Australia's Department of the Treasury has published an exposure draft of the Cash Distribution Framework Bill 2026 for feedback, proposing a new regulatory regime for cash distribution intended to support ongoing access to cash nationwide. The draft would allocate new responsibilities to the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). Under the draft, the RBA would be able to designate entities with a significant role in the cash distribution system and set cash distribution and resolvability standards, supported by expanded information-gathering and directions powers. The ACCC would oversee pricing and other terms in service and access agreements for critical cash distribution services, approve or determine standard terms, set service-level standards, and administer an arbitration framework for disputes, alongside reporting and record-keeping requirements and a statutory obligation for covered providers to negotiate in good faith. Crisis provisions would give the RBA tools to manage major disruptions, including statutory management and compulsory transfers of business or shares, with a mechanism for the Minister (with the Finance Minister’s approval) to authorise funding for continuity of critical services within a total cap of AUD 400 million. The release follows a Council of Financial Regulators and ACCC consultation on cash distribution reform held from 16 July to 15 August 2025, with the consultation paper and public submissions available via the Council of Financial Regulators website.
Department of Treasury (Australia) 2026-04-22
Australia's Department of the Treasury consults on Cash Distribution Framework Bill 2026 giving the RBA crisis powers and the ACCC oversight of cash distribution agreements
Australia’s Department of the Treasury has released an exposure draft Cash Distribution Framework Bill 2026 proposing a new regime to support nationwide access to cash, assigning new responsibilities to the Reserve Bank of Australia and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. The RBA would designate key cash distribution entities, set distribution and resolvability standards, and deploy crisis tools including statutory management and compulsory transfers, while the ACCC would regulate pricing and terms for critical services, set service-level standards, and administer an arbitration framework, with potential government funding for continuity of critical services capped at AUD 400 million.