Recent politicians would be barred from top diplomat jobs
Senator Fatima Payman wants expert panels to pick Australia's most wanted ambassador jobs. Ambassadors speak for Australia in other countries. Anyone who sat in a Parliament in the last 10 years would be banned from those jobs.
Official name: Diplomatic Appointments (Selection Process) Bill 2026
- Former MPs from any Australian Parliament could not get some top diplomatic jobs for 10 years.
- A panel of 3 experts would say who should get those jobs. The minister would have to accept it.
- Party staff and MPs who left long ago could still apply, with limits and written reasons.
- If panels get stuck twice and the minister picks someone with political links, both houses of Parliament must approve.
Who it affects
- Former federal, state and territory MPs: They could not be given the listed diplomatic jobs until 10 years after leaving Parliament.
- Political staff and party officials: They could still be considered, but only in small numbers and with written reasons.
- The Foreign Minister, who handles dealings with other countries: They would lose the power to choose freely who fills the top diplomatic jobs.
- Career diplomats, who make diplomacy their lifelong job: Most jobs would not change. The top jobs would be filled through expert panels.
Politicians handed ambassador jobs
A diplomat is a person who speaks for Australia in another country. The top diplomat in a country is called an ambassador.
Senator Fatima Payman brought this bill to the Senate on 7 September 2026. It is a private bill. That means it does not come from the government.
She wrote notes that explain the bill. They point to falling trust in government. A long-running survey called the Australian Election Study found that 48% of Australians trusted people in government in 1996. By 2025 that had dropped to 32%.
The notes say one cause is a pattern. Former politicians, and people close to politics, keep getting diplomatic jobs. The notes say they may not be the best person for the job.
Right now, the government alone picks diplomats.
Which jobs it covers
Most diplomatic jobs would not change. The bill only covers a list of top jobs.
These are the jobs former politicians and their staff have been given over the last 20 years. The list is based on research by the Parliamentary Library, which helps all MPs and takes no side.
The notes confirm the list includes Australia's top diplomat at the United Nations, in both New York and Geneva in Switzerland. The minister could add more jobs to the list.
Two kinds of political links
The bill sorts people into two groups. The first group is people who sat in a federal, state or territory Parliament in the last 10 years. They could not be given a listed job, or fill in for one.
The second group is people with strong political links. It covers people who left Parliament more than 10 years ago.
It also covers anyone who has worked for a minister, or for a leading MP in a party out of government. It also covers anyone who has worked for, or held a post in, a registered political party.
People in this second group could still get a listed job. But they would face extra checks.
Say a state MP retires in 2027. They could not be named ambassador to a listed job until 2037. A former adviser to a minister could be looked at sooner, with reasons given.
Expert panels pick
For each listed job, the minister would set up a panel of 3 people. Together they must have the right mix of skills and know-how in diplomacy.
Within 7 days, the minister must give the panel a list of 2 to 10 people. A short list of 2 to 4 can include at most one person with strong political links. A longer list can include at most two.
Each of these people needs a written reason why they suit the job anyway.
The panel has 2 months to choose. All 3 members must be at the meeting, and at least 2 must agree. The minister must then appoint the person the panel picks.
Only one panel can work on a job at a time. This stops a government from setting up panel after panel until one picks its favourite.
When panels cannot agree
If a panel cannot agree, it hands the job back to the minister. Any later panel for that job can only be given 2 or 3 names. That makes it easier to agree.
If at least two panels fail, the minister can choose someone directly.
If that person has no strong political links, the minister must explain the choice in each house of Parliament. This must happen within 5 days that Parliament sits.
If the person does have strong political links, both the Senate and the House of Representatives, the larger house of Parliament, must first vote yes.
Acting ambassadors and rule breaches
Sometimes a job needs someone to fill in at short notice. The minister could put in an acting head without a panel. But that person could not have political links of either kind.
If someone is appointed against these rules, the minister must end the job as soon as possible.
Waiting in the Senate
The law would start the day after the Governor-General signs it. The Governor-General is the King's stand-in in Australia.
It would only apply to jobs that start at least 12 months later. This gives time to set up the new system.
The bill was put to the Senate on 7 September 2026. A vote on its main idea was proposed the same day. It has not been voted on.
It would need to pass the Senate and then the House of Representatives to become law.
Its journey through Parliament
| 07 Sep 2026 | Senate: Introduced and read a first time |
| 07 Sep 2026 | Senate: Second reading moved |