Now lawDefence & Security Introduced in the House of Representatives, 27 Nov 2025

Veterans' suicide watchdog moved over without losing work

The watchdog on veteran suicide got its own law. This second law cleared out the old rules. It made sure ongoing investigations, staff and search warrants carried straight over. A search warrant is a judge's okay to search a place.

Official name: Defence and Veterans’ Service Commissioner (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025

Who it affects

• Veterans, serving members and families: Investigations into veteran suicide keep going without delay during the switch to the new law.
• The watchdog's staff and its acting head: They keep their jobs on the same terms.
• People already ordered to appear by the watchdog: They must still turn up or hand over papers under the new law.
• Researchers and historians: Old records of the watchdog can still be released under archive law once they are old enough.

Commission sat inside Defence Act

A Royal Commission looked into suicide among Defence and veterans. A Royal Commission is a powerful public investigation. It reported on 9 September 2024. It asked for a lasting body to help cut suicide among serving and former Defence Force members. That body would also watch over the changes the Royal Commission asked for.

Parliament set up the Defence and Veterans' Service Commission in February 2025. It did this by adding a new part to the Defence Act 1903, the main law for the armed forces. The new watchdog started work on 29 September 2025.

A group of senators then said the watchdog should have its own law. That would make it clearly separate from Defence. The government brought in two bills in response.

The main one is the Defence and Veterans' Service Commissioner Bill. It sets out the job and powers of the person in charge. It makes the watchdog more independent. It gives new powers to enter government offices and demand papers in special investigations.

This bill is the partner bill. Its job is the tidy-up work that lets the main law take over cleanly. It has two parts.

Removing the old rules

Part 1 cancels the section of the Defence Act that first created the watchdog. Once the new law of its own starts, the old rules are no longer needed.

Spy watchdog can share information

The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security is the watchdog that checks on Australia's spy agencies. It holds very secret facts.

This law lets the spy watchdog and its staff give facts or papers to the veterans' watchdog. The facts must be useful to the veterans' watchdog's work. The spy watchdog must also be sure the veterans' watchdog has proper ways to protect them.

The government says this lets the veterans' watchdog see everything useful to a special investigation. Secrets still stay safe.

Old records stay open

The head of the veterans' watchdog can order that some things must not be published. This protects things like the private details of grieving families.

This law adds a rule to the Archives Act 1983. That law decides when old government records become public. Once the watchdog's records are old enough, archive law applies to them as normal. An order not to publish does not stop their release at that point.

Work carries over

Part 2 makes sure nothing is lost in the switch. Anything the watchdog did under the old rules counts as if it were done under the new law.

Investigations already under way keep going. Say the watchdog has spent months looking at how veterans move back to normal life. It does not have to start again on day one of the new law.

A request from the Minister for an investigation stays in force. So does a decision that an investigation is a special one, with stronger powers.

Some reports were already given to the Minister but not yet shown to Parliament. They must still go to Parliament. Under the new law that is within 15 sitting days, which are days Parliament meets.

Orders to appear or hand over papers still count. A person who ignores one can still face a criminal charge. Requests for search warrants waiting for a judge stay alive. Warrants not yet used can still be carried out.

Deals with spy agencies about keeping secret facts safe carry over. So do orders that ban publishing sensitive things.

The acting head stays on for the rest of their term. Staff move across on the same pay and conditions, with no break in their jobs.

Start date

The government brought the bill to the House of Representatives, Parliament's main house, on 27 November 2025. It came from the Prime Minister's area of government. The House passed it on 11 February 2026.

The Senate, Parliament's second house, passed it with no changes on 30 March 2026. The Governor-General, who stands in for the King, signed it into law on 1 April 2026. It became Act No. 28 of 2026, its official law number.

It starts at the same moment as the main law for the watchdog. That is a date the government sets. If no date is set within 6 months of it becoming law, it starts on 1 October 2026 at the latest.

Its journey through Parliament

Official sources

• Bill page on aph.gov.au
• Text of the bill
• Explanatory memorandum
• Bills Digest

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