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

Summary

This amendment to the Export Control Act 2020 makes two key changes to reduce red tape for Australian exporters. First, it clarifies that businesses operating from registered export establishments no longer need to list every activity in their registration if that activity isn't legally required to be listed — meaning woolgrowers, food producers, and other exporters can carry out production and preparation work at these facilities without extra paperwork. Second, it allows the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry to issue government export certificates that cover entire product types rather than individual shipments, which is what some trading partners require. These changes support the government's export assurance reform project affecting commodities like wool, honey, animal feed, and pharmaceuticals, and were developed with input from industry who supported reducing unnecessary regulatory burden while maintaining proper oversight.

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