National interpreting service now has its own law
The national interpreting service has helped people with little English talk to doctors, police and Triple Zero for decades. It never had a law of its own. This Act gives it one, and puts its fees on firm legal ground.
Official name: Translating and Interpreting Services Bill 2025
- The government's interpreting and translating service now has its own Act.
- The law spells out what the service does. It lets the service charge fees, as long as they are not a tax.
- Deals the government made before the law are treated as valid.
- The government says nothing changes for people who use the service.
- It became law in April 2026.
Who it affects
- People with little English: The free and paid interpreting services they use keep running as before.
- Doctors, chemists, councils and charities: They can keep using the free interpreting service to talk with clients.
- Interpreters and translators: The service can keep hiring and training them, with clear legal backing.
- Businesses and agencies that pay for interpreting: The fees they pay now rest on clear law.
Interpreting service with no law
The federal government started translating services in 1947, as migrants arrived after World War II. In 1973 it set up a phone interpreting service for people with little English.
Today it is called the Translating and Interpreting Service, or TIS National. In this article we call it the interpreting service. The Department of Home Affairs runs it. That is the federal department for borders, migration and security.
The service offers interpreting by phone, by video and in person. It also translates papers. Phone interpreting runs 24 hours a day. So people can get help with Triple Zero calls, hospitals and courts. It has a list of over 2,800 interpreters and translators in more than 150 languages.
It also runs two free services. One lets doctors, chemists, councils, real estate agents and some charities use an interpreter for free. The other translates key personal papers into English for new arrivals.
But no law ever set up the service or let it charge fees. In 2015 the Australian National Audit Office looked into it. That office checks how the government spends money. It found the department could not find any approval for how it charged. It also found the service had charged more than its costs. This Act gives the service a clear base in law.
What the service can do
The Act sets out the jobs of the head of the Home Affairs department. The head can provide or arrange interpreting and translating for the federal government. The same goes for people dealing with the federal government. It also covers state and territory governments that sign a deal.
The head can also provide services over the phone or similar links. They can provide services that mainly help migrants. They can also fill a national need that the states agree no one else would meet.
The head can train and support interpreters and translators. They can sign contracts and hire outside workers.
The Act's goals include fair access to key services for people with little English. The service can work inside and outside Australia. For example, it can help people overseas who plan to move here.
Charging fees
The head can now charge fees for the service's work. The fees must not be so high they count as a tax. A fee that is not paid becomes a debt. It can be chased in court.
Usually the government agency, charity or business that books the interpreter pays the fee. The person who needs help pays nothing. Some private businesses pass the cost on to their clients.
Say you visit a private lawyer who books one of these interpreters. The lawyer's firm gets the bill. It may choose to charge you for it.
Old deals and other rules
The service already has many deals in place, such as with state governments and private companies. The Act says any deal made before it started counts as valid. That is true even if the government lacked the legal power at the time. So this part is backdated.
The head can hand these powers to senior staff in the department. The minister can make rules to add details or new jobs. Parliament can vote those rules down.
Start date
The government brought the bill into the House of Representatives on 26 November 2025. That is the house of Parliament where the government sits. The House passed it on 5 February 2026. The Senate passed it on 1 April 2026.
The Governor-General signed it into law on 8 April 2026. The Governor-General is the King's representative in Australia. It is now Act No. 40 of 2026. It started the next day.
How they voted
| Vote | Result |
|---|---|
| Vote on a change Senate, 1 April 2026 Labor 24 no, Greens 10 aye, Liberal 5 no, One Nation 3 no, Independent 2 aye, United Australia 1 no | Noes won 33 to 12 |
| Vote on a change Senate, 1 April 2026 Labor 24 no, Greens 10 aye, Liberal 4 no, One Nation 3 no, Independent 2 aye, United Australia 1 no | Noes won 32 to 12 |
| Vote on a change Senate, 1 April 2026 Labor 23 no, Greens 10 aye, Liberal 4 no, One Nation 3 no, Independent 2 aye, United Australia 1 no | Noes won 31 to 12 |
| Vote on a change Senate, 1 April 2026 Labor 24 no, Greens 10 aye, Liberal 4 no, One Nation 3 no, Independent 2 aye, United Australia 1 no | Noes won 32 to 12 |
Its journey through Parliament
| 26 Nov 2025 | House of Representatives: Introduced and read a first time |
| 26 Nov 2025 | House of Representatives: Second reading moved |
| 04 Feb 2026 | House of Representatives: Second reading debate |
| 04 Feb 2026 | House of Representatives: Referred to Federation Chamber |
| 04 Feb 2026 | House of Representatives: Second reading debate |
| 04 Feb 2026 | House of Representatives: Second reading agreed to |
| 05 Feb 2026 | House of Representatives: Reported from Federation Chamber |
| 05 Feb 2026 | House of Representatives: Third reading agreed to |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 05 Feb 2026 | Senate: Second reading moved |
| 01 Apr 2026 | Senate: Second reading agreed to |
| 01 Apr 2026 | Senate: Third reading agreed to |
| 01 Apr 2026 | : Finally passed both Houses |
| 08 Apr 2026 | : Assent Act no : 40 Year : 2026 |