Expect the queues to fill 'er up

Spotlight on the rest

With this being the last sitting week before the winter recess (and the end of the financial year), the focus this week will be to get on with all the other business that sat mostly in the shadows of tax reform last week. The morning papers are full of 1 July: parental leave expanding to 130 days, AML obligations for accountants and property professionals kicking in, and petrol prices about to change. On that last point, Parliament has work to do. The government's 32 cent cut to fuel excise expires tonight; the Treasury Laws Amendment (Fuel Excise Relief No. 2) Bill 2026 - which replaces it with 16 cents of relief through to 2 August - is on the Senate's guillotine for today.

The third set of public hearings for the Royal Commission has also gotten underway this morning in Sydney, focusing on "dissemination of antisemitic content and other forms of hateful speech in the online environment, as well as antisemitism in traditional media and broadcasting". You can watch it live via the Royal Commission's website.

Friday's hearings

The Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs heard from a number of Commonwealth agencies, with systemic and institutional racism the dominant themes. They were pressed on what they are doing internally and how they plan to rebuild broken trust with First Nations communities.

The Joint Standing Committee on Northern Australia heard evidence covering infrastructure investment needs for critical minerals processing, green hydrogen and green ammonia. The Minerals Council of Australia made the case for a $44 billion east-west and north-south transport corridor to unlock the north's industrial potential.

The Parliamentary Joint Committee on the National Anti-Corruption Commission heard a stark assessment of the watchdog's three-year record. Geoffrey Watson of The Accountability Roundtable called it a timid and secretive "fizzer" that had diminished rather than strengthened public confidence. Fragmented whistleblower protections, leaving some public servants unprotected when disclosing to the NACC, were also raised.

The House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs heard from people with lived experience of domestic, family and sexual violence, alongside international experts from the United Kingdom comparing reporting systems, for its inquiry into the link between DFSV and suicide. Parts of the hearing were conducted in private.

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee heard evidence on a fragmented, overstretched system for sufferers of epilepsy: long waits for neurologists, limited diagnostic access and deep disparities between metropolitan and regional care.

The Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee continued its inquiry into Australia's youth justice and incarceration system, with the Canberra hearing focused on national reform needs in a system witnesses have described as increasingly punitive.

The Environment and Communications Legislation Committee heard evidence on the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for Packaging (No Time to Waste) Bill 2026 - the Greens' bill to make manufacturers fund the collection and recycling of their own packaging. Report due 6 August.

Today, in the House

Private members' business will focus (again) on tax, Medicare Urgent Care Clinics, and continued debate for the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sex-based Rights) Bill 2026, introduced by Alison Penfold (Nationals) in May. Government business centres on the Aviation Consumer Protection Bill 2026 and three related bills, scheduled to go through all stages today. Debate on the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 is also on the program. Three committee reports will be tabled:

Standing Committee on Education's inquiry into Security and prosperity in Asia: Building Asia capability in Australia through the education system and beyond

The Standing Committee on Economics' inquiry into Schemes, digital wallets and innovation in the payments sector

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works' fourth report of 2026.

In the Federation Chamber, the day will cover member contributions on plastic waste (Scamps, independent), parental leave expanding to 130 days from tomorrow (Cook, Labor), housing supply (Caldwell, Liberal), a 15% pay rise for early childhood educators (Ambihaipahar, Labor), and the Support at Home aged care transition (Conaghan, Nationals). This evening: VET funding (Smith, Labor), government taxes (continued), World Refugee Day (Witty, Labor), school education programs (Leeser, Liberal), nuclear weapons testing (Templeman, Labor), and illicit tobacco excise (Aldred, Labor).

Today, in the Senate

The Minister for Housing is required to answer questions on the Home Guarantee Scheme and first home buyer advice, resulting from a motion moved by Senator Hanson (One Nation) last week. Four bills will then go to second reading: the Secrecy Provisions Amendment (Sunsetting Provision) Bill 2026, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Delivering an Efficient and Trusted Tax System) Bill 2026, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Financial Reporting System Reform) Bill 2026, and the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026.

All remaining stages of those four bills plus the Fuel Excise Relief No. 2 Bill, the Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift Bill, and the Appropriation Bills the need to proceed - six packages that need to land before the financial year turns over.

Senator Smith (Liberal) will move to establish a select committee on cost of living and living standards. Senator Hanson (One Nation) will bring a motion relating to the Sex Discrimination Amendment (Sex-based Rights) Bill 2026 before the House.

Three ANAO reports have been tabled: an interim report for the Financial Statements audit on Key Financial Controls of Major Entities, Report No. 43 on AI use in IP Australia, and Report No. 44 on urban rivers and catchments. Also to be tabled is the final report for Treasury's Review of the Amended Unfair Contract Terms Protections.

From the committees

The Environment and Communications References Committee's triple zero inquiry, originally due to report tomorrow (30 June), has been extended by the Senate to 7 August 2026.

Two public hearings today, both in Canberra. The Joint Standing Committee on Treaties takes evidence on the inquiry into the Treaty between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia on Common Security, then turns to the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge. New inquiries under the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties were established last week, all now taking submissions until 22 July:

Agreement between Australia and Canada on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters

Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of Kiribati relating to Air Services

Agreement between the Government of Australia and the Government of the Republic of Nauru relating to Air Services

Agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Government of Australia relating to Air Services.

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Until tomorrow!

— Mia