New Commissioner and Joint Committee to Oversee Appointments, and Fines or Jail for Leaking Appointment Information
Transparent and Quality Public Appointments Bill 2026
Independent BillHouse of Representatives
Senate
Assent
Topics
government accountability government oversight government transparency information privacy information sharing public appointments public office
Introduced by: Sophie Scamps MP (IND)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
Public appointments are invalid if they do not meet the requirements of the Act.
Criminal offence for dealing with appointment information in an unauthorised way, which may result in fines or jail.
The responsible minister must set selection criteria before the selection process begins.
Independent selection panels must conduct the selection process; they cannot be directed by others while doing so.
The bill creates the Office of the Public Appointments Commissioner to oversee public appointments.
A Parliamentary Joint Committee on Appointments is established to oversee the process.