Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Sunsetting Provision) Bill 2026; Third Reading

Summary

This legislation adds sunset provisions to secrecy laws, meaning certain restrictions on disclosure of information will automatically expire after a set period unless Parliament votes to extend them. By requiring these secrecy powers to be regularly reviewed and renewed, it creates built-in checkpoints to prevent excessive government secrecy from continuing indefinitely. This matters because it balances national security needs with transparency and accountability — agencies must justify why they still need secrecy powers, rather than keeping them in place without question, and Parliament gets regular opportunities to reconsider whether these restrictions remain necessary.

What happens at this stage

The final vote in this chamber on the bill as a whole, after all amendments have been considered. If it passes, the bill moves to the other chamber to go through the same process. If both chambers have already agreed to identical text, the bill proceeds directly to Royal Assent.

Next: The other chamber, which runs the same process from First Reading, or Royal Assent if both chambers have already agreed