August 13, 2026
The government introduces its news bargaining package, a charge on platforms' Australian ad revenue, as both Houses clear the decks; the NDIS inquiry report is due tomorrow.
Communications Minister Anika Wells turns the Parliament's attention today to Australian journalism, introducing the News Journalism Payments Bill 2026 and its consequential companion, then Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino follows with the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026, the News Media Bargaining Charge Bill 2026 and a Treasury Laws consequential bill (links not available yet).
The design is a charge on Australian advertising revenue that platforms pay at a lower rate if they strike commercial deals with news businesses, and at a higher one if they don't. The package arrives with Coalition support already in hand.
Beyond that, the day is about clearing the decks before both Houses rise until Monday. Here's where to watch.
Beyond the media bills, the Federation Chamber returns the Biosecurity Amendment (Improving Operational Efficiency) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) and the Wine and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) without amendment for third reading by leave. The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) is set up to run all the way through to third reading by leave, with a Governor-General's message on appropriation to be announced. Its Senate inquiry still runs to 3 September. Leader of the House Tony Burke also moves to lift the time limit on the take-note debate for the Education committee's Building Asia Capability (aph.gov.au) report.
The Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) returns for cognate second reading debate with the National Self-Exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au), ahead of adjourning. Two amendments moved yesterday are still live. Chaney (independent) wants the House to note that the Social Policy and Legal Affairs committee's unanimous and highly anticipated You Win Some, You Lose More (aph.gov.au) report called for a full phase-out of online gambling advertising, a national regulator and a ban on inducements, and that the government has not delivered them. Watson-Brown (Greens) has amended Chaney's amendment to decline the bill a second reading altogether.
The Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme for Packaging (No Time to Waste) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) (Whish-Wilson, Greens) gets second reading debate, the Crimes omnibus bill (aph.gov.au) returns to committee, the Cash Distribution bills arrive from the House, and the Customs Tariff Amendment (Incorporation of Proposals) Bill (No. 1) 2026 (aph.gov.au) and Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) resume second reading. Three bills are flagged for introduction:
Two committee extensions are also to be authorised: the illegal tobacco inquiry (aph.gov.au) moves from today to 28 August, and the aviation sector inquiry (aph.gov.au) from 13 October to 3 December.
The morning opened with the Opposition's suspension motion on the Prime Minister and the Japanese Prime Minister. The government moved to adjourn the debate and won the division 88 to 41.
The Cash Distribution Framework Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) and its transitional companion passed the House with 23 government amendments. Most of them do one job: carve out cash-related contractual chain orders under the Fair Work Act so that pay orders covering cash-in-transit drivers take precedence over the new obligations. Two Therapeutic Goods bills on medicines shortages also cleared their third readings.
Three new bills went in: the Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026, the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 and the Passenger Movement Charge Amendment Bill 2026.
The Greens tried to get the NDIS bill (aph.gov.au) inquiry another three months and failed. Steele-John (Greens) moved that Community Affairs table an interim report tomorrow and a final one on 13 November. It went down 11 to 35. So the report lands tomorrow as scheduled, in full, and the bill itself was received from the House later in the day with second reading debate opened.
The Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus No. 1) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) reached the committee stage after Cash's (Liberal) second reading amendment failed 25 to 34. Her argument was a sequencing one: the bill strips the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission of its data disruption warrant powers, and that change belongs in the ACIC bill already before the Parliament, where the intelligence and security committee can look at it.
McKim's (Greens) urgency motion for a minimum 25 per cent tax on gas exports, moved by Hodgins-May (Greens), was negatived 11 to 30. Again the Greens and David Pocock (independent) were alone in the ayes, with Labor, the Coalition and One Nation voting it down together.
One order for documents did get up, 36 to 24: Bragg's (Liberal) demand for APRA's internal correspondence since October last year on what the five per cent deposit scheme is doing to high loan-to-value lending risk. The Greens and most of the crossbench voted with the Coalition. The papers are due by midday tomorrow. Also:
The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights tabled scrutiny report No. 9 of 2026 (aph.gov.au) in the House yesterday and it comes to the Senate today. Its finding on the NDIS bill is the one to read before tomorrow's inquiry report lands: the committee concluded there is a significant risk that many of the measures, particularly the tighter test for permanence and the reduced availability of supports, may not be compatible with the rights of people with disability, the rights of the child and the rights to an adequate standard of living, health and social security. On the Defence Force Discipline Amendment (RCDVS Implementation and Related Measures No. 1) Bill 2026, it wants the government to run a foundational human rights assessment of chapter 2 of the Criminal Code before building a Defence mental health tribunal on top of it.
The Economics Legislation Committee also reports today on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) provisions, tabled but not available for debate. Government responses land on the Defence annual report 2023-24 and on the Customs Legislation Amendment (False Trade Marks Infringement Notices) Bill 2026.
Two public hearings in Parliament House today: the House Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport on local government funding and fiscal sustainability (aph.gov.au), and the Foreign Affairs and Aid Subcommittee of the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade on the role of Australia's international development program in preventing conflict (aph.gov.au). The Environment and Communications Legislation and References Committees meet today, as does the Select Committee on Intergenerational Housing Inequity.
In Sydney, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion runs the second last day of its eighth hearing block (asc.royalcommission.gov.au), on the drivers of antisemitism and radicalisation. The ninth and final block starts Monday and runs to 28 August.
An apology for not getting to three reports tabled on Tuesday. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security's advisory report on the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) found cryptocurrency ATMs are a significant channel for scams and financial crime, and asked the Minister to treat restricting or prohibiting them, on the AUSTRAC chief executive's advice, as a priority. The bill sits at No. 4 on the House notice paper. The Community Affairs report on the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) and the Productivity committee's interim report also landed.
That wraps the sitting week and both Houses are back Monday. But the Community Affairs report on the NDIS bill lands tomorrow, so I'll be back with it.
Until tomorrow!
— Mia
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