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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Current Bills
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TOTAL RESULTS: 85

  • Date
    04 Feb 2026 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Passed Both Houses 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Consequential on the commencement of the
    Local Court and Bail Legislation Amendment Act 2025
    (NSW), the bill amends 15 Acts to ensure that jurisdiction and powers conferred on New South Wales magistrates by Commonwealth law can continue to be validly exercised by judges of the Local Court of New South Wales and that judges of the Local Court of New South Wales will not be able to exercise federal jurisdiction and powers beyond the intended scope of their office. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    28 Jun 2018 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends: the
    Acts Interpretation Act 1901
    to: provide a definition of ‘sitting day’; clarify the circumstances in which a House is taken to have adjourned (in addition to the ordinary concept of adjournment); clarify that certain provisions relating to amended or re-enacted Acts apply to a provision that is re-enacted as a differently numbered provision; and clarify that an instrument may make provision in relation to a matter by applying, adopting or incorporating a matter contained in a version of a document that is no longer current at the time of its incorporation; the
    Acts Interpretation Act 1901
    and
    Legislation Act 2003
    to clarify that an instrument may apply, adopt or incorporate the provisions of rules of court as in force at a particular time or as in force from time to time; the
    Family Law Act 1975
    ,
    Federal Circuit Court of Australia Act 1999
    ,
    Federal Court of Australia Act 1976
    and
    Judiciary Act 1903
    to ensure that rules of the federal courts are not subject to the sunsetting framework; the
    Legislation Act 2003
    to: clarify that legislative instruments that have not been laid before Parliament are repealed (and therefore removed from the statute book) rather than simply ceasing to have effect; clarify when a 15 sitting day period commences after an instrument is laid before a House; clarify that references to ‘intergovernmental bodies or schemes’ include those involving the Commonwealth and one or more territories; clarify the interaction between the disallowance, tabling and automatic repeal provisions; broaden the scope of the Attorney-General’s discretion to issue certificates of deferral of sunsetting and declarations of alignment of sunsetting, and provide for greater parliamentary scrutiny of the exercise of these discretions; remove the time restriction on Parliament’s power to roll over the sunsetting date of a legislative instrument; provide that a review of the sunsetting framework will be conducted in 2027; clarify that a legislative or notifiable instrument can commence before the instrument is registered despite any rule or principle of common law; and clarify the limits of the First Parliamentary Counsel’s power to rectify an error on the Federal Register of Legislation and the application of the parliamentary scrutiny mechanisms to instruments that have been rectified under this power; and six Acts to make consequential and contingent amendments. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    19 Oct 2016 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Telecommunications (Interception and Access) Act 1979
    and seven other Acts to reflect the establishment of the Law Enforcement Conduct Commission of New South Wales and its inspector;
    Australian Postal Corporation Act 1989
    ,
    Criminal Code Act 1995
    and
    Surveillance Devices Act 2004
    to provide the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission of Victoria with investigative powers equivalent to those available to other state anti-corruption bodies; and
    Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
    to clarify the meaning of lawfully acquired property or wealth. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    03 Mar 2016 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the
    Acts Interpretation Act 1901
    , 16 other Acts and the A.C.T. Self-Government (Consequential Provisions) Regulations to make technical and consequential amendments to ensure that jurisdiction and powers currently being exercised under Commonwealth legislation by Northern Territory Local Court Magistrates may continue to be validly exercised following commencement of the
    Local Court Act 2015
    (NT). 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    23 May 2012 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Legislative Instruments Act 2003
    to: repeal spent and redundant instruments (including automatic repeal of certain instruments and bulk repeal of instruments by regulation); provide certainty about what instruments sunset and when they sunset, and provide staged sunsetting dates for instruments that were registered in bulk when the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments commenced in 2005; enable the Attorney-General to align sunsetting dates of related legislative instruments to enable thematic reviews to be conducted; and clarify the requirements for explanatory statements; and
    Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011
    to make a consequential amendment. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    06 Jul 2011 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the
    Legislative Instruments Act 2003
    to provide that legislative instruments remain in force for 10 years following registration (rather than commencement) on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    19 Mar 2009 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Service and Execution of Process Act 1992
    to: establish the Cross Border Justice Scheme to enable judicial officers, police and other officials to deal with offenders from any of the participating jurisdictions (Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory); and clarify that prisoners may give evidence by audio or video link when subpoenaed to give evidence in interstate court or tribunal proceedings; and
    Evidence and Procedure (New Zealand) Act 1994
    to expand the range of proceedings covered by the scheme established between Australia and New Zealand for the service of subpoenas between the two jurisdictions. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    28 May 2008 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the
    Law Officers Act 1964
    and
    Long Service Leave (Commonwealth Employees) Act 1976
    to enable Solicitors-General to access long service leave entitlements. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    07 Sep 2006 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Gives effect to Australia’s obligations under the Convention on the Marking of Plastic Explosives for the Purpose of Detection by amending the:
    Criminal Code Act 1995
    to insert new offences in relation to trafficking in, manufacturing, possessing, importing and exporting unmarked plastic explosives;
    Customs Act 1901
    to provide Customs officers with appropriate powers to regulate, investigate, search and seize unmarked plastic explosives; and six other Acts to make consequential amendments. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

  • Date
    29 Mar 2006 
    Chamber
    House of Representatives 
    Status
    Act 
    Portfolio
    Attorney-General 
    Summary
    Amends the:
    Australian Federal Police Act 1979
    to: provide for a new complaints and professional standards regime within the Australian Federal Police (AFP) which will categorise all matters raised in relation to AFP professional standards according to their nature and seriousness; provide for alcohol screening tests of on duty officers; and to make amendments relating to suspension or resignation from, and termination of, employment; and
    Ombudsman Act 1976
    to align the Ombudsman’s administrative review role over the AFP more closely with the role it has in relation to other Australian Government agencies, although the Ombudsman will retain the capacity to intervene in serious cases and will have a review role in relation to the new complaints and professional standards regime. Also repeals the
    Complaints (Australian Federal Police) Act 1981
    and makes consequential amendments to the
    Australian Federal Police Act 1979
    and 7 other Acts. 

    Bill | Explanatory Memorandum

Bills lists

All bills before Parliament for the current calendar year and details of their progress.

Legislative Analysis

Parliamentary Library analysis of bills, including the purpose, background and key issues.

Legislative Instruments

Parliament delegates the power to legislate so details of law can be changed quickly by others. These delegated laws are referred to as legislative instruments and can be overruled – disallowed – by Parliament.

Disallowance Alerts

Legislative instruments subject to a notice of motion to disallow. The progress and eventual outcome of any such notice is also recorded.

Tariff proposals

The introduction of a tariff proposal is the formal procedure for initiating the collection of customs and excise duties.

Bills referred to committees

To inquire and report views on the bill from organisations and individuals.

Statistics on legislation

Printed bills and explanatory memoranda

Order printed versions at the Federal Register of Legislation by clicking the print icon at the document level.