On 16 February 2023, the Attorney-General publicly released the Privacy Act Review Report . The Privacy Act Review Report was informed by feedback received in response to an Issues Paper released in October 2020 and a Discussion Paper , released in October 2021. Submissions to those...
Closed 31 March 2023
We are conducting a review of 4 legislative instruments made under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) (NT Act), which are due to sunset on 1 October 2023. These instruments are: Native Title (Federal Court) Regulations 1998 Native Title (Tribunal) Regulations 1993 Native Title (Indigenous Land Use Agreements) Regulations 1999 Native Title (Notices) Determination 2011 (No.1) The instruments support native title application and agreement-making mechanisms...
Closes 3 April 2023
More than 30 years after the Royal Commission into Aboriginal Deaths in Custody, First Nations peoples remain over-represented at every point in the criminal justice system. On 25 October 2022, the Australian Government announced a commitment to pursue meaningful change by investing in place-based initiatives, led and implemented by First Nations communities and organisations, to help turn the tide on incarceration and deaths in custody. Through the October 2022–23 Budget, $81.5...
Closes 10 April 2023
The Respect@Work: Sexual Harassment National Inquiry Report (2020) (Respect@Work Report) found that sexual harassment is a pervasive and widespread issue in Australian workplaces. It made 55 recommendations addressed to the Australian Government, states and territories, employers and industry groups to prevent and address sexual harassment in Australian workplaces. The recommendations relate to 5 key areas of focus: data and research primary prevention workplace...
Closes 14 April 2023
We are carrying out a review of secrecy provisions across Commonwealth laws. This review will address concerns raised by multiple reviews about the number, inconsistency, appropriateness and complexity of Commonwealth secrecy offences. We have released a consultation paper seeking views on the operation of secrecy provisions, including: what principles should govern the framing of general and specific secrecy offences in Commonwealth legislation whether any general or...
Closes 5 May 2023
Every Australian deserves to live free from violence. The Australian Government is committed to working with state and territory governments to improve the experiences of victims and survivors of sexual assault in the criminal justice systems across Australia. Victims and survivors continue to face barriers, and potential exposure to further trauma, when choosing to seek justice through the criminal justice system. These barriers to access justice are complex and unique to each...
Closes 7 May 2023
On 16 February 2023, the Attorney-General publicly released the Privacy Act Review Report . The Privacy Act Review Report was informed by feedback received in response to an Issues Paper released in October 2020 and a Discussion Paper , released in October 2021. Submissions to those...
Closed 31 March 2023
How the ETA regulates e-commerce in Australia When you sign a contract using an electronic signature, click 'I accept' on online T&Cs, or send an important document by email – how can you be sure that what you are doing is legally valid? The Electronic Transactions Act 1999 (Cth) (ETA) is...
Closed 20 March 2023
Copyright, as a type of property founded on a person's creative skill and labour, protects the original form or way an idea or information is expressed (but not the idea or information itself). Some common forms of copyright material include: writing movies and TV shows visual art...
Closed 7 March 2023
See what we've consulted on. See all outcomes
On 16 September 2022, the Attorney-General of Australia, the Hon Mark Dreyfus KC MP, announced the commencement of a public consultation on a draft of the National Principles to Address Coercive Control. The consultation process was open until 11 November 2022 and included an online survey, a series of targeted roundtable consultations and engagement with an expert Advisory Group comprised of victim-survivor advocates, family and domestic violence experts and representatives of people at increased risk of coercive control.
We heard from more than 400 stakeholders through this consultation process. You can find a summary of the statistics and key findings from this consultation on the Attorney-General’s Department website.
Feedback from this consultation is informing revisions to the National Principles. A revised version will be finalised by the Standing Council of Attorneys-General later in 2023.
The Australian Government’s first Implementation Plan under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap included funding for culturally safe and appropriate family dispute resolution (FDR) for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families. To design the new services, we engaged with stakeholders across government, the Coalition of Peaks, community organisations and interested community members between 1 February and 8 April 2022.
Over 60 individuals and organisations participated in a number of virtual meetings and workshops during the consultation period. We also received 22 written submissions. Participants came from locations across Australia, and brought a wealth of experience and expertise. This included representatives from:
Key findings from the consultation process included:
We have used the feedback and information shared during the consultation process to inform the Grant Opportunity Guidelines for the new First Nations Family Dispute Resolution services. The information will also continue to inform future policy development and decisions.
We recently ran a grant selection process for the new services. We ensured there was Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander representation on the Selection Advisory Panel for the grant round, as stakeholders identified this as important during the consultation process. The new services are expected to commence in early 2023.
We thank all those involved in the consultation process for their time and engagement with the project, and for sharing their views, information and ideas.
We asked people to share their views and feedback on any issues or impediments to people coming forward and sharing information with Royal Commissions. We did this as part of a review of how the Royal Commissions Act 1902 (Cth) operates to protect sensitive information given, or sought to be given, to a Royal Commission.
Feedback in submissions to the review was generally positive and indicated that the new confidentiality protections implemented by the Royal Commissions Amendment (Protection of Information) Act 2021 have been helpful in terms of giving people greater confidence to share stories and experiences with the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability.
Thank you to everyone who provided a response.
The feedback received has been used to inform the final report of the review.
The report identifies several possible legislative amendments to the Royal Commissions Act for further consideration: