Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures)

“Mr HILL (Bruce—Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Minister for International Education) (19:12): Thank you, Deputy Speaker. I am very eager to speak on this bill. I strongly support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025, which will ban the use of genetic test results in life insurance.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“In conclusion, all parts of this bill are important, but, most importantly, we're removing the barrier for vulnerable Australians seeking more information about their own health. This is good for those individuals, good for our healthcare system and good for our society. I commend this bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“We promised to ban the use of adverse genetic test results in life insurance. We are delivering on that promise. This parliament has a choice. We can cling to outdated frameworks that force people into silence or hesitation, or we can embrace a future where science advances, prevention expands and fairness underpins our laws. For the people of Melbourne, for families across this country, for every young person considering a test that could change their future, I know whose side I am on. I commend this bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“Mr REPACHOLI (Hunter) (18:42): I rise to speak on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025. This is an important bill. It's a bill about fairness, it's a bill about trust and, above all, it's a bill about making sure Australians can make decisions about their health without fear. At its heart, this legislation delivers on a clear commitment. We said we would stop life insurers from using genetic testing results against Australians. This bill does exactly that. Genetic testing saves lives. It allows doctors to identify serious risks early. It allows people to take preventive action. It allows families to understand their health and plan for the future as well. But, for too long, Australians have faced an unacceptable choice: do they take a genetic test that could protect their health, or do they avoid testing because they're worried it will affect their ability to get life insurance? That's not a choice anyone should have to make.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“Ms JORDAN-BAIRD (Gorton) (17:10): Today I rise to support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025, which was introduced by the Assistant Treasurer, and I commend him for doing so. This amendment to the Insurance Contracts Act 1984 is a significant one because genetic testing can save lives. Genetic testing supports medical practitioners to prevent illnesses, diagnose conditions earlier, and treat and monitor a range of cancers, cancer predisposition syndromes and other heritable conditions sooner. It plays a critical role in monitoring all of this. For many Australians, one major thing has stood in the way of getting tested for and treating conditions early, and that's the concern that life insurers will use that information against them. That's not right—and, what's more, it takes one easy fix, and that fix is this bill in front of us.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“Across the parliament there's pretty uniform agreement on this legislation, and this is something the whole parliament can be congratulated on. It's one of the most important pieces of legislation to pass through this parliament in the 10 years I've been here; I really do feel that. This will open the way for further advances in health care based on genomics that we know will be coming towards us as a tsunami in the next few years. The people that have promoted this bill—I'll mention Jane Tiller again, from Monash University, and Stephen Jones, Daniel Mulino and many other members of parliament that we've heard speak—need to be proud of the fact that this parliament is looking to the future in health care by introducing this legislation. I congratulate my paediatric colleague Monique Ryan, who's here today, who I know has also been a very strong supporter of this legislation, as have many other members of parliament—too many to mention.”

Labor • MP • 25 Mar 2026

“Amendments like these are what good governments do. It has been a long journey to get here but one that this government—starting under former assistant treasurer Jones and now introduced into the House by the Assistant Treasurer—is doing in consultation with advocates, insurers and the health community. This legislation will fix problems, remove barriers, back Australians to look after their own health and encourage them to do so. Australians should never have to choose between their health and their financial security, and with this legislation—when it passes through this parliament—they'll no longer have to. I commend it to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“Mr FRENCH (Moore) (18:29): I rise to speak in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025. This is a bill about fairness, about modern medicine and about ensuring that Australians are not punished for taking responsibility for their own health.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“I rise in support of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“It's an amendment that has been a decade in the making. I again pay particular tribute to Dr Jane Tiller, whose tireless campaigning over the last few years has now seen deserved success. I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“This bill is about fairness in health, confidence in financial markets, modernisation of international engagement and sensible regulatory reform. This bill means greater confidence for people to pursue genetic testing without fear, stronger access to global investment opportunities, responsible participation in international financial institutions and reduced regulatory burden where it does not serve consumers. Our government is getting on with the job—removing barriers, modernising systems and putting Australians first. I commend this bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“For years, advocates have campaigned for this change. Researchers have documented the harm of the status quo. That's why the status quo is changing today. Families have had to make difficult decisions about their health because of the fear of financial penalties, and this government is delivering the protections people were promised and fixing a problem that those opposite ignored for a decade. Medical practice is moving forward in leaps and in bounds. The law must keep pace, and, with this bill, it will. I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“That is why I rise today to support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“This bill delivers that. It delivers on a clear commitment, it ends a longstanding inequity, and it ensures that Australians no longer have to choose between their health and their financial security. I commend this bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 25 Mar 2026

“This bill does many other things in other schedules. I support all of them, and I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“I spoke about the changes being based squarely on the evidence of harm created by the current laws. This legislation also reflects something fundamental about fairness. Fairness is at the heart of Labor policy. Australians believe in a fair go. They believe that people should not be penalised for taking responsible steps to protect their health. I agree, and I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“In conclusion, it's people over products. As a nurse, I've always believed that prevention is better than cure. As a PhD candidate, I understand that the data tells us the same thing. And, as the member for Bullwinkel, I know my community expects us to put health ahead of insurance industry loopholes. For 10 years, those opposite ignored the genetic underclass. They allowed this system to persist, where Australians were punished for being proactive about their health. The Labor Albanese government is fixing that. We're telling every Australian: your DNA belongs to you, not your insurer. We are choosing science, we are choosing prevention and we are choosing people. I commend this bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“I thank the minister who's at the table for his role in bringing this to the parliament. I also thank the previous minister, who did a lot of the groundwork on it as well, because, as the member for Macarthur said, this has been an effort of so many people to bring it to the parliament. As the member for Macarthur quite rightly points out, this is important legislation, and I commend it to the House.”

