Royal Commissions Legislation Amendment (Protections for Providing Information) Bill 2026

Senator SHOEBRIDGE (New South Wales) (12:55): On behalf of Senator Lambie, I move amendment (1) on sheet 3664: (1) Page 12 (after line 29), at the end of the Bill, add: Schedule 4 — Amendment of the Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987 Parliamentary Privileges Act 1987 1 After subsection 16(6) Insert: (6A) If a Royal Commission's terms of reference require an examination of government then, despite paragraph (3)(c), neither this section nor the Bill of Rights, 1688 shall be taken to prevent or restrict the admission of evidence before a Royal Commission for the purpose of drawing, or inviting the drawing of, inferences or conclusions wholly or partly from anything forming part of proceedings in Parliament.

I spoke to this in my second reading contribution, and I don't wish to repeat that, but this is the amendment that would allow this royal commission, and other royal commissions, to not only access to public reports but then use public reports of this parliament to craft their recommendations and draft their report. Commissioner Kaldas made the argument, I think, incredibly clearly in the interim report.

Again, I want to thank Senator Lambie for bringing this amendment, and I commend it to the chamber. Question negatived.