Tribune’s note

Liberal MP Julian Leeser spoke to two secrecy-law bills in the House, signalling conditional non-opposition while reserving the coalition's right to seek amendments through the Senate. His central criticism targets the Repealing Offences Bill's design flaws — an undefined 'improper' standard, no sensitivity threshold, and the absence of an offence for ideologically motivated leaks — alongside schedule 3's expansion of the Attorney-General's written-consent gate beyond what independent reviewers recommended, which Leeser argued risks chilling press freedom.

The coalition supports the companion Sunsetting Provision Bill, which extends the criminal liability safety-net to December 2026 to prevent a gap while the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee completes its review next month.

Primary records (1)

The official records this note draws on — the raw primary documents themselves, as published.

HansardSecrecy Provisions Amendment (Repealing Offences) Bill 2026, Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Sunsetting Provision) Bill 2026Julian LeeserTuesday 12 May 2026