Labor • MP • 25 Mar 2026

“We are acting on behalf of vulnerable Australians. The most affluent can get away without buying life insurance, but vulnerable Australians often feel a need to purchase life insurance in order to forestall the risk that their family are left adversely affected by the economic consequences of their death. This bill will ensure a greater sense of equity and protect some of the most vulnerable in our community. It will be good for medical research, and that is why it enjoys the backing of so many medical research companies. It will be good for health, which is why it enjoys the backing of so many medical advocacy bodies, such as the Australian Medical Association and the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. It will bring peace of mind to Australians who want to go and find out more about their genetic history, either through curious inquiry or because they are keen to see what genetic testing reveals about them and how they can help their own health and that of their families. I commend the bill to the House.”

Labor • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“By putting this ban in place, we will remove this barrier, so more Australians will access genetic testing and in turn, its full benefits for patients, public health and medical research can be delivered.”

Labor • Senator • 25 Mar 2026

“Mr GEORGANAS (Adelaide) (19:23): I rise to support this bill. I'm very proud to support the introduction and implementation of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill 2025. It is very long overdue. Together with members on this side, I stand very proudly in support of stronger protections for people undergoing genetic testing, and ensuring that any genetic testing that's done will not be detrimental in terms of other financial products or insurances that they wish to purchase to protect their lives—something to protect the family with, in case there's a death—or protecting the costs that are incurred with health insurance. That's why this particular bill is very important. We need to ensure that we have measures in place that give stronger protection to people undergoing genetic testing.”

Labor • MP • 24 Mar 2026

“There has long been broad agreement and support for this ban on life insurers using genetic testing to refuse cover, and it is disappointing that Australians have faced delays due to the incompetence of this government. This is an egregious example of the Albanese government's focus on announcements and grandstanding rather than the follow-through. Dr Jane Tiller from Monash University has been campaigning for a ban for almost a decade. With strong bipartisan support and no opposition, there is no reason why this legislation should not have been introduced to parliament sooner, as promised by the government. I am grateful—on behalf of all Australians, but especially regional Australians—that this bill is now before us, and I look forward to seeing the passage and implementation of this legislation in practice.”

Nationals • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“We're supporting this bill because it doesn't actually entrench that power. We're supporting this bill because we actually believe that Australians should be empowered to live out their best lives. We're supporting this bill because we believe that life insurance should be there to pool capital and to mitigate risk and that people shouldn't be discriminated against based on their pre-existing or genetic conditions that are factors beyond themselves. But, more importantly, we're supporting this bill because we desperately want to give a reprieve to those financial advisers out there that Labor would actually really deep down like to outlaw and just throw into industry super funds. We're supporting them to be able to give financial advice to Australians. So, whether you're wealthy or you're just starting out on the ladder of opportunity, you can afford financial advice. So you can be in a position to make strategic decisions for your long-term future. And, most importantly, so that Australians can get ahead, so they don't go on then and just get financial advice from those whose recommendation is, 'Throw your money into funds the Labor Party owns so they can use it for marketing expenses and so they can campaign to sit in this chamber so they can then pass laws and appropriation bills to hand money to organised crime through the CFMEU-Labor cartel.'”

Liberal • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“This bill supports better health outcomes, and that's why the coalition backs it.”

Nationals • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“I commend brave people like Meg for sharing their stories so vulnerably and so charitably. I commend researchers and advocates like Dr Jane Tiller. I think it is a great moment for this parliament at a time where we quite rightly have a very robust contest of ideas on a number of contentious issues—and this place should be a place of strong debate. But I think there are some topics where the community and the broader public want to see us come together as a parliament to champion an issue and to progress a cause that is worthy of support, and this bill does just that. I'm very pleased to be part of a coalition who has had a strong track record of supporting this issue, and I'm very pleased to commend this bill to the House.”

Liberal • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“The coalition is going to support the Treasury Laws Amendment (Genetic Testing Protections in Life Insurance and Other Measures) Bill because it contains important reforms that Australians have been waiting for, including sensible protections around the use of genetic information in life insurance and improvements across our financial system.”

Nationals • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“I welcome this bill and I urge the government to continue ensuring that discrimination when it comes to life insurance is addressed in all its forms.”

Independent • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“But to be honest, we have been slow to act on this. In 2003, the Australian Law Reform Commission first recommended that the life insurance industry needed safeguards around the use of genetic testing—that is, 23 years ago. In 2018, a joint parliamentary inquiry into the life insurance industry recommended a moratorium on the use of genetic testing results in life insurance. In 2019, the life insurance industry introduced a partial industry-led moratorium to set policy limits. While I commend the industry for taking the first step, it's overdue that Australia committed to the change. I wrote to the Assistant Treasurer about this issue back in 2023 and again in 2025, when I was contacted by members of my community and also by others, particularly Dr Jane Tiller from Monash University, who has been a leading light in this area. I think the point is that we have come to the right conclusion. I welcome this bill. I support this bill, and I would also say that parliament needs to work at a greater speed than we currently do when issues are raised with us over a long period of time. I also recognise the Council of Australian Life Insurance, CALI, for getting behind some of these changes. It is really important that the life insurance industry is working with these changes as opposed to trying to fight them.”

Independent • MP • 23 Mar 2026

“Schedule 1 is a sensible, proportionate reform that strengthens privacy, supports public health and removes the barrier to early diagnosis and prevention. It shows that when parliament listens carefully, works collaboratively and follows the evidence, we can deliver reforms that make a real difference to people's lives. I commend the government for bringing this forward, and I commend schedule 1 of the bill to the House.”

Independent • MP • 23 Mar 2026