Commonwealth Entities Legislation Amendment Bill 2026

Senator CASH (Western Australia—Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) (14:21): Given you've agreed that that is the policy rationale behind the noninclusion of unsatisfactory performance as a grounds for termination of this particular director, does the government therefore accept that the exercise of a suspension power, which can strip the director of their functions and sideline the regulator's leadership, could in practice achieve the same outcome as a termination—namely, the removal of an independent regulator from their role.

The evidence that you've previously given in relation to a suspension is that it could be for up to 12 months.