Ministerial Responses

Where the committee writes to a minister it expects a response to be received in time to be considered by the committee and reported on while the bill is still before the Parliament.

If the committee has not completed its inquiry due to the failure of a minister to respond to the committee's concerns, Senate standing order 24 enables Senators to ask the responsible minister why the committee has not received a response.

The table below sets out the bills for which the committee has requested a response and the response has either not yet been received or has been received but the committee has not yet finally reported on it. If a bill is likely to be subject to debate in the Senate before the due date set by the committee, the committee expects the response to be provided prior to the debate.

Bills listed in red indicate that the response is outstanding.

Publication of ministerial responses

Where it may assist in providing timely scrutiny of bills before the Senate, the committee may choose to publish (in the table below) ministerial responses together with the committee's preliminary comments on those responses, prior to tabling its regular Scrutiny Digest.

All ministerial and other responses are published online with the relevant Scrutiny Digest after tabling. 

Bill Minister Committee comment Response due Response received
Appropriations Bill (No. 1) 2024-2025
Appropriations Bill (No. 2) 2024-2025
Appropriations Bill (No. 5) 2023-2024
Appropriations Bill (No. 6) 2023-2025
Finance Digest 7 of 2024 26 July 2024* 17 July 2024 
Communications Legislation Amendment (Regional Broadcasting Continuity) Bill 2024 Communications Digest 8 of 2024 26 July 2024*  
Criminal Code Amendment (Deepfake Sexual Material) Bill 2024 Attorney-General Digest 7 of 2024 12 July 2024
16 July 2024
Defence Amendment (Parliamentary Joint Committee on Defence) Bill 2024 Defence Digest 7 of 2024
12 July 2024
 
Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 Education Digest 7 of 2024
12 July 2024
12 July 2024
Excise and Customs Legislation Amendment (Streamlining Administration) Bill 2024 Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury Digest 7 of 2024
12 July 2024
11 July 2024
Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions) Bill 2023
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Digest 15 of 2023
22 January 2024*  
Migration Amendment (Bridging Visa Conditions and Other Measures) Bill 2023
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Digest 15 of 2023 22 January 2024*  
Migration and Other Legislation Amendment (Bridging Visas, Serious Offenders and Other Measures) Bill 2023 – Senate amendments
Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Digest 3 of 2024 14 March 2024  

Nature Positive (Environment Information Australia) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Law Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2024
Nature Positive (Environment Protection Australia) Bill 2024

Environment and Water Digest 8 of 2024 02 August 2024*  
New Vehicle Efficiency Standard Bill 2024
Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government Digest 6 of 2024 31 May 2024 03 July 2024
Telecommunications Amendment (SMS Sender ID Register) Bill 2024 Communications Digest 8 of 2024 19 July 2024  
Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Market Infrastructure and Other Measures) Bill 2024 Treasury Digest 7 of 2024
12 July 2024
 
Treasury Laws Amendment (Responsible Buy Now Pay Later and Other Measures) Bill 2024 Assistant Treasurer Digest 7 of 2024
12 July 2024
16 July 2024

* Revised due date