Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026
Ms CAMPBELL (Moreton) (10:31): The Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025 passed the Senate six months ago. I mention this because the passage of that bill was an important step in the Albanese Labor government's regulatory reform agenda. It contained 60 measures that improved efficiencies in 13 different government agencies, and these measures were designed to decrease the day-to-day regulatory burden on Australians, on industry and on service providers, and to increase government efficiency.
And here we are again today for a very similar reason—to debate the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026. Like its predecessor, this is a comprehensive bill. It contains 21 measures, amends 26 different acts, repeals two acts and will enhance the operation of 19 different government agencies.
It's focused on increasing regulatory certainty and decreasing the cost of compliance for Australian businesses. The need for this was affirmed by the 2025 Economic Reform Roundtable and the Productivity Commission, and it's part of Labor's strategy to boost a more agile, robust and efficient economy. Regulatory reform like this might not be the No. 1 thing on everyone's discussion list, but it is important because it helps Australians access the essential services that they rely on more quickly and more easily.
It's useful to look at this bill in the context of the current economic debate, the current economic climate and the current economic landscape, which has been affected by the global oil shock and events beyond our shores and beyond our control. Last month the Treasurer laid down the 2026-27 federal budget. He set out the government's approach to tackling the challenges facing us by promoting responsible savings, improving intergenerational fairness and building a stronger, more productive and more resilient economy.
The keyword here is 'productive'. Increased productivity is how we will boost wages and incomes, leading to improving living standards. It's how we'll grow our economy sustainably and put downward pressure on prices, by improving efficiency and by lowering costs for everyday Australians.
And it's how we will strengthen our economic resilience, helping businesses and workers better adapt to global shocks and changes. A key mechanism for achieving these aims is better regulation. The rules which people follow need to promote a fair and streamlined system.
This is where this bill comes in. Let's take a look at some of the specific measures in this bill. First, the bill will update Australia's trademark and intellectual property laws to make them fit for purpose.
It will implement an enhanced system for registration and management, making it less onerous for small businesses to protect their brands. In a trademark dispute, the register of trademarks is currently limited to a fixed schedule of costs to be awarded, regardless of the amount spent in legal fees. The amendments in this bill will give the registrar flexibility to determine costs, which will provide business with confidence in the system and deter poor behaviour.
To maintain public confidence in the IP attorney profession, the bill will ensure that investigations and discipline of patent and trademark attorneys can progress, even if an attorney deregisters. If an IP attorney is found guilty of misconduct, it will be harder for them to reregister. The bill also grants plant breeders a six-month grace period to renew their rights if they are behind in their annual renewal fee.
Plant breeders currently lose their rights automatically if that payment is late. The amendment means that these valuable rights are not automatically lost due to a timing error due to an administrative error. A second focus of this bill is workplace gender equality reporting.
This reporting is important because it promotes transparency and accountability. We know that when women participate in our society—in our workforces—the economy does better, and it is a driver of better economic outcomes. By requiring employers to collect and publish data on pay, workforce composition and policies, it encourages organisations to identify and address gender gaps such as pay inequality and underrepresentation in leadership.
Having women in leadership roles isn't just about equality. We know that businesses that have diversity in their leadership go better. They have better outcomes and therefore become better drivers of our nation's economy.
This is a practical tool for improving both workplace culture and economic outcomes. We know that advancing gender equality boosts workforce participation, improves productivity and contributes to stronger long-term economic growth. However, this reporting can also be complex for businesses, many of whom are struggling with time.
There is currently added regulatory pressure at the end of a target cycle. Businesses must complete and submit their data for the current cycle but also set new targets for the next one at the same time, increasing the overall administrative workload. This bill simplifies this process by adding a 12-month period at the end of a target cycle.
This will give employers time and space to develop well-considered meaningful targets. It allows more time for a detailed review of the previous cycle, which will lead to better informed planning. Ultimately this will drive more lasting progress toward gender equality in our workplaces across this nation.
