The Australian Treasury has published an exposure draft of the Reserve Bank Regulations 2026 to replace the Reserve Bank Regulation 2016, which sunsets on 1 October 2026. The draft would preserve the prescribed secrecy declaration for members of the Reserve Bank of Australia's Monetary Policy Board, Payments System Board and Governance Board, and would continue the framework under which Reserve Bank of Australia officers may disclose protected information or produce protected documents to prescribed bodies where this assists those bodies to perform their functions or exercise their powers. The main substantive change is the addition of the Department administered by the Minister who administers the Australian Border Force Act 2015, identified in the explanatory statement as the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Office of Financial Management and the Australian Signals Directorate. The explanatory statement links these additions to cyber security incident response and management and to cooperation connected with Australian Government securities markets. The prescribed list would otherwise continue to cover the Australian Treasury, the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Bank for International Settlements, specified Bank for International Settlements committees and bodies operating under them, the Financial Stability Board and bodies operating under its Charter, the International Monetary Fund and The Treasury New Zealand. A transitional provision would allow information disclosed or obtained, and documents given or produced, before, on or after 1 October 2026 to be shared with the newly prescribed bodies. If made, the regulations would commence on 1 October 2026, repeal the 2016 regulation and sunset on 1 October 2036, subject to any extension.
Department of Treasury (Australia) 2026-05-13
Australian Treasury issues exposure draft to remake Reserve Bank regulations and add three bodies to RBA protected information-sharing list
The Australian Treasury has released an exposure draft of the Reserve Bank Regulations 2026 to replace the 2016 regulations, preserving secrecy declarations for Reserve Bank of Australia board members and the framework for disclosing protected information to prescribed bodies. The main change adds the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Office of Financial Management and the Australian Signals Directorate to the list of prescribed bodies, linked to cyber security incident response and cooperation on Australian Government securities markets. The new regulations are scheduled to commence on 1 October 2026 and sunset on 1 October 2036.