July 2, 2026
The final sitting day before recess: the House refuses to hand over NACC appointment documents, rejects 39 NDIS amendments and lines up votes on health, universities and tax bills.
After National Anti-Corruption Commissioner Paul Brereton confirmed he's leaving the role on 6 July, yesterday the House voted 93 to 45 to knock back a Senate order requiring the Attorney-General to hand over all documentation on the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner candidates and let the oversight committee interview them in camera.
The NDIS reforms had its most fractious day yet as well. Monique Ryan (Independent) named constituents to argue the bill is more about pushing people off the scheme. All of the cross-bench's 39 amendments were voted down, mostly on Labor's numbers alone with the Coalition largely sitting silent. The government's version of the bill was agreed to, but the House voted 90 to 33 (Labor for, Coalition against) to push the third reading to the next sitting.
The National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 dominated the day (see above). Earlier, the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 passed with less fanfare: the counter-amendment from Ryan (Independent) calling for a full gambling advertising ban was defeated. The government used the debate to flag its own Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026, to be introduced today, plus a "digital duty of care" to come later this year.
As slated, the Attorney-General introduced the Administrative and Judicial Review Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, giving the Administrative Review Tribunal more power to give reasons for decisions orally, dismiss weak applications and require identity verification for migration and protection reviews. The Health Legislation Amendment (Prescribing of Pharmaceutical Benefits) Bill 2025 bounced back from the Senate carrying an unrelated schedule extending prescribing rights to podiatrists; the House disagreed with the addition and sent it back, setting up today's vote.
The Greens' bill to reverse the job-ready graduates fee hikes was defeated 11 to 30, Labor and the Coalition voting together against it, despite Greens Senator Faruqi and Senator David Pocock (Independent) citing a Treasury paper estimating some humanities graduates won't clear their debt until their 40s.
Senator Barbara Pocock's (Greens) push to disallow the Treasury Laws Amendment (Payday Superannuation) Regulations 2026 also failed, with the Coalition again siding with the government. The debate turned personal with the President calling Senators Shoebridge and McKim (both Greens) to order several times for interjecting, and threatened to eject them both.
In the Competition and Consumer Amendment (Unfair Trading Practices) Bill 2026 debate, Senator Canavan (National) flagged conditional support but foreshadowed an amendment delaying the start date for small businesses (turnover under $10 million), on the basis of Treasury estimates the changes will cost $123 million a year and 80 per cent of it falling on small business.
New bills go in: the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 and a companion self-exclusion register bill (Wells, Independent), two Cash Distribution Framework bills and a tax adviser misconduct bill (Mulino, Labor), and two therapeutic goods bills covering medicine shortages (Butler, Labor). The Federation Chamber returns the Defence Legislation Amendment (RCDVS Implementation No. 2) Bill and the Statute Update bill without amendment, for third reading by leave.
Government business is trying to clear the notice paper before the break: votes are expected on the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments) Bill, the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 and the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Bill, all through to third reading if time allows.
First order of business is finishing what last night's clock ran out on: a vote on the message disagreeing to the Senate's podiatrist-prescribing amendment to the pharmaceutical benefits bill (link above). The Restoring Human Override for Aged Care Needs Assessments bill gets a second-reading debate, and the Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave) Legislation Amendment Bill gets its second reading. The Unfair Trading Practices bill moves to committee stage.
Formal motions include referrals to committee from Bragg (Liberal) on foreign currency loans, Pocock (Independent) on bills amending the Interactive Gambling Act and Shoebridge (Greens) on Universal Periodic Review - plus a long list of opposition and crossbench orders for documents, including Shoebridge's latest on the NACC appointments process. One Nation's Hanson gets a general business slot on grocery prices before the Senate also rises for the recess.
The Joint Standing Committee on the NDIS tables its report on the integrity of the scheme, with Coker (Labor) making a statement. The Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee's hotly awaited report on offshore processing and resettlement arrangements will also be tabled.
Two public hearings in Canberra close out the fortnight: the House Standing Committee on Primary Industries on social licence and critical minerals projects, and the House Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport on local government funding and fiscal sustainability. In Sydney, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion continues its third hearing (through to 10 July).
This fortnight has been hectic and as promised, tomorrow I will recap the sitting period thematically - this will help with the long list of business, but also position you to anticipate what the parliamentarians will likely focus on during the recess.
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Until tomorrow!
— Mia
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