This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Government & democracy
Businesses could face penalties for selling organic products without a required certificate, but enforcement would start after a 3-year transition period.
Australia had no legal definition or mandatory domestic standard for "organic", leaving consumers with unclear information and businesses facing trade and compliance problems. The bill creates a national organic standardThis is the national rule set the bill would use to decide whether a product can be sold or imported as organic., requires certification for most sellers and importers, and adds enforcement with a 3-year transition period.
Before the bill was introduced, Australia had no legislated domestic definition of "organic", no mandatory national standard for local sales, and no required certification for most products sold as organic, leaving consumers with less certainty and businesses facing compliance costs and trade barriers. The bill responded by proposing to turn the existing export standardThis is the existing export standard the bill would turn into the domestic organic standard as well. into a national domestic rule, require certification for most sellers and importers, exempt very small sellers, and delay penalties and enforcement for three years after assent, but it lapsed when Parliament ended in July 2025.
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, beyond the obvious compliance burden of requiring certification before products can be sold as organic. The limited material available shows support in debate, and no party represented in the debate is recorded as arguing that the bill would cause broader harm.
Senator Bridget McKenzie introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Nationals.
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
244 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Businesses could face penalties for selling organic products without a required certificate, but enforcement would start after a 3-year transition period.
Australia would get a national legal standard for goods sold or imported as organic, so products marketed this way would have to meet clear requirements.
Businesses selling organic produce in Australia would generally need a 12-month organic certificateThis is the document proving a product or seller meets the organic rules for a set 12 month period. from an approved certifier before they can sell it.
Importers would need overseas organic certification that matches Australia’s standard before organic goods could be brought into Australia for sale.
Small sellers with annual organic produce turnover under $25,000 would be exempt unless later rules set a different threshold.
provide a transition period of 3 years from the time of the Bill’s Assent.National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum
The National Organic Standard Bill 2024 (the Bill) creates a legislative framework to support a National Organic Standard that outlines the requirements that organic goods must meet when they are sold in Australia or imported into Australia.National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum
requiring businesses that sell organic produce to obtain an organic certificate by an issuing body that covers organic goods for a 12-month period.National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum
requiring importers to have an organic certificate, or similar, issued in the exporting country through a similar process that occurs in Australia and meets similar requirements to the National Organic Standard.National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum
allow an exemption to the requirement to have an organic certificate if the annual turnover of organic produce does not exceed $25,000 or a different amount prescribed by the rules.National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum
Context
Before the bill was introduced, Australia had no legislated domestic definition of "organic", no mandatory national standard for local sales, and no required certification for most products sold as organic, leaving consumers with less certainty and businesses facing compliance costs and trade barriers. The bill responded by proposing to turn the existing export standardThis is the existing export standard the bill would turn into the domestic organic standard as well. into a national domestic rule, require certification for most sellers and importers, exempt very small sellers, and delay penalties and enforcement for three years after assent, but it lapsed when Parliament ended in July 2025.
Australia has no domestic legal standard for organic sales
Before the bill, Australia had no legislated domestic definition of "organic", no mandatory standard for local sales and no general certification requirement, which the explanatory memorandumThis is the supporting document that explains what the bill is meant to do and how its clauses would work. said was not fit for purpose.
National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum ↗Bill proposes a national organic standardThis is the national rule set the bill would use to decide whether a product can be sold or imported as organic. for domestic and imported goods
The bill was introduced to apply the existing National Standard for Organic and Bio-Dynamic ProduceThis is the existing export standard the bill would turn into the domestic organic standard as well. to domestic sales, require certification for most sellers and importers, and improve consumer confidence and market access.
Parliamentary timeline and explanatory memorandum ↗Bill sets a small-seller exemption and a three-year enforcement delay
Its framework exempted sellers with annual organic turnover under $25,000 unless rules set another amount, while civil penalties, audits, compliance and enforcement would start three years after Royal AssentThis is when the Governor-General signs a bill into law, and the bill would have used that date to start its main timing rules..
National Organic Standard explanatory memorandum ↗Bill lapses at the end of Parliament
The proposal did not become law because it lapsed when Parliament ended, leaving Australia without the national domestic organic regime the bill would have created.
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
Considered by scrutiny committee (27/11/2024): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 15 of 2024
Considered by scrutiny committee
APH bill page notesReferred to Committee (28/11/2024): Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee; Committee report (11/02/2025)
Referred to committee
APH bill page notesThe bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
No significant public case against the bill is recorded so far, beyond the obvious compliance burden of requiring certification before products can be sold as organic. The limited material available shows support in debate, and no party represented in the debate is recorded as arguing that the bill would cause broader harm.
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
McKenzie supports the bill and urges the government to back it, arguing that a mandatory national organic standardThis is the national rule set the bill would use to decide whether a product can be sold or imported as organic. will give consumers confidence, make rules fairer for producers, and improve export access.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“We urge the Government to support this sensible, industry-led solution to what is a real and longstanding issue.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
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.
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.
Senate · Lapsed at end of Parliament
Lapsed at end of Parliament
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills
Considered by scrutiny committee
Considered by scrutiny committee (27 Nov 2024): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 15 of 2024
APH bill page notesSenate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee; Committee report (11/02/2025)
Referred to committee
Referred to Committee (28 Nov 2024): Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport Legislation Committee; Committee report (11 Feb 2025)
APH bill page notes