Foreign Relations Bill set to increase federal government
oversight of state and territory arrangements
Last week, Australia s Foreign Relations (State and
Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 (
Bill) passed
both houses, bringing state and territory government arrangements
with foreign territories within the domain of federal government
oversight.
The Bill is intended to ensure consistency between state and
territory arrangements and the broader national interest by
allowing the federal government to veto arrangements that are
inconsistent with Australia s foreign policy or that may
adversely affect relations with a foreign country. The Bill means
that the federal government will be able to ensure that state and