Parliament has unanimously agreed to fast-track the Statistics Bill 2026 to committee scrutiny, the latest development in a bid to overhaul Fiji’s legal framework for official statistics. Lawmakers from both the government and opposition backed the move last night, signalling cross-party support for modernising the long-standing Statistics Act of 1961.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told Parliament the bill seeks to bring Fiji’s statistical system into the digital age and align it with international standards. He said the proposed law would strengthen coordination, improve data quality and confidentiality, and make statistical systems more responsive to evidence-based policymaking and national development. “What gets measured gets managed,” Rabuka said, adding the bill “lays the foundation for a stronger, smarter and more accountable Fiji by ensuring that national decisions are guided by credible data, trusted institutions and evidence-based planning.”
Although the bill was processed under Standing Order 51 — a procedure that can limit debate — Opposition Leader Inia Seruiratu welcomed its referral to a parliamentary committee. Seruiratu said committee consideration will allow MPs to undertake their own consultations and have input into the drafting before the legislation returns to the floor. He also raised a practical challenge that could blunt the law’s impact: a shortage of qualified statisticians in Fiji. “The best people to handle statistics are qualified statisticians, and there is a shortage of qualified statisticians,” he told Parliament, stressing that reliable data are essential for sound policy formulation and development planning.
Government MP Professor Biman Prasad emphasised the bill’s potential to bolster the independence and credibility of the Fiji Bureau of Statistics. Prasad argued official statistics should be accessible not only to government ministries but also to researchers, academics and non‑governmental organisations to support analysis and policy decisions. His remarks echoed the bill’s stated aims of opening official data while safeguarding confidentiality and improving coordination across agencies.
Parliament moved unanimously to refer the bill to the Standing Committee on Justice, Law and Human Rights, which is expected to scrutinise the draft and report back at the next sitting of Parliament. Only after the committee returns its report will the measure be debated and put to a vote. The committee stage will provide the formal opportunity for submissions, expert input and potential amendments that could shape how the new law addresses capacity constraints, data access and privacy protections.
Supporters say the 1961 Act is overdue for revision as government and private-sector decision-making increasingly rely on digital data and timely statistics. Opponents and some analysts have previously cautioned that legal reform must be matched by investments in technical capacity and institutional independence to produce the credible statistics the country requires. Parliament’s unanimous decision to fast-track the bill, coupled with committee scrutiny, sets a clear path forward: a concentrated period of review followed by parliamentary debate and a final vote when the committee report is tabled.