September 8, 2026
A childcare wage bill nears a vote, veterans protest the allied health cap, and the Senate takes up the social media minimum age enforcement bill as a new senator gives her first speech.
Tasmania's newest Senator, Vanessa Bleyer (Greens), gives her first speech today. She arrives to a parliament still absorbing news from much further away. The glacial lake in the Himalayas that gave way a couple of weeks ago and caused catastrophic flooding was marked by all chambers yesterday, with a Greens urgency motion in the Senate tying the tragedy to the government's 37th coal and gas project approval. Both continue today.
Closer to home, Coalition and One Nation senators used yesterday's question time to press a different grievance: veterans laid their medals down outside Parliament House to protest the government's $5,000 cap on allied health funding, and that fight gets a formal urgency motion in the Senate today. Here's where to watch.
The Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers (Special Account) (Extending Support and Strengthening Safety) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) is expected through consideration in detail and a third reading by leave. Yesterday's edition of Krafted. highlighted the pay rise aspect; further, from July 2027, services that fail the national quality standard on children's health and safety would lose eligibility for the funding, a direct response to last year's Melbourne childcare scandal. Debate so far has been entirely government backbenchers; one MP told the House the Coalition and One Nation have called the funding attached to the bill "a waste of money."
Three bills that have been queuing for weeks resume second reading: the Criminal Code Amendment (National Sport Integrity Offences) Bill 2026 (parlinfo.aph.gov.au), which creates new match-fixing offences carrying up to ten years' imprisonment and is a step toward Australia ratifying the Macolin Convention (coe.int); the Aged Care Legislation Amendment (Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Commissioner and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (parlinfo.aph.gov.au), which makes permanent the role currently held on an interim basis by Jodi Cassar (health.gov.au); and the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Amendment Bill 2026 (parlinfo.aph.gov.au), still moving six months after introduction and still drawing Law Council submissions. All three are set to be referred to the Federation Chamber once debate is next adjourned.
The Private Health Insurance Amendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) is also up: it would strip the age-based rebate uplift for people 65 and over, redirecting an estimated $3 billion over four years into aged care. The Coalition opposes it; the Senate committee reports 7 October.
In the Federation Chamber, the Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Technical Changes No. 2) Bill 2026 (parlinfo.aph.gov.au) is due to finish, through consideration in detail and report. Further statements on the Himalayan floods are also listed there.
Four bills today: the Online Safety Amendment (Strengthening Enforcement for the Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) for second reading debate, more than two months after it cleared the House; the Senate committee reported (aph.gov.au) on it only a fortnight ago. The Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Accountability for Tax Adviser Misconduct and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) moves to a vote on whether it be reported from committee. The Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) faces a vote on Senator Smith's (Liberal) second reading amendment, which would send the bill's removal of an Australian Human Rights Commission notification safeguard to the Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee, reporting tomorrow. And the Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) gets its second reading debate.
Senator Bleyer's first speech is expected this afternoon. Senator Cadell (National) brings a matter of urgency on the veterans' allied health cap, framing it as an attempt to strip $748 million from allied health care via what he calls a "review threshold"; Senator Lambie (Jacqui Lambie Network) brings a separate urgency motion calling for a pause on Defence Estate asset divestment. Senator Shoebridge (Greens) moves to refer transnational repression and foreign interference to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee, and Senator Lambie has given notice to disallow the Remuneration Tribunal (Remuneration and Allowances for Holders of Full-time Public Office) Determination 2026 (legislation.gov.au).
The Wage Justice bill (above) dominated the day's chamber time, debate running from the morning session through to the 7.30pm adjournment, mid-speech from Jordan-Baird (Labor).
Question time ran hottest on illicit tobacco. Opposition Leader Taylor (Liberal) told the House illicit tobacco now makes up around 80 per cent of the market and pointed to ten small businesses firebombed on Melbourne's Victoria Street in July, laying the blame on the government's approach. Leader of the House Burke (Labor) countered that opposition policy would only widen the price gap that fuels the black market, and cited a recent single operation covering 106 locations, 107,000 seized cigarettes and eleven store closures.
Housing also drew ire: Shadow Treasurer Wilson (Liberal) put Sydney's falling prices, "on track for the biggest crash in 40 years" on his figures, to Housing Minister O'Neil (Labor), who defended the government's own budget modelling of a roughly two per cent price effect from the negative gearing and CGT changes. Deputy Prime Minister Marles (Labor) used a question on the ANZUS alliance's 75th anniversary, marked in Washington last week, to declare the US alliance "in the very best of order."
As slated, the deferred vote from three weeks ago was finally put: Senator Shoebridge's (Greens) motion calling for "urgent reconsideration of Australia's military relationship with the United States," citing President Trump's threats toward Oman, comments on Kim Jong Un and a demanded aircraft carrier redesign, was negatived 14 to 28. Senator Lambie voted with the Greens and crossbench this time; the Coalition and Labor combined against.
As noted, the Greens urgency motion moved by Senator Waters called on the government to stop approving coal and gas projects, linking them directly to the Himalayan disaster and to Nepal's own framing of climate responsibility. Two other votes went against their movers: Senator Faruqi's (Greens) order for abattoir animal welfare incident reports was negatived 13 to 25, and Senator Allman-Payne's (Greens) bid to disallow part of the income management instrument failed on the voices.
The veterans' allied health cap produced the sharpest exchange of the day outside question time itself. Senator McGrath (LNP) used a take-note motion to describe a morning protest at Parliament House, where veterans laid down their medals in front of coalition MPs and senators, and accused the Minister for Veterans' Affairs of indifference.
The Treasury Laws Amendment (Strengthening Accountability for Tax Adviser Misconduct and Other Measures) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) had its first reading and an extensive, unconcluded second reading debate. Two private senators' bills were introduced: the Tax Laws Amendment (Incentivising Food Donations to Charitable Organisations) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) and the Diplomatic Appointments (Selection Process) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au). The Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) had its first reading in the Senate, arriving from the House.
Four bills that cleared both chambers before the recess finally closed the loop: the House agreed to Senate amendments on the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2025 (aph.gov.au), Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au), the Cash Distribution Framework Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au) and the Crimes and Other Legislation Amendment (Omnibus No. 1) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au). All four now go to the Governor-General for assent.
The Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee tabled its report on the Protecting Australians from Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au), One Nation's private senator's bill creating Federal Court exclusion orders for returning foreign fighters, tougher bail settings and a new offence for facilitating a fighter's return.
Two reporting dates were extended: the MRH90 Taipan helicopter incident inquiry (aph.gov.au) to 17 September, and the Australia's youth justice and incarceration system inquiry (aph.gov.au) to 10 September, having already tabled a progress report on 31 August.
Until tomorrow!
— Mia
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