Sponsor speech Supports
Patrick Gorman
Patrick Gorman supports the bill, saying it will delay the transfer of parliamentary resource administration by 12 months to reduce disruption after the 2025 election.
Read in Hansard ↗Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change)
Current status
This bill became law on Mar 27th, 2025.
Policy area
Government & democracy
What does this bill do?
The planned handover of some parliamentary expenses and resources from the Department of FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. is pushed back to 1 July 2026.
Why was it introduced?
A planned July 2025 handover of some parliamentary resources to IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. was delayed because the 2025 federal election would create a high need for advice and support while wider parliamentary workplace reforms were still settling. The bill pushes the transfer and related IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. rulings, protections and FOIThe law that normally gives the public access to government documents, but this bill delays an exemption for some personal advice given by IPEA. exemption back to 1 July 2026.
Broader context
A 2021 independent review of the parliamentary expenses system recommended moving more parliamentary resources from the Department of FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill., and a 2024 amending law set that transfer, along with IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. rulings, advice protections and an FOIThe law that normally gives the public access to government documents, but this bill delays an exemption for some personal advice given by IPEA. exemption, to start on 1 July 2025. As parliamentary workplace reforms including the PWSSA newer workplace support body that is part of the wider reform setting that the bill says is still settling down. and IPSCA newer commission created as part of the wider parliamentary workplace reforms mentioned in the bill's background. were still bedding down and the 2025 federal election was expected to sharply increase demand for advice and support, this bill pushed the handover back to 1 July 2026 and kept FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. running those functions for an extra year.
Key criticism
The main reservation is that delaying the transfer keeps the current system in place for another year, so MPs and staff must wait longer for the planned IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. rulings, liability protections and FOIThe law that normally gives the public access to government documents, but this bill delays an exemption for some personal advice given by IPEA. settings to apply to those resources. That concern is implied by the bill’s practical effect, but no party represented in the debate appears to have mounted a broader public case against the bill.
Who supported it?
Patrick Gorman MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Introduced in House 25 Mar 2025
Passed House 25 Mar 2025
Passed Senate 26 Mar 2025
Became law 27 Mar 2025
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 27 Mar 2025
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
Members called out ‘aye’ or ‘no’ — no individual votes were recorded.
Passage speed
2 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
What does this bill do?
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The planned handover of some parliamentary expenses and resources from the Department of FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. is pushed back to 1 July 2026.
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The Department of FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. will keep handling advice, monitoring, claims, supplying resources and recovering overpayments for those parliamentary resources for another year before the transfer happens.
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The Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. will have to wait until 1 July 2026 before its formal rulings can cover the parliamentary resources being transferred.
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People using the transferred parliamentary resources will not yet get the planned protection from debts or penalty loadings when the Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. gives them wrong personal advice.
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The Freedom of Information exemption for personal advice from the Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. is also delayed for the parliamentary resources that are due to move across.
Show source excerpts
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The Bill would amend the commencement provision for Schedule 1 of the PBR Amendment Act from 1 July 2025 to 1 July 2026. This would correspondingly delay the transfer of the administration of certain resources under the PBR Act, from Finance to IPEA, and the extension of the application of rulings and legislative protections to the transferred resources.
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum -
the transfer of the administration of certain resources under the Parliamentary Business Resources Act 2017 (PBR Act) (including responsibility for providing advice, monitoring, claims processing, providing resources and recovering payments) as a Machinery of Government change from the Department of Finance (Finance) to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority (IPEA).
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum -
IPEA’s ruling function
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum -
the protection from liability for a debt or penalty loading under the PBR Act where IPEA provided incorrect personal advice
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum -
the exemption under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 (FOI Act) in relation to personal advice provided by IPEA.
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum
Context
Broader context for this bill
A 2021 independent review of the parliamentary expenses system recommended moving more parliamentary resources from the Department of FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. to the Independent Parliamentary Expenses AuthorityThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill., and a 2024 amending law set that transfer, along with IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. rulings, advice protections and an FOIThe law that normally gives the public access to government documents, but this bill delays an exemption for some personal advice given by IPEA. exemption, to start on 1 July 2025. As parliamentary workplace reforms including the PWSSA newer workplace support body that is part of the wider reform setting that the bill says is still settling down. and IPSCA newer commission created as part of the wider parliamentary workplace reforms mentioned in the bill's background. were still bedding down and the 2025 federal election was expected to sharply increase demand for advice and support, this bill pushed the handover back to 1 July 2026 and kept FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. running those functions for an extra year.
