A handicap that's got nothing to do with golf

Par for the course, no

The Prime Minister has held an honorary membership at Marrickville Golf Club, in his own electorate, since around 2012, and never put it on his register of interests. On Tuesday ABC News revealed (abc.net.au) the club is the only golf course in the country invited into the government's $560 million Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program (infrastructure.gov.au), and received $6.05 million for facilities upgrades.

The focus on the matter is from the Centre for Public Integrity (publicintegrity.org.au) publishing a review of the Program, finding that 73 per cent of the funding has been awarded to Labor-held seats, 23 per cent for Coalition held seats, and 45 electorates didn't receive any funds. Unsurprisingly, Question Time and three separate Senate orders for documents on the scheme ran through most of yesterday because of it; a seat-by-seat breakdown done by the ABC has been published today (abc.net.au).

Today, in the House

Four bills will have their first readings, debate to be adjourned on all of them:

• National Student Ombudsman Levy Bill 2026 and its Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency companion and funding the National Student Ombudsman through a levy on higher-education providers
• Knox Class Action (Facilitation) Bill 2026, giving legislative effect to the Knox v The Commonwealth settlement (ministers.ag.gov.au) on the so-called Robodebt scheme, among the largest class actions in Australian history at "$475 million as compensation for the harms caused to eligible Group Members by the illegal and immoral Robodebt Scheme"
• Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Illicit Tobacco Enforcement Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2026, to give effect to new Customs Act and Proceeds of Crime Act powers.

The bill slated to finish today is the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au). Yesterday's second-reading debate was interrupted four separate times, by a ministerial statement, a statement of indulgence, Question Time and a matter of public importance, and never reached a vote. New data was tabled though: 119 centres have faced departmental action since the 2024 Act came into effect, and only 55 have addressed their issues.

Also finishing today, the Criminal Code Amendment (National Sport Integrity Offences) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) comes back from the Federation Chamber unamended for a third reading. It clears the House the same week its Senate cousin, the Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au), gets its second-reading in that chamber.

Behind it, the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) resumes and is scheduled to be adjourned again. The Coalition's price for letting it through is a set of Senate amendments reflecting the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security's report: ministerial rather than AUSTRAC-CEO sign-off on the power to restrict high-risk payment mechanisms, more transparency around consultation, and a delayed 1 July 2027 start for new obligations. Australia had 23 crypto ATMs in 2019 and has more than 2,000 today, and AUSTRAC says a very high share of frequent transactions through them link to scams or money-mule activity.

The Private Health Insurance Amendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) gets its second reading, consideration in detail and third reading. In the Federation Chamber, the Domestic, Family and Sexual Violence Commission Yearly Report to Parliament (dfsvc.gov.au) comes back for a take-note debate scheduled, again, to be adjourned rather than resolved. The Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) passed its second reading uncontested in the Federation Chamber yesterday, creating a permanent Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner.

The House's Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport (aph.gov.au)'s inquiry into local government funding and fiscal sustainability is holding a public hearing in APH today.

Today, in the Senate

The Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025 (aph.gov.au), passed the House yesterday; the Opposition pushed for a Senate committee referral but was defeated 86 to 52, arrives in the Senate today as a message for concurrence. Every crossbencher in the chamber voted with the Coalition on the referral, against Labor's numbers alone. The bill carries a government-backed Haines (Independent) amendment requiring ministerial transparency whenever a carrier is exempted from the new outdoor-connectivity obligation, ahead of an industry-led disaster-roaming capability due to start in October.

The Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) passed its second reading yesterday 31 to 22 and moved straight into committee. The government's own amendments, giving the eSafety Commissioner power to summon anyone and examine them under oath (12 months' jail or roughly $364,000 in penalties for refusing), had a division called and deferred to today.

Senator Cash (Liberal) will use a general business motion for illicit tobacco, the same day Assistant Minister Hill introduces a customs enforcement bill on the same subject in the House (above), for continuance on concerns such as the more than 200 tobacco-related arsons and six homicides in Victoria alone since the trade took hold, and organised crime estimated to be clearing up to $7 billion a year from it nationally.

Three committee reporting dates were also formally extended yesterday:

• the Education and Employment Legislation Committee (aph.gov.au)'s inquiry into the Fair Work Amendment (Right to Work from Home) Bill 2025, from 14 October to 18 November
• the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee (aph.gov.au)'s inquiry into the management of Defence estate assets, from 15 September all the way out to 25 February 2027the Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee (aph.gov.au)'s inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system, by just eight days, 10 to 18 September.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights (aph.gov.au)' Report 10 of 2026, tabled in the House yesterday, comes up for formal consideration in the Senate this afternoon. The committee wants more from the Attorney-General on why a bill extending control-order duration for 14 to 17-year-olds from three months to twelve is necessary and proportionate, and it's still waiting, more than eighteen months on, for a government response to its own 2024 report on compulsory income management.

Summaries coming tomorrow.

Until tomorrow!

— Mia