Expanded Exemption and Standard-Setting Powers for the Circular Economy Authority
Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2026
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Jaclyn Symes MLC (ALP); Danny Pearson 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:
Richard Welch LIB
“I rise to speak on the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2026. I will just acquit the new segment added to the bill on the fuel reporting. As you would know, this amendment change or addition only came through at 5 o’clock last night. We had a very brief bill briefing on it – not a great amount of time to scrutinise the purpose, intent and action of it.”
Lee Tarlamis ALP
“I move: Thatdebate on this bill beadjourned until thenext dayof meeting. Motion agreed to and debate adjourned until next day of meeting. Adjournment GayleTIERNEY (Western Victoria– Minister for Skills and TAFE, Ministerfor Water - 17:51): I move: Thatthehousedonow adjourn. Public transport fares”
Sonja Terpstra ALP
“(2441) My matter is for the Minister for Public and Active Transport in the other place, and the action I seek is for the minister to provide an update on the free public transport initiative made possible by the Allan Labor government.”
Georgie Purcell AJP
“(2443) My adjournment matter is for the Attorney-General, and the action that I seek is for the government to urgently amend the Equal Opportunity Act 2010 to include‘subject to family and domestic violence’ as a protected attribute.”
Jacinta Ermacora ALP
“(2444) My adjournment matter is for the Treasurer, Jaclyn Symes. Labor is delivering cost-of-living relief in Victoria:free public transport for kids, the$100 power saving bonus and capped fuelprices through that24-hour cycle under theServo Saver app.”
Trung Luu LIB
“(2445) My matter is for theMinisterfor Energy and Resources regarding the significant barriers preventing residents living in apartments from accessing affordable and renewable energy.”
David Ettershank LCV
“(2446) Westerners waiting for public transport improvements rejoice, for there are extra Sunday train services from Laverton to Altona. ImaginetravellingalongascenicreturnjourneythroughMelbourne’sinnerwestandalongPortPhillip Bay at Altona.”
Ryan Batchelor ALP
“(2447) My adjournment matter tonight is fortheAttorney-General, and theaction thatIseekisanupdateonthegovernment’splanto introduce lawstobangoodcharacterreferencesasamitigatingfactorinsentencing.”
Sarah Mansfield GRN
“(2449) My adjournment matter is for the Minister for Health, and the action I am seeking is for urgent action on the issue of birth trauma in Victoria. Research indicates that one in three birthing people experience birth trauma. Nationally the cost to the health system and affected individuals reached $877 million in a single year, according to a report by PwC.”
Melina Bath NAT
“(2451) My adjournment matter this evening is for the Minister for Environment, and the action I seek is for the minister to work with the community and find and approve the allocation of an appropriate parcel of Crown land in Paynesville for the establishment of a purpose-built marine rescue facility for the Paynesville coastguard. These people aresomeof the mostamazingpeople.”
David Limbrick Liber
“(2452) My adjournment is for the Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing in theother place. I have an urgent issue that was brought to my attention by a local manufacturer. Among the many things they make in south-east Melbourne,whichisAustralia’slargestmanufacturingregion,areplasticcontainersandtheirclosures.”
Sheena Watt ALP
“(2453) My adjournment matter is for the Ministerfor Energyand Resources. Theaction I seek is for the minister to provideinformation on the number of households in the Northern Metro Region that claimed the power saving bonus in this round.”
Wendy Lovell LIB
“(2454) My adjournment matter is for the Premier, and the action that I seek is for the Premier to work with the Minister for Transport Infrastructure to ADJOURNMENT immediately upgrade the boom gates at the Donnybrook Road level crossing and to work with the Minister for Roads and Road Safety to connect existing sections of Cameron Street and also extend it toMerriangRoadtoprovideanalternativeentr…”
Katherine Copsey GRN
“(2455) My adjournment tonight is for the Attorney-General. The victims legal service is due to lose its state funding on 30 June 2026, and the action I seek is for the government to commit in this year’s budget to ongoing and properly indexed funding for the victims legal service, including the staffing uplift needed to meet demand and to stop victim-survivors being turned away.”
Georgie Crozier LIB
“(2460) My adjournment is for the Minister for Economic Growth and Jobs. Today the Association of Australian Medical Research Institutes, AAMRI, gathered in theParliamentGardens as partof their 100 Lab Coats campaign to highlight the critical importance of this sector to our health system and to the state’s economy.”
John Berger ALP
“I rise to speak on the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2026. This bill forms part of the Labor government’s ongoing work to ensure that Victoria’s regulatory framework agenda functions as it should, ensuring that it remains practical, up to date and fit for purpose.”
David Davis LIB
“This bill is an omnibus bill. Itpicks up a rangeof different changes, but I am not going to talk about the bill as a whole, I am only going to talk about thegovernment’sproposedamendments,theRegulatoryLegislationAmendment(Reform) Bill 2026 amendments proposed byJaclyn Symes in the Council.”
Renee Heath LIB
“Victoria is seriously in need of regulatory reform, and Iwanttoquotesomeofthethingsthatweresaidintheotherplaceby,firstofall,mycolleagueBridget Vallence, who said: Regulatoryreform? Absolutespin. She went on to say: Thisbillhasnothingtodowithregulatoryreform.Thegovernment,quitefrankly,wouldnotknowregulatory reformif itfell over it.”
Jaclyn Symes ALP
“Thank you for the contributions this morning on the Regulatory Legislation Amendment (Reform) Bill 2026. It is of course a bill that forms part of the government’s broader regulatory reform program. Regulatory reform contributes to increased productivity and makes it easier to do business in the state. It protects consumers, the environment and the integrity of our democratic institutions.”
The ACTING President
“I have considered the amendments on sheetJS82C, circulated by the Treasurer, and in my view the amendments are not within thescope of the bill. Therefore an instruction motion pursuant to standing order 14.11 is required. I remind the house that an instruction to committee is a procedural motion.”