- 2021
Independent review recommends shifting more resources to IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill.
The review recommended transferring administration of some parliamentary resources from FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. to IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. and extending IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill.'s rulings and legal protections to those resources.
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum ↗ - late 2023
Parliamentary Workplace Support ServiceA newer workplace support body that is part of the wider reform setting that the bill says is still settling down. is established
The new statutory PWSSA newer workplace support body that is part of the wider reform setting that the bill says is still settling down. became part of a wider package of parliamentary workplace reforms that the government said was still maturing when the transfer date approached.
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum ↗ - late 2024
Independent Parliamentary Standards CommissionA newer commission created as part of the wider parliamentary workplace reforms mentioned in the bill's background. is established
The IPSCA newer commission created as part of the wider parliamentary workplace reforms mentioned in the bill's background. was created as another major workplace reform, adding to the broader institutional changes happening around Parliament before the planned resource handover.
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum ↗ - 25 Mar 2025
Government introduces bill to postpone the handover
The minister said delaying the change for 12 months would reduce disruption after the 2025 federal election, when departing and incoming parliamentarians and staff would need heavy advice and support.
Minister's second reading speech ↗ - 27 Mar 2025
Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill into an Act, after which the law can start operating. confirms the transfer will move to 1 July 2026
Once enacted, the bill deferred the transfer and also postponed the extension of IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. rulings, incorrect-advice debt protection and the FOIThe law that normally gives the public access to government documents, but this bill delays an exemption for some personal advice given by IPEA. exemption for those resources until 1 July 2026.
Parliamentary timeline ↗ - 01 July 2025
Planned transfer of parliamentary resources was due to begin
Under the earlier 2024 amendments, FinanceThe department that will keep handling advice, claims, monitoring and overpayment recovery for the affected parliamentary resources until the transfer date. was due to hand over responsibility for advice, monitoring, claims, supplying resources and recovering overpayments to IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. on this date.
Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) explanatory memorandum ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 25 Mar 2025
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 25 Mar 2025
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
House second reading agreed 25 Mar 2025
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
House third reading agreed 25 Mar 2025
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Introduced 26 Mar 2025
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 26 Mar 2025
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Senate second reading agreed 26 Mar 2025
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
Senate third reading agreed 26 Mar 2025
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Passed both houses 26 Mar 2025
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
Assent 27 Mar 2025
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill into an Act, after which the law can start operating., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
The main reservation is that delaying the transfer keeps the current system in place for another year, so MPs and staff must wait longer for the planned IPEAThe body that will take over some parliamentary resources and issue rulings on them from 1 July 2026 under this bill. rulings, liability protections and FOIThe law that normally gives the public access to government documents, but this bill delays an exemption for some personal advice given by IPEA. settings to apply to those resources. That concern is implied by the bill’s practical effect, but no party represented in the debate appears to have mounted a broader public case against the bill.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far.
Votes
Recorded votes
How the bill itself passed
The bill passed both chambers on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage.
Passed House passed the bill
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed
House passed the bill
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Passed Senate passed the bill
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed
Senate passed the bill
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
All speeches by bloc
Labor
1 speaker · 1 support
Labor
1 speaker · 1 support
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Patrick Gorman ★ Patrick Gorman supports the bill, saying it will delay the transfer of parliamentary resource administration by 12 months to reduce disruption after the 2025 election.
“Extending the current framework for the administration and provision of parliamentary resources beyond this financial year will minimise the degree of change and disruption following the 2025 election, where there will be heightened activity and need for advice and support to both ceasing and commencing parliamentarians and their staff.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Act title
- Parliamentary Business Resources Legislation Amendment (Machinery of Government Change) Act 2025
- Act number
- Act No. 24, 2025
- Became law
- 27 Mar 2025
- Takes effect
- The whole of the Act 28 Mar 2025
- Registered
- 28 Mar 2025
- Administered by
- Department of Finance
- Final law metadata was collected from the APH progress table; commencement rows were parsed from the bill text.
- Status
- Act -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- House of Representatives
- 25 Mar 2025
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.
- 25 Mar 2025
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.
- 25 Mar 2025
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
- 25 Mar 2025
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
- 26 Mar 2025
Senate · 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.
- 26 Mar 2025
Senate · 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.
- 26 Mar 2025
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
- 26 Mar 2025
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
- 26 Mar 2025
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
- 27 Mar 2025
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal approval that turns a bill into an Act, after which the law can start operating., turning the bill into an Act.