2/21
Assent: 1/3/21 (Act No. 15, 2021)
(Act citation: Native Title Legislation Amendment Act 2021)
(Previous title: Native Title Legislation Amendment Bill 2019)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the: Native Title Act 1993 to: allow a native title claim or compensation group to impose conditions on the authority of its authorised applicant and require public notification of any such conditions; clarify the duties of the applicant to the claim group; allow the applicant to act by majority as the default position; allow the composition of the applicant to be changed without further authorisation in certain circumstances; allow the claim group to put in place succession-planning arrangements for individual members of the applicant; allow body corporate Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) to cover areas where native title has been extinguished; remove the requirement for the Native Title Registrar to notify an area ILUA unless satisfied it meets the ILUA requirements; allow minor amendments to be made to an ILUA without a new registration process; specify that the removal of an ILUA from the register does not invalidate future acts subject to that ILUA; extend the circumstances in which historical extinguishment can be disregarded to areas of national, state or territory parks, and certain pastoral leases; allow a registered native title body corporate to bring a compensation application over an area where native title has been extinguished; require the registrar to create and maintain a public record of section 31 agreements; and make a number of technical amendments; and Corporations (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander) Act 2006 to: require registered native title bodies corporate (RNTBC) constitutions to include dispute resolution pathways for persons who are or who claim to be common law holders, and provide for all the common law holders to be directly or indirectly represented in the RNTBC; limit the grounds for cancelling the membership of a member of a RNTBC to certain grounds; remove the discretion of directors of RNTBCs to refuse certain membership applications; specify that the registrar may place a RNTBC under special administration in certain circumstances; and ensure that proceedings in respect of a civil matter arising under the Act that relate to a RNTBC are to be instituted and determined exclusively in the Federal Court, unless transferred to another court with jurisdiction; confirm the validity of certain section 31 agreements; and provide that a person would be entitled to compensation if the bill effects the acquisition of property of a person other than on just terms (within the meaning of paragraph 51(xxxi) of the Constitution).
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 17/10/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 2 Govt agreed to
- Passed 10/11/20
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee 17/10/19 (SBC report no. 7 of 2019); extensions of time to report 4/12/19, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 19/8/20
- Introduced 12/11/20
- Committee amendments: 13 AG negatived
- Passed 3/2/21
Assent: 16/2/21 (Act No. 6, 2021)
(Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs portfolio)
Consequential on the Migration Amendment (New Skilled Regional Visas) Regulation 2019, which created two provisional skilled regional visas, the bill amends seven Acts to provide that holders of these provisional skilled regional visas will have the same access to welfare payments and government services as permanent visa holders where eligible.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 31/7/19
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 14/10/19
Senate:
(Resources, Water and Northern Australia portfolio)
Amends the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Act 2016 to: extend the investment time period of the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) by five years to 30 June 2026; expand the functions of the NAIF to include the provision of financial assistance to projects that contribute to Northern Australia's economic and population growth; and amend certain governance and administrative processes of the NAIF.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Consideration in detail amendments: 5 Ind (Steggall) negatived
- Passed 25/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 11/5/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived; 2 AG negatived
- Committee amendments: 2 Govt agreed to; 10 Opp negatived; 1 AG to Opp negatived; 14 AG negatived
- Passed 13/5/21
House of Representatives:
- House of Representatives agreed to Senate amendments 13/5/21
(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
(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, 15/3/21
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 4/2/21 (SBC report no. 1 of 2021); report presented out of sitting 11/3/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 AG pending
- Bill referred to Senate Economics Legislation Committee 17/3/21; progress report presented out of sitting 28/4/21; extension of time to report 11/5/21; final report due 30/6/21
(Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Online Safety (Transitional Provisions and Consequential Amendments) Bill 2021, the bill: retains and replicates certain provisions in the Enhancing Online Safety Act 2015, including the non-consensual sharing of intimate images scheme; specifies basic online safety expectations; establishes an online content scheme for the removal of certain material; creates a complaints-based removal notice scheme for cyber-abuse being perpetrated against an Australian adult; broadens the cyber-bullying scheme to capture harms occurring on services other than social media; reduces the timeframe for service providers to respond to a removal notice from the eSafety Commissioner; brings providers of app distribution services and internet search engine services into the remit of the new online content scheme; and establishes a power for the eSafety Commissioner to request or require internet service providers to disable access to material depicting, promoting, inciting or instructing in abhorrent violent conduct for time-limited periods in crisis situations.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 16/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 9/3/21; final report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/3/21
(Communications, Urban Infrastructure, Cities and the Arts portfolio)
Introduced with the Online Safety Bill 2021, the bill: repeals the Enhancing Online Safety Act 2015; makes consequential amendments to 10 Acts; amends the Crimes Act 1914, Export Market Development Grants Act 1997 and Online Safety Act 2021, when enacted, to make amendments contingent on the commencement of certain other Acts; and contains transitional and application provisions.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 24/2/21
- Passed 16/3/21
Senate:
- Provisions of bill referred to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee 25/2/21 (SBC report no. 3 of 2021); progress report presented out of sitting 9/3/21; final report presented out of sitting 12/3/21
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/3/21
(Health portfolio)
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 12/5/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 12/5/21
(Health and Aged Care portfolio)
Amends the: Private Health Insurance Act 2007 to: change the maximum allowable age for people to be covered under a family private health insurance policy as a dependent from up to 24 years of age to up to 31 years of age; and enable people with a disability, regardless of their age, to be covered under a family private health insurance policy as a dependent; Age Discrimination Act 2004 to enable private health insurers to cover older dependent people; and Private Health Insurance (Prudential Supervision) Act 2015 to substitute the term of dependent persons for dependent children.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 25/2/21
- Passed 18/3/21
Senate:
- Introduced 18/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 18/3/21
(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 no. 5 of 2019); extensions of time to report 16/9/19, 8/4/20; report tabled 17/2/21
(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
- Removed from Notice Paper 16/2/21
(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 no. 8 of 2019); extensions of time to report 27/2/20, 8/4/20; report presented out of sitting 4/9/20
(Senator Gallagher 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
(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
(Act citation: Regulatory Powers (Standardisation Reform) Act 2021)
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends: six Acts to remove current provisions providing for regulatory regimes and apply the standard provisions of the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014; and the Regulatory Powers (Standards Provisions) Act 2014 to make minor amendments to the ability of monitoring powers to be exercised in relation to matters and the descriptions of offence provisions and provisions relating to infringement notices which might apply to the contravention of both a civil penalty and criminal offence provision.
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 3/12/20
- 2nd reading amendment: 1 Opp negatived
- Passed 24/2/21
Senate:
Assent: 26/3/21 (Act No. 32, 2021)
(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
- Passed 15/2/21
House of Representatives:
- Introduced 15/2/21
- Read a 1st time 15/2/21
(Attorney-General's portfolio)
Amends the: Royal Commissions Act 1902 to: apply limitations on the use and disclosure of certain information provided by individuals to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability outside of a private session, where the commission indicated that it would be treated as confidential; enable certain members of a Royal Commission to make non-publication directions; and enable a Commonwealth Royal Commission, during the course of inquiring into a matter, to communicate information and evidence to a Royal Commission, or commission of inquiry, of a state or territory; and Freedom of Information Act 1982 to exempt certain information given to the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability from the operation of the Act.
Senate:
- Introduced 17/3/21
- 2nd reading adjourned 17/3/21
(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:
(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