The Regulatory Reform Omnibus Act 2025 focused on promoting a 'tell us once' framework for dealing with government services. This bill backs in that concept and extends it. For example, it removes the requirement to cancel nominee arrangements with Services Australia in writing.
Nominees are authorised individuals who support people receiving social security, family assistance or paid parental leave by helping them manage their dealings with Services Australia. The changes in this bill mean that nominees who wish to cancel their nominee appointment do not need to follow up a phone call with written notification. Instead, they can simply 'tell us once'.
It also improves the experience of certain Commonwealth pension recipients aged 80 and over who have lived outside Australia for two or more consecutive years. The amendments mean that Services Australia will, in some instances, be able to use information it has already obtained from other sources instead. This will reduce the administrative demands on older Australians as well as on Australian consular staff, who are often involved in helping complete those certificates.
These are just a few examples of the amendments contained in this bill, amendments that reduce compliance time and costs and improve Australians' experience of dealing with government services. Australians come to governments when they need help. Australians come to governments when things might not be going well.
That experience should be a good one, should be an effective one, should be an efficient one. That's what this bill does. The work doesn't stop here, however.
As part of Labor's commitment to continuous improvement, the government will continue to bring forward omnibus reform bills regularly. Our work is not done in this space. We know that, where administrative burden can be removed, we know that, where costs can be made more affordable, and we know that, where pathways can be streamlined, that work must be done.
As I said at the outset, it might not be the most interesting topic for many people, but it's important because it impacts on people's lives every single day. The government is also instigating targeted reviews of sectors where there are overlapping or duplicate regulatory burdens on businesses. There are six reviews currently underway.
The first is the Council of Financial Regulators investigation into financial sector regulation, which is expected to result in $961 million in regulatory burden reduction. Another example is the 'white tape' review being driven by the Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman. This review will identify processes that have excessive administrative and compliance burdens.
It will also look into burdens imposed by larger organisations onto smaller businesses, such as contractual terms and proprietary platforms. Thirdly, the Treasury is conducting a project to modernise the National Construction Code with the aim of decreasing the number of state-by-state variations and testing AI tools. The next review concerns the Board of Taxation's Red Tape Reduction Review, which will provide a report to the Treasury by 30 June this year on ways to reduce red tape in our taxation system.
In the meantime, the Council on Federal Financial Relations is reviewing approval pathways for data centres and seeking to reduce barriers to setting up new data centres. Finally, the Better Regulation Working Group is examining regulatory requirements and red tape within the higher education sector and will develop practical actions to reduce regulatory burden.
What we have seen is technology change and systems move. We have more tools at our disposal now than ever. That means making sure that, where we have the opportunity to remove barriers, to take down roadblocks, to take down administrative burdens that are in place, we do take them down.
And that's what this work is. It is part of a systematic working through of so many bills, so many departments, across this very big and broad Australian government, and we're taking the barriers down. We're taking them down so that people can use government as they intend.
We know that people are busy. They have busy lives. They have kids to look after.
They have parents to care for. They have jobs to go to. Finding even the smallest ways to make their lives easier is important.
It's not just important; it's worthwhile. Bills such as the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 may not make the headlines tonight, but they're vital for our economy. Regulatory reform enables productivity growth.
It boosts labour and it boosts capital availability for ongoing growth. Regulatory reform also directly improves people's lives in small ways that add up to big ways, with streamlined experiences meaning that people are spending less time dealing with those government services. This bill will ensure safeguards are maintained for the community, while delivering sensible and practical amendments that will positively impact individuals, that will positively impact businesses and that will positively impact government agencies and their staff.
The Albanese Labor government is looking at the big picture of regulatory reform, from small daily improvements which make things simpler for everyone and everyday Australians through to the unlocking of productivity and economic growth. This bill advances four key priorities designed to modernise and improve that regulatory environment. It aims to reduce complexity by simplifying requirements for business, making it easier for them to understand and comply with their obligations.
At the same time, it seeks to improve the efficiency of government operations by streamlining regulatory and administrative processes. Ultimately, workhorses such as this bill have an important role to play in the journey of so many Australians.