June 30, 2026
End of financial year: fuel relief passes as petrol prices rise, the Senate clears eight bills under time limits, and three House committee reports land.
Yesterday was, as indicated, going to be a content-packed day. As a consequence, today's Krafted. is noticeably longer than usual (and a little later in getting to you as a result). Let's get into it... But as an individual's headliner - petrol gets at least 16 cents a litre more expensive from midnight tonight. The cut in fuel excise extension indeed passed, with overwhelming defeat of a One Nation motion to cancel the extension.
Two new bills had first readings: the Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Amendment (Local Industry Preference) Bill 2026 and the Higher Education Support Amendment (Fix HECS) Bill 2026. The Prime Minister introduced the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 to double the maximum platform penalty from $49.5 million to $99 million and gives the eSafety Commissioner expanded enforcement tools against platforms currently under investigation.
Second reading of the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 commenced. The Coalition will not oppose in the House but has moved a second reading amendment noting average out-of-pocket GP costs have risen to a record $50.77 per visit, more than 20 per cent in two years. As slated in Private Members' business, the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sex-based Rights) Bill 2026 was debated but time expired before a vote.
The Aviation Consumer Protection Bill 2026 and three companion bills cleared the House and are into the Senate today, which given there was a Senate Committee inquiry, is unlikely to take long to find passage.
Three committee reports were tabled:
the Standing Committee on Education's final report on building Asia capability in Australia's education system found the learning and teaching pipeline in crisis. The report recommends an integrated, end to end national strategy;
the Standing Committee on Economics on schemes, digital wallets and innovation in the payments sector found Australia's system is dominated by a Mastercard-Visa duopoly charging up to 400 separate scheme fees (generating them $2 billion in a single year) while Apple, Google and Samsung now doing more than 45 per cent of all card transactions. Many recommendations have been made, including to investigate whether Apple's control of near-field communications technology is anti-competitive; and
the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works 4th report of 2026, the headline for which is endorsing ANSTO's proposal to decommission and demolish the 30-year-old National Research Cyclotron Facility at Camperdown in NSW.
Additionally, the Vanuatu Nakamal agreement, Australia's first comprehensive bilateral partnership treaty with Vanuatu, was signed by Prime Minister Albanese and Vanuatu's Prime Minister Napat.
Eight bills cleared the Senate under time limitations. The Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Sunsetting Provision) Bill 2026 passed without division, but the related and broader Repealing Offences bill remains pending. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Reporting System Reform) Bill 2026 passed 33 to 24, with Labor, the Greens and most of the crossbench voting against the Coalition. Debate ran hot on the KPMG controversy, with Senator Barbara Pocock (Greens) taking sharp note of the government's $1.3 million ethics-teaching contract with the firm.
The Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026 passed 31 to 25. Labor and the Greens voted together; the Coalition voted against alongside Senator David Pocock (independent), calling it a 'corruption risk written into law'. Their separate amendments posed were all defeated. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift) Bill 2026 passed. The Health Legislation Amendment (Improving Choice and Transparency for Private Health Consumers) Bill 2026, received from the House, passed its first and second readings.
The motion foreshadowed from Senator Hanson (One Nation) to restore the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Acknowledging Biological Reality) Bill 2024 to the notice paper was defeated 25 to 32.
The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters tables its interim report on the conduct of the 2025 federal election. A motion approving Parliamentary Zone works for the commemoration of Nangar (Jimmy Clements) and Ooloogan (George John Noble) is also before the House. The Online Safety Amendment bill (link above) resumes second reading. The Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (link above) is expected through its remaining stages today. In the Federation Chamber, the Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Amendment Bill 2026 will likely go through all stages.
Three bills are listed for second reading: the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility Amendment Bill 2026 (continuing from yesterday's debate), the Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025, and the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026. The four Aviation Consumer Protection bills arrive from the House.
Senator Bragg (Liberal) moves three orders for production of documents with a 1 July (tomorrow) compliance date - on the Housing Australia Board Chair appointment, Treasury housing supply modelling, and the not-yet-tabled government response to a 2024 committee report on ASIC's investigation and enforcement practices.
Senator McKim (Greens) will seek to introduce Anti-Discrimination Legislation Amendment (Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Sex Characteristics Discrimination Commissioner) Bill 2026. Senator Kovacic (Liberal) will move to establish a select committee on corruption in the construction industry. Senator Hodgins-May (Greens) will move to refer fossil fuel industry engagement with children and young people to the Environment and Communications References Committee.
An urgency motion from Senator Ruston (Liberal) on older Australians, the private health insurance rebate, aged care assessment algorithms and the unresolved widow tax is listed. As is a matter of public importance from Senator McKim on artificial intelligence, data centres and US tech industry influence in Australia. ANAO Report No. 45 — the Australian Taxation Office's management of small business collectable debt and a Housing Australia review to 31 December 2025 are listed for debate.
The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee's final report on the illegal tobacco crisis in Australia is due for tabling today. The Senate will also table five government responses to the:
Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee on quality of governance at Australian higher education providers (report was tabled 11 December 2025);
Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee on Australia's sanctions regime (report tabled in 11 February 2025; note the current inquiry on the effectiveness of the sanctions);
Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on Australia's thematic sanctions framework (report tabled in March 2025);
Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security on the antisemitism, hate and extremism exposure draft bill (report tabled on 20 January 2026); and
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works 3rd report of 2023 (report tabled 9 May 2023).
It's a lot! Hopefully I've made it quicker for you to navigate it all - including pulling out what you need to care about.
Know a colleague who'd find Krafted. useful? Forward this on, or point them to https://www.statekraft.au/krafted.
Until tomorrow!
— Mia
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