October 13, 2026
The Universities Accord bill hits a constitutional snag over appropriation amendments, the tobacco bill runs out of clock, and an MP's subpoena raises a parliamentary privilege question.
Yesterday opened with a bang and ended in loose ends: an education bill with a constitutional hiccup, a tobacco bill that ran out of clock, and an independent MP's subpoena that is returnable in court on Wednesday. And, in a somewhat unusual move, the Joint Select Committee on Artificial Intelligence wrote, mid-inquiry, to the Prime Minister last night recommending independent safety checks inside AI companies, early access to new models for security agencies and a copyright review. The Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion also announced an additional closed-door hearing. Here's where to watch.
The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 moved quickly, with the Senate passing it with amendments. The House then agreed to all 43 of the Senate's amendments with the exception of amendment 36, which seeks to widen what providers can spend their equity funding on, and substituted identical wording. The Deputy Speaker said the amendment touches s53 of the Constitution by changing the destination of appropriated money, while the Senate's presiding officer had ruled it a proper amendment rather than a request. The Senate must now deal with the House's replacement wording, slated for today.
The Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 is back from the Senate, which passed it with one amendment from Senator Ruston (Liberal). It says rules allowing computer programs to take incentive-payment decisions must specify provisions at section level or lower. The Senate also agreed two second-reading amendments that do not change the bill: Ruston's condemning the government over Medicare promises (35–22) and Senator Steele-John's (Greens) calling for telehealth rules to be updated (34–23).
The Customs and Other Legislation Amendment (Illicit Tobacco Enforcement Modernisation and Other Measures) Bill 2026 didn't complete yesterday. Today it is listed to resume with votes on the amendments, then second reading, consideration in detail and third reading. The Carbon Credits and Other Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Transparency) Bill 2026 returned from the Federation Chamber yesterday. Tehan's (Liberal) amendment would decline it a second reading, citing the government's 10 September Senate deal, and Joyce (One Nation) would add a call to repeal transitional capital gains tax discounts for foreign investors disposing of large renewable assets. The Senate committee inquiry still has until 24 November to report.
The Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Iran and Syria) Bill 2026, introduced yesterday, is expected to pass by leave today. It registers eight sanctioned-goods instruments from 2012 to 2016, originally published as gazette notices, as legislative instruments, to put their validity and enforceability beyond doubt.
Wilkie (Independent) raised a matter of privilege yesterday: he has been subpoenaed by the Federal Court in Whykes v Swan, returnable on Wednesday, that he says is broad enough to reach documents from his work as a member, including material tied to proceedings of Parliament.
Two bills are in the Federation Chamber for today: the Private Health Insurance (National Joint Replacement Register Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 and the Sport Legislation Amendment (World Anti-Doping Code Implementation) Bill 2026. The Prime Minister will also move a condolence motion for Michael Tate, a former Labor minister and senator.
The Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026 opens today with the vote on Senator Steele-John's (Greens) second-reading amendment, moved for Senator Allman-Payne (Greens), calling for the Integrated Assessment Tool to be abolished and co-payments ended. A One Nation second-reading amendment on conscientious objection to voluntary assisted dying in aged care is also foreshadowed. The bill's contested part is Schedule 4, an escalation pathway for assessors who think the assessment algorithm has got a case wrong.
The Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2026, which lets the AUSTRAC CEO restrict or prohibit high-risk products such as crypto ATMs, arrived yesterday and had its debate adjourned. Senator D Smith (Liberal) introduced the Census and Statistics Amendment (Parliamentary Oversight of the Census) Bill 2026, which would create a Parliamentary Joint Committee on the Census to review each Census within 18 months of Census Day; debate was adjourned.
Also listed: committee stage of the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2026, and second-reading debate on the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2026 and the Telecommunications Amendment (Enhancing Consumer Safeguards) Bill 2025.
Two urgency motions are listed: Senator McDonald (Nationals) on rejecting Scope 3 emissions in approvals, and D Pocock (Independent) on funding invasive species management, which he puts at about $25 billion a year in costs. Yesterday, the Senate agreed Senator Cash's (Liberal) urgency motion on credit card surcharges (32–22), while the Greens' motion for publicly owned supermarkets failed 11–30. The Intergenerational Report 2026 (to 2066) and the Final Budget Outcome 2025–26 are among documents up for debate; I'll provide a sense of what transpired given their relevance to housing, cost of living and deficit management in the lead up to the Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook, released before Christmas.
One public hearing is on today: the Select Committee on Women's Health. Reports due to be tabled today, summaries tomorrow:
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Until tomorrow!
— Mia
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