✦ Plain-English Summary

National Emergency Declaration Bill 2020

What it does

This law creates a formal process for the Governor-General to officially declare a national emergency when the country faces a serious crisis. Once declared, it allows government ministers to temporarily relax normal administrative rules and procedures to respond faster to the emergency.

Why it matters

In a genuine crisis—like a pandemic, natural disaster, or major security threat—bureaucratic delays can cost lives. This gives the government a legal framework to act quickly without getting bogged down in red tape, but with built-in checks to prevent abuse.

Key details

• Who decides: The Governor-General (on the PM's advice) makes and can extend, modify, or revoke the declaration—it's not a blank cheque for any single minister

• What flexibility it allows: Ministers can temporarily modify administrative requirements during the emergency, meaning things like procurement rules, reporting timelines, and standard procedures can be streamlined

• Built-in safeguards: The government must report to parliament on how these powers are being used, and parliament can review how the act actually operates in practice

Official Description

Introduced with the National Emergency Declaration (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2020 to implement a recommendation of the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, the bill: establishes a framework for the declaration of a national emergency by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Prime Minister; enables ministers to suspend, vary or substitute administrative requirements in legislation they administer in certain circumstances; and enables the Prime Minister to require Commonwealth entities to report on available stockpiles, assets and resources, and options and recommendations to respond to a national emergency.

Committee Referrals

Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills

No formal division recorded

This bill passed by voice vote — parliament agreed without calling a formal count. A division is only recorded when a member explicitly requests one.

No votes yet.

No votes were recorded for this bill.