An Act to provide for the Creation of the Commonwealth Secretariat, to amend the Definition of Membership Classes, and for connected purposes

Preface

1. This Act will be known as the Baustralian Realms Act, Bill 9182, 2026.

Commonwealth Secretariat

2. The Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Baustralia will be assisted in the performance of their duties by an organised body within His Royal Government, known as the Commonwealth Secretariat.
3. The Commonwealth Secretariat will comprise of:
1. a representative nominated by the Sovereign;
2. the Chair-in-Office of the Commonwealth of Baustralia, hereinafter the Chair-in-Office;
3. three representatives of His Royal Government, appointed by the Sovereign at the advice of the Government;
4. two representatives from each member state of the Commonwealth, duly nominated by the ministers of the Sovereign within that respective Commonwealth state.

Chief Minister's Summit

4. At a schedule determined by the Commonwealth Secretariat, there will be convened a Commonwealth Summit.
5. The Commonwealth Summit is to be attended by official representatives from each of the member states of the Commonwealth of Baustralia, who will be duly nominated by His Majesty’s ministers in each member state.
6. When a given Commonwealth Summit begins, His Majesty’s Ministers for that Commonwealth state that is hosting the summit will designate one of the responsible Ministers for that Commonwealth state to hold the role of Chair-in-Office. The responsible ministers for that Commonwealth state will, in cases of a vacancy within the Office of Chair-in-Office designate which responsible minister for that Commonwealth state will assume the role of Chair-in-Office.
7. The summit will meet at a time and place designated by the Commonwealth Secretariat.
8. Any and all other rules, procedures, regulations and proceedings concerning the Commonwealth Summit will be decided by the adoption of a common set of standing orders, voting and instituted by the Commonwealth Secretariat.

Revisions to Existing Statute

9. Section 4a. of the Baustralian Realms Act, 2025 is amended to read:
1. There will be the following classes of membership in the Commonwealth of Baustralia
1. a “Realm” will be an entity whose legislature, executive and judiciary and government are entirely operationally independent, and is capable of maintaining its own government, judiciary and legislature as an independent entity; and
2. a “Territory” will be an entity whose legislature, executive and judiciary and government are dependent on that of the Parliament of Baustralia and His Royal Government (excluding the Kingdom of Baustralia which is a realm), and is incapable of maintaining only a limited form of its own government, judiciary and legislature as an independent entity.