Export Control Amendment (Clarifying Obligations Relating to Registered Establishments) Bill 2026; Second Reading

Summary

This amendment to the Export Control Act 2020 makes two key changes to how Australia regulates exports of food, agricultural, and other products. First, it allows businesses to carry out production and preparation work at registered facilities without having to list every operation in their registration — but only if the government hasn't made those operations a legal requirement. Second, it lets the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry issue government certificates for export documents that apply to product types generally (rather than individual shipments), which some overseas trading partners require. The changes reduce red tape for exporters of goods like wool, honey, animal feed, and pharmaceuticals, while still maintaining government oversight through a new system where these products become 'general products' under the law and are subject to specific regulatory conditions.

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