Employment Restrictions for the CEO and Director of Safeguards of Austrade
Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
House of Representatives
Senate
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Michelle Rowland MP (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Michelle Rowland ALP
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. Returning integrity, honesty and accountability to government has been a focus of reform efforts for the Albanese government. In July 2023, we established the National Anti-Corruption Commission—an independent, statutory agency to investigate serious or systemic corrupt conduct across the Commonwealth public sector.”
Julian Leeser LIB
“I rise to speak on the Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026. I want to start by putting this bill in context, because Australians are living under the most secretive and least transparent federal government that we’ve seen in a generation.”
Pat Conaghan NAT
“The Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Reporting System Reform) Bill 2026 proposes a significant restructuring of Australia’s accounting and auditing standard setting system. This bill would abolish the longstanding audit and accounting standard setting bodies that have served Australia for decades and implement a new centralised bureaucracy.”
“In most workplaces, whether it’s a small business—it doesn’t matter what type, like manufacturing, retail or hospitality—whether it’s a busy office, whether it’s an aged-care home where people are caring for our oldest Australians, whether it’s a manufacturing facility or whether it’s a large corporate organisation, the integrity and accountability of the leadership are the guiding principles that…”
“The Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 is, supposedly, presented as a governance modernisation measure. It is aimed at aligning certain statutory office holders with, apparently, contemporary accountability standards.”
“I rise today to speak in support of the Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill of 2026, but I do start by thanking the member for Riverina for his very kind words. I also talked politics with my dad non-stop, and both of us shared a great love for our wonderful democracy and our parliamentary system, and a respect for those who put their hand up for public work.”
Allegra Spender IND
“I welcome the opportunity to speak on the Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026. This legislation, I believe, is perfectly unobjectionable.”
Nita Green ALP
“I move: That this bill be now read a second time. I seek leave to have the second reading speech incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted. The speech read as follows— I move that this Bill be now read a second time. Returning integrity, honesty and accountability to government has been a focus of reform efforts for the Albanese Government.”
Michaelia Cash LIB
“I rise to speak on the Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026. At first glance, this bill is presented as routine—in fact, as a technical exercise in what the government calls ’governance modernisation’. Sadly, though, when you look closely at the bill and when you actually examine what it does, a very different picture emerges.”