The government’s announced withdrawal of three high-profile transparency bills did not take place at Parliament yesterday, leaving the Access to Information Bill, the Code of Conduct Bill and the Accountability and Transparency Commission Bill still formally before the House. Speaker Filimone Jitoko told MPs the motion by Acting Attorney‑General Siromi Turaga to withdraw the trio — listed as the second schedule on the day’s business — was not moved and the sitting moved straight to adjournment.
Turaga told Parliament the government still intends to withdraw the bills at a later date, describing them as a “work in progress” and part of an ongoing review across a busy legislative programme. He said discussions within the government caucus and coordination with several ministries had led to the decision to hold off, and stressed that previous administrations had also reviewed and withdrawn bills during the legislative process. “There are always very busy government priorities in terms of legislation programs and competing demands,” he said, adding that a number of measures introduced last year remain under consideration by parliamentary committees.
Because the withdrawal motion was never put, the three bills remain before the House under Standing Order 90, which governs the formal withdrawal of legislation. That standing order requires a specific motion to be moved for a bill to be taken off the parliamentary agenda; without it, the legal status of the measures is unchanged and further parliamentary procedures — including committee scrutiny or later withdrawal — remain possible.
The trio of bills have been framed by proponents as central to improving public sector accountability and openness. The Access to Information Bill was designed to give citizens a statutory right to government information; the Code of Conduct Bill to set clearer ethical standards for public officials; and the Accountability and Transparency Commission Bill to establish an independent body to oversee and enforce integrity in public office. Their fate has been keenly watched by civil society and media groups advocating stronger transparency safeguards.
Turaga told MPs the government’s law‑making chambers are continuing to work with ministries to progress legislation and to “improve the pace of the Government’s law‑making program,” but that the final form of the three bills had not been determined. “It’s still a work in progress and it’s not been finalised. So I think it’s premature to comment on the final shape it will become,” he said, reiterating that the measures remain part of the government’s legislative agenda and warning against premature assumptions.
Parliament is scheduled to reconvene on Monday, April 27, 2026, when MPs may expect further movement on the legislative timetable. Until a formal motion to withdraw is moved and carried, or the bills are reintroduced in revised form, they will technically remain before the House and subject to whatever scrutiny or amendment processes the government and parliamentary committees decide to pursue.
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