This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Government & democracy
Australian governments and public agencies would have to weigh how today’s decisions affect both current Australians and future generations, pushing long-term thinking into everyday policy and lawmaking.
Australia’s short electoral cycle prioritises immediate political goals and has left long-term challenges and a growing intergenerational inequality gap deprioritised. The bill creates a legal framework that requires public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. to weigh long-term impacts, sets up a Future Generations Commissioner, and starts a national conversation.
After Wales created a Future Generations Commissioner and a legal duty for public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. in 2015, and the United Nations adopted its Declaration on Future GenerationsA United Nations declaration that gives international support to policies aimed at protecting future generations. in September 2024, supporters of an Australian version argued that Canberra’s short three-year electoral cycle was still pushing long-term risks and intergenerational fairness down the agenda. The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2025The proposed federal bill that would force public decision-makers to consider the long-term effects of their actions on people not yet born. was introduced on 10 February 2025 to force longer-term decision-making, create an independent commissioner and start a national conversation, but it lapsed when Parliament was dissolved on 28 March 2025.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and the available debate material does not show a developed argument that it would cause concrete harm. The recorded contributions in this material were supportive, so any criticism appears absent or at most unexpressed rather than a clear public campaign against the bill.
Sophie Scamps MPThe federal seat represented by Dr Sophie Scamps, who introduced the bill. introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Liberal Party, some crossbench members.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
46 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Australian governments and public agencies would have to weigh how today’s decisions affect both current Australians and future generations, pushing long-term thinking into everyday policy and lawmaking.
Public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. across Australia would be under a legal duty to consider long-term effects, prevent foreseeable problems, and work more closely with communities and other agencies.
The bill would create an independent Commissioner for Future GenerationsAn independent watchdog the bill would create to argue for the interests of future Australians and check whether public bodies are following the new rules. to speak up for future Australians and push governments to include intergenerational fairness in their decisions.
The Commissioner for Future GenerationsAn independent watchdog the bill would create to argue for the interests of future Australians and check whether public bodies are following the new rules. would also check whether public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. are meeting their new duties and report on how well they are complying.
The bill would require a national public consultation, led by the Commissioner for Future GenerationsAn independent watchdog the bill would create to argue for the interests of future Australians and check whether public bodies are following the new rules., so Australians can help shape a long-term vision for the country.
A federal legislative framework for the wellbeing of future generations. The framework established by the Bill is essential to protect long-term policy commitments from the shifting priorities of governments. The framework will advance intergenerational equity and wellbeing, requiring long-term considerations – the wellbeing and opportunities of current and future Australians – to be taken into account in parliamentary and governmental decision-making.Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum
Impose a positive duty on public bodies to take into account the long-term impact of their decisions. Public bodies will be required to consider future impacts, work better with people, communities and each other, seek to prevent problems and take a more joined-up, less siloed approach.Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum
Establish an independent, statutory Commissioner for Future Generations. The Commissioner will advocate for future Australians’ long-term interests, ensuring the concept of intergenerational fairness is integrated in governmental decision-making processes.Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum
The Commissioner’s functions include promoting a prosperous Australia, advocating for the long-term interests of current and future generations, ensuring intergenerational fairness is embedded in government decision-making, and monitoring and reporting on compliance with the duties on public bodies in clauses 7 – 10.Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum
Require a National Conversation on Future Generations. Led by the Commissioner, this exercise in participatory democracy will engage the public as active co-creators of the vision for Australia’s future, fostering inclusivity and building a sense of public ownership of long-term policies.Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum
Context
After Wales created a Future Generations Commissioner and a legal duty for public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. in 2015, and the United Nations adopted its Declaration on Future GenerationsA United Nations declaration that gives international support to policies aimed at protecting future generations. in September 2024, supporters of an Australian version argued that Canberra’s short three-year electoral cycle was still pushing long-term risks and intergenerational fairness down the agenda. The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill 2025The proposed federal bill that would force public decision-makers to consider the long-term effects of their actions on people not yet born. was introduced on 10 February 2025 to force longer-term decision-making, create an independent commissioner and start a national conversation, but it lapsed when Parliament was dissolved on 28 March 2025.
Wales passes a future generations law
The Welsh law became the bill's main model by showing how legal duties on public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. and an independent commissioner could push long-term thinking into everyday government decisions.
Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum ↗United Nations adopts the Declaration on Future GenerationsA United Nations declaration that gives international support to policies aimed at protecting future generations.
The declaration gave fresh international backing to whole-of-government policymaking that protects the interests of future generations.
Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum ↗Bill introduced to counter short-term policymaking
Dr Sophie Scamps introduced the bill as a federal framework to make public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. weigh long-term impacts, prevent foreseeable problems and work more closely with communities and each other.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Proposal sets up a Commissioner for Future GenerationsAn independent watchdog the bill would create to argue for the interests of future Australians and check whether public bodies are following the new rules.
The bill proposed an independent statutory commissioner to advocate for future Australians and monitor whether public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. were meeting their new duties.
Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum ↗Bill calls for a national conversation on future generationsA planned public consultation process where Australians would help shape a long-term national vision.
It also proposed a commissioner-led public consultation to let Australians help shape a long-term national vision rather than leave it to short election cycles alone.
Wellbeing of Future Generations explanatory memorandum ↗Bill lapses when Parliament is dissolved
The proposal fell away before it could pass, leaving the idea of a federal future generations framework unresolved.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, and the available debate material does not show a developed argument that it would cause concrete harm. The recorded contributions in this material were supportive, so any criticism appears absent or at most unexpressed rather than a clear public campaign against the bill.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Scamps supports the bill and says it will force government and public bodiesGovernment departments, agencies and other public organisations that the bill would put under new legal duties. to consider the long-term wellbeing of future generations in all decision-making.
Read in Hansard ↗Archer supports the bill and says it would give Australia a clear and positive framework for intergenerational fairness by requiring government to consider the long-term wellbeing of future generations.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“As we've heard, this approach is not revolutionary nor without precedent internationally, and there are many examples that we can look to. This bill represents a clear and positive direction for Australia to take to advance intergenerational fairness and to safeguard the wellbeing of future generations. I commend the bill to the House.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 support
“The bill does four things. It creates a legislative framework that ensures that intergenerational equity and wellbeing are taken into account in government and other public decision-making. It imposes a positive duty on government and public bodies to take into account the long-term impact of their decisions. It establishes an independent statutory commissioner for future generations to make sure everything this act is trying to achieve is achieved. Lastly, it will start a national conversation on the wellbeing of future generations in this country.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
House · Lapsed at dissolution
Lapsed at dissolution
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
