A bill is a proposal for a law or a change to an existing law. A bill becomes law (an Act) when agreed to in identical form by both houses of Parliament and assented to by the Governor-General.

Bills introduced to Parliament are scrutinised to make sure they meet certain standards and to consider whether they should be referred to a committee for further investigation. This can include feedback from stakeholders and the general public, and a report recommending potential improvements to the bill.

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TOTAL RESULTS: 78

  • Date
    29 Oct 2025 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans' Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    ,
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Act 2004
    ,
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Act 2025
    to make technical amendments prior to the commencement of the
    Veterans’ Entitlements, Treatment and Support (Simplification and Harmonisation) Act 2025

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    20 Mar 2013 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends: the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    and
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988
    in relation to rehabilitation and transition management; the
    Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    in relation to: the date of effect for periodic impairment compensation; the inclusion of a lifestyle factor in the calculation of interim permanent impairment compensation; recalculation of permanent impairment compensation for certain people; an increase to the rate of periodic compensation payable for dependent children; expansion of the eligibility criteria for the special rate disability pension; superannuation; remittal power of the Veterans’ Review Board; increase in the membership of the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission; and access to rehabilitation and compensation for certain categories of persons; the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    and
    Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
    to increase the compensation for financial and legal advice; five Acts to: expand the lump sum compensation options for wholly dependent partners of deceased members; and require that eligible claims for existing conditions aggravated by defence service on or after 1 July 2004 be determined under the
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    ; the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    ,
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 1988
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to issue Repatriation Health Cards (for specific conditions) to certain eligible persons; the
    Aged Care Act 1997
    ,
    Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests (Treatment) Act 2006
    ,
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to clarify the appropriation of costs for certain aged care services; the
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to extend the entitlement for travelling expenses to the partner of certain eligible persons; the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to clarify administrative arrangements for the nomination of bank accounts for payments; and the
    Social Security Act 1991
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to make technical amendments. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    21 Oct 2021 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends: nine Acts to: exempt certain payments, known as the adjusted disability pension, from the social security income test; and remove the Defence Force Income Support Allowance; the
    Veterans' Entitlement Act 1986
    to: remove the disability income rent test; replace references to 'disability pension' with references that clarify the nature of the payment as a compensation payment; and adjust the mechanism for indexation of certain payments; and the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    to establish a non-liability rehabilitation pilot to provide veterans with access to rehabilitation support without the requirement to have lodged a compensation claim. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    16 Feb 2022 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Not Proceeding 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    ,
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988
    and
    Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986
    to: extend eligibility to family members of working age veterans who are experiencing vulnerabilities that give rise to a need for support, whether or not the veteran is participating in a rehabilitation program or has rendered warlike service; and expand the range of supports available to family members under the family support package;
    Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
    to provide that family support payments for veterans and their families are exempt from income tax; and
    Social Security Act 1991
    to provide that family support payments for veterans and their families are not income for the purposes of the social security income test. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    24 Nov 2016 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Military, Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    ,
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to: enable the secretary to arrange for the use of computer programs to make decisions and determinations, exercise powers or comply with obligations and do anything else related to those actions; enable the secretary to disclose information about a particular case or class of cases where the secretary certifies that it is necessary in the public interest to do so; and enable information sharing between the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission and the Secretary of the Department of Defence or the Chief of the Defence Force;
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988
    to amend the short title of the Act once it is enacted; and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to make technical amendments. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    26 Oct 2022 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans' Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the
    Veterans' Entitlements Act 1986
    to provide a one-off increase to the pension payable to totally and permanently incapacitated veterans (known as the TPI payment). 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    24 May 2017 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans' Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends: the
    Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests (Treatment) Act 2006
    to enable eligible Australian participants in the British Nuclear Testing Program to access treatment for any condition, not just malignant neoplasia; extend eligibility for treatment to Australian veterans of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force and civilians present at a British nuclear test area during a relevant period; and amend the short title of the Act to the
    Australian Participants in British Nuclear Tests and British Commonwealth Occupation Force (Treatment) Act 2006
    ; 10 Acts to make consequential amendments; the
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to amend the work history requirements for eligibility for the Special or Intermediate Rates of Disability Pension; and the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    and
    Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation (Defence-related Claims) Act 1988
    to enable the Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Commission to determine a class of persons eligible to participate in an early access to rehabilitation pilot programme. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    28 May 2009 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to enable veterans’ affairs pensions, allowances and other pecuniary benefits to be paid into accounts with foreign banks or other financial institutions;
    Defence Service Homes Act 1918
    to extend eligibility for the Defence Service Homes Insurance Scheme to persons eligible for assistance; and
    Income Tax Assessment Act 1997
    and
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to cease payment of dependants’ pensions and provide for a lump sum payment to existing recipients. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    13 Oct 2016 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    to: enable payments to be made to a person before they receive a Commonwealth superannuation benefit in circumstances where it is not possible to determine the level of incapacity payments because information has not been received from the relevant agencies; and provide that veterans continue to receive incapacity payments until they become eligible for the age pension; and the
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    to extend eligibility for Non-Liability Health Care treatment for certain mental health conditions to all current and former permanent members of the Australian Defence Force. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    25 Jun 2015 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Veterans’ Affairs 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Veterans’ Entitlements Act 1986
    in relation to the Veterans’ Vocational Rehabilitation Scheme to: include medical management and psychosocial services in the scheme; and make changes to the intermediate and special rate disability pensions;
    Military Rehabilitation and Compensation Act 2004
    to provide for a single appeal path for the review of original determinations made under the Act; and
    Defence Act 1903
    to expand the war graves regulation making power to include graves of service dependants buried in Terendak Military Cemetery in Malaysia. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

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