Committees week and the Budget countdown

Welcome to Krafted.

As my very first edition, today I've joined yesterday's happenings as well as today's. From tomorrow, you'll get the daily info, first thing in your day. Parliament doesn't sit this week, but the committees are busy. Budget is eight days away, and the committee programme this week is doing the groundwork.

Yesterday

May the 4th have been with you...

The Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee held a public hearing in Canberra on the illegal tobacco crisis in Australia. If you track health, customs, or organised crime policy, this one feeds directly into the excise enforcement measures rumoured for Budget night. Key points:

• As demonstrated by submissions to the inquiry, government's position is at odds with industry on whether the tobacco excise is the key policy lever to address significant increases in illicit tobacco imports and sales.
• The Treasurer spoke straight after the hearing. Chalmers said he was "skeptical that cutting tobacco taxes in the way that Big Tobacco would like us to" would produce the outcome its proponents claim, and framed the Government's response as a compliance and law-and-order problem.
• Health groups want the debate focus on the public's access to tobacco, rather than its price.
• Budget being next week is before the committee provides its report, due by 30 June 2026.

Today

Two committee items, both from the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee — one a hearing, one a report.

1. Public hearing in Canberra: the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee's inquiry on offshore processing and resettlement arrangements. This is the inquiry that has drawn submissions from UNHCR, the Law Council, and every major refugee advocacy organisation. Today's hearing will test the Government's position on third-country processing timelines.

2. Inquiry report due to be tabled: the Senate's Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee's inquiry on the Customs Legislation Amendment (False Trade Marks Infringement Notices) Bill 2026. If you track trade, intellectual property, or customs enforcement, the committee's recommendations will shape the bill's passage when Parliament sits next week.

Both of these will matter when the House sits on Monday.

Also worth noting: four submission deadlines close on Friday. If you or your organisation has anything open with the Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit (client privacy, Age Pension, or Land 400 Phase 3) or the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security (anti-money laundering amendment), this is your final week.

If you're a Statekraft subscriber, your Nest feed tracks all committee activity for the interests you've set. After today's Krafted., you may want to update your interests to include the above activity.

Until tomorrow!

— Mia