This bill is currently before Parliament.
Government & democracy
The bill would require a Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. to be prepared and presented for Commonwealth bills and legislative instruments, unless the proposal is minor or technical or does not substantially change existing arrangements.
Senator Tammy Tyrrell introduced the bill to make regulatory impact assessment a more routine and visible part of Commonwealth law-making. The explanatory memorandumA document tabled with a bill to explain its purpose, operation and intended effect. says the bill is intended to increase transparency and parliamentary scrutiny, while Tyrrell’s second-reading speech frames it as a way to test costs, benefits and real-world effects before Parliament votes on new rules.
The bill sits in a parliamentary accountability context rather than a single crisis or inquiry. Its model is the existing practice of attaching explanatory material to legislation: the sponsor wants regulatory impact analysis to be prepared and tabled in a similar way, so Parliament can see expected costs, benefits and alternatives before legislation proceeds.
The collected bill-specific record contains no opposition speeches, committee scrutiny entries, proposed amendments or recorded divisions. On that source base, this page cannot identify a substantive criticism of the bill.
Senator Tammy Tyrrell introduced this bill. Supportive speeches so far have come from some crossbench members.
Did it become law?
Not yet
Final passage
No final vote yet
The bill has not yet completed passage through Parliament.
Days since introduction
219 days
Updated 10 June 2026.
Meaning
The bill would require a Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. to be prepared and presented for Commonwealth bills and legislative instruments, unless the proposal is minor or technical or does not substantially change existing arrangements.
For bills, the member introducing the bill, or another member acting for them, would have to present the Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. to the relevant House. For legislative instruments, the Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. would have to be included in the explanatory statementThe explanatory document that accompanies a legislative instrument. The bill would require the Regulation Impact Statement for an instrument to be included in this statement..
Each Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. would have to assess likely regulatory impacts, including costs and benefits, and consider other ways to achieve the policy objective. The bill says those impacts include impacts on businesses, community organisations and individuals.
The explanatory memorandumA document tabled with a bill to explain its purpose, operation and intended effect. says the bill would put an existing Legislative HandbookGuidance for preparing Commonwealth legislation. The explanatory memorandum says the bill would put part of its Regulation Impact Statement expectation into legislation. expectation into legislation and extend it so non-government proposed bills and legislative instruments are also covered, subject to the same minor or machinery exceptions.
A failure to comply would not invalidate an Act or legislative instrumentA form of delegated law, such as regulations or rules, made under authority given by an Act of Parliament., and a Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. prepared under the bill would not bind a court or tribunal.
If enacted, the bill would start on the day after Royal AssentThe formal approval a bill needs after passing Parliament before it becomes an Act. This bill would commence the day after Royal Assent if enacted.. At collection time it was recorded as before the Senate, with no final Act text available.
The Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement Bill 2025 (the Bill) would require a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) to be prepared and presented when introducing Commonwealth legislation (i.e. both Bills and legislative instruments), unless that legislation is of a minor or technical nature or does not substantially alter existing arrangements.Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement explanatory memorandum
A member of Parliament who introduces a Bill for an Act into a House of the Parliament, or another member acting on the first member’s behalf, must cause the regulation impact statement prepared under subsection (1) to be presented to the House. The explanatory statement for a legislative instrument must include the regulation impact statement prepared in respect of the instrument.Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement introduced bill text
A regulation impact statement must include an assessment of the likely regulatory impacts, including costs and benefits, of the Bill and other potential means of addressing the policy objectives of the Bill. Regulatory impacts include impacts on businesses, community organisations and individuals.Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement introduced bill text
The Bill would legislate and enshrine the existing requirement of the Legislative Handbook 2017... The Bill would expand the Legislative Handbook’s requirement, in that a RIS would be required for non-Government proposed Bills and legislative instruments which are likely to have a regulatory impact on businesses, community organisations or individuals...Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement explanatory memorandum
A failure to comply with section 5 in relation to a Bill that becomes an Act does not affect the validity, operation or enforcement of the Act... A regulation impact statement prepared under this Act is not binding on any court or tribunal.Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement introduced bill text
The whole of the Act The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement introduced bill text
Context
The bill sits in a parliamentary accountability context rather than a single crisis or inquiry. Its model is the existing practice of attaching explanatory material to legislation: the sponsor wants regulatory impact analysis to be prepared and tabled in a similar way, so Parliament can see expected costs, benefits and alternatives before legislation proceeds.
Human rights statements provide the model
The explanatory memorandumA document tabled with a bill to explain its purpose, operation and intended effect. says the bill is based on the existing requirement for Statements of Compatibility with Human Rights to be presented with bills under the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.
Explanatory memorandum ↗Legislative HandbookGuidance for preparing Commonwealth legislation. The explanatory memorandum says the bill would put part of its Regulation Impact Statement expectation into legislation. requirement forms the starting point
The explanatory memorandumA document tabled with a bill to explain its purpose, operation and intended effect. cites the Legislative HandbookGuidance for preparing Commonwealth legislation. The explanatory memorandum says the bill would put part of its Regulation Impact Statement expectation into legislation. 2017 as already requiring Regulation Impact Statements for government-proposed bills and instruments with more than minor regulatory impact.
Explanatory memorandum ↗Mandatory RISA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. bill introduced in the Senate
Senator Tammy Tyrrell introduced the private senator’s bill, which would apply the Regulation Impact StatementA document assessing the likely regulatory impacts of a proposed bill or legislative instrument, including costs, benefits and other ways to meet the policy objective. requirement to bills and legislative instruments after commencement.
APH bill page ↗Second-reading speech argues for impact checks
Tyrrell told the Senate the bill was about doing the thinking before legislating and giving Parliament and voters a clearer view of how new regulation would affect people in practice.
Hansard ↗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
Key criticism
The collected bill-specific record contains no opposition speeches, committee scrutiny entries, proposed amendments or recorded divisions. On that source base, this page cannot identify a substantive criticism of the bill.
This is a source limitation, not a finding that no criticism exists outside the collected corpus.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes have been found yet for this bill.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Tammy Tyrrell supported the bill, saying it would make Parliament consider regulatory impacts before legislating and would help voters and representatives understand how new rules affect businesses, communities and individuals.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“This bill is about making sure we do the thinking before we do the legislating. It's about getting serious not just about the why and the who when it comes to making new rules and regulations.”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.
