Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026

Senator CASH (Western Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (14:03): Can you confirm, then: in terms of the general nature, is there anything in black and white that says, 'These are the parameters for the minister'? It's very dangerous, this power. This is the Office of Parliamentary Counsel.

They are actually an independent body. So is there anywhere we can look to in this legislation that says to the minister, 'It's a very serious power; you are now directing an independent body, so you can only give a general direction'? Is it an open-ended power?

Is there anywhere that sets out the exact criteria that the minister has to look at?