REGULATOR LEADERSHIP COHORT
COMMUNIQUÉ
12 NOVEMBER 2025
The Regulator Leadership Cohort met on 12 November 2025.
Cohort Chair, Clare Savage, opened the meeting with an Acknowledgement of Country and by welcoming Cohort members.
The Chair moved to the skills and capability discussion where members spoke to the commonalities of the skills required within their regulators to meet their regulatory obligations and how a Regulator Capability Framework covering these common skills would support the development of the regulatory workforce and future regulatory leaders.
Members agreed to establish a working group with co-champion responsibilities for the development of the regulator capability framework being shared by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water, and the Australian Skills Quality Authority. The working group will focus its initial efforts on undertaking a thorough review of the regulatory landscape and performing a gap analysis and scoping for a whole-of-government regulator capability framework.
Kelly Wood, Assistant Secretary, Department of Finance, updated the Cohort on the progress of the Regulator Maturity Model and thanked members for their participation in the pilot and their feedback which resulted in amendments to increase usability and effectiveness. Members provided further feedback that Finance will address through the communication package for the Maturity Model, focusing on the capability building opportunity of the Model.
Assistant Secretary Wood provided an update on the Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2025 and its progression through the House of Representatives on 4 November with one amendment. The Bill is expected to be debated in the last sitting week of 2025. Assistant Secretary Wood advised that a future omnibus bill focusing on the Government’s tell-us-once agenda has commenced and invited members to contact her team to discuss possible measures for consideration.
Ben Lyons, a/g Assistant Secretary, Department of Finance, discussed the development of the Whole-of-Government Regulatory Reform Agenda to drive regulatory reform that enhances productivity and efficiency. A/g Assistant Secretary Lyons advised that Finance would like to engage further with the Cohort to explore how they, both individually as heads of regulators and as a collective cohort, can support the Government to deliver on its objectives.
The Chair introduced Tara Inverarity, First Assistant Secretary and Stephen Still, Assistant Secretary from the Attorney-General’s Department, who gave a presentation on the Regulatory Powers (Standard Provisions) Act 2014, and invited members to engage with their area for further information on the Act and how it can be used to support them in their regulatory roles.
The Cohort will meet again in early 2026 where it will continue the discussion on Regulatory Capability and trust and accountability.
Secretariat support is provided by the Risk, Claims and Regulatory Reform Division of the Department of Finance. If you would like further information, please contact APSRegulatoryReform@finance.gov.au.
