Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Repealing Offences) Bill 2026, Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Sunsetting Provision) Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

These two related measures address secrecy offences in Australian law by removing certain criminal penalties and introducing an expiry date for others. The first removes specific offences from secrecy legislation, while the second adds a sunset clause that will automatically end certain secrecy offences unless Parliament votes to keep them. This matters because it shifts how the law treats unauthorised disclosure of government information — rather than permanent criminal offences, some penalties will now expire, forcing Parliament to actively reconsider and renew these laws periodically instead of letting them remain indefinitely.

What happens at this stage

The main debate on whether the chamber supports the broad purpose of the bill. Members speak to its overall merits and concerns rather than the fine print. The government outlines its policy intentions; the opposition and crossbench put their case. This is the stage that determines whether the bill proceeds at all.

Next: Consideration in Detail (House) or Committee of the Whole (Senate), where the bill is examined clause by clause