Competition and Consumer Amendment (Responding to Exceptional Circumstances) Bill 2026

The majority voted against an amendment introduced by Queensland Senator Matthew Canavan (LNP), which means it failed. The amendment would have changed the wording of the usual second reading motion, which is the "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill).

Amendment text

Omit all words after “That”, substitute “the bill be referred to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 22 June 2026, with particular reference to:

(a) whether the existing Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) powers are genuinely inadequate;

(b) whether the Treasurer’s declaration power is too broad;

(c) whether ACCC exemptions should be disallowable;

(d) whether transparency requirements are strong enough;

(e) whether the retrospective start date is justified;

(f) whether the powers are properly limited in time and scope; and

(g) whether there should be stronger sunset and review mechanisms”.