The recess sat in public, and hardly anyone was watching

What recess?! There was much to munch on during the break

While some politicians jetsetted internationally (as is usual, though some more unorthodox this time around), committee work had others heading to Perth, Darwin, Alice Springs, Brisbane, Cairns, Thursday Island, Hobart, and Canberra to conduct public hearings. As the chambers return to a very chilly Canberra today, this edition gives you a stocktake of the hearings.

Alongside, the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion ran its third and fourth hearing blocks, turning from the Bondi security failures to online hate. Dr Andre Oboler of the Online Hate Prevention Institute took the commission through roughly 500 examples each from X and Meta and 250 more across five other platforms, and told it automated moderation is failing to keep pace, with Meta's removals dropping sharply after it scaled back moderation in January last year.

One caveat on the below list: most committee transcripts for this window aren't published yet, so some detail may be missing. I'll revisit anything consequential to policy and bills once Hansard catches up through the week.

Joint committees

Inquiry into racism, hate and violence directed at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (aph.gov.au)

Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs - 13 July (Perth), 15–16 July (Darwin), 17 July (Alice Springs), 28 July (Brisbane), 29–30 July (Cairns), 31 July (Thursday Island)

In Darwin, Northern Land Council chair Matthew Ryan told the committee racism is "directed at our people every day, and it's increased", and chief executive Yuseph Deen tabled the council's social media pages as evidence, discussing what the commentary does to Aboriginal children's sense of identity.

The inquiry's reach has now included previously under-represented organisations for this and historical inquiries, as noted by Chair Senator Stewart (Labor) in the most recent hearing's close-out. The NSW Aboriginal Land Council has since requested for more hearings to ensure its geography is covered by the inquiry as well.

Inquiry into the 2025 federal election (aph.gov.au)

Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters - 5 August (Hobart)

Evidence focused on misinformation and artificial intelligence in campaigning, with Chair Laxale (Labor) putting it plainly that the spread of disinformation on social media and AI at elections "is increasing significantly". Psephologist Dr Kevin Bonham, Senator Whish-Wilson (Greens), Senator Ananda-Rajah (Labor) and former senator Catryna Bilyk (Labor) all appeared.

The committee has since scheduled the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and Advance for 21 August, with Laxale saying voters "deserve to know who is involved in campaigning at our polling booths".

Inquiry into strengthening Australia's trade and investment relations with Africa (aph.gov.au)

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (Trade Subcommittee) - 9 July (Perth)

The subcommittee heard from Curtin University, the Organisation of African Communities in Western Australia, the Australia Africa Minerals and Energy Group and Paydirt Media, which runs the Africa Down Under conference. Evidence went to Australia's mining footprint in Africa, education partnerships, and the role diaspora communities play in opening investment.

House committees

Inquiry into solar panel reuse and recycling (aph.gov.au)

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water - 3 August (Canberra)

Chair Urquhart (Labor) set the frame as managing the volume of solar panels reaching end of life while capturing the economic upside. The numbers in the written evidence are what to watch: the department's preliminary cost-benefit analysis puts a A$7.2 billion net benefit on getting this right, the Smart Energy Council calls it a A$6.5 billion opportunity, and Professor Andrew Blakers (iceds.anu.edu.au), as witness, has been rebutting the toxicity claims by pointing out a silicon panel is mostly cover glass and an aluminium frame.

Inquiry into arts and cultural philanthropy (aph.gov.au)

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Communications, the Arts and Sport - 4 August (Canberra)

• The committee brought in the Productivity Commission and Creative Australia, which tells you where this inquiry has landed: not on whether philanthropy is a good thing, but on whether the tax settings and the deductible gift recipient rules actually move money. Chair Templeman (Labor) put it as strong interest in new ways to encourage giving, and wanting to hear how the agencies think a stronger culture of arts giving gets built.
• Philanthropy Australia, Justice Connect and the Law Council have all argued the machinery case, while the Australia Institute has put in a submission titled "The arts need funding, not philanthropy", which is the argument the committee will have to answer when it reports.

Inquiry into the factors driving educational attainment (aph.gov.au)

House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education - 30 July (Canberra)

First hearing of the inquiry, and the committee spent it on the agencies rather than the sector: the Department of Education, the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority and the Australian Education Research Organisation. Chair Watts (Labor) put the question as understanding the barriers stopping students progressing, which is a wider brief than completion rates alone.

The line of questioning worth following is whether the programs governments fund are actually evidence-based, and how slowly explicit instruction and cognitive-science-informed teaching have been taken up.

Senate committees

National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au)

Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee - 30 July (Canberra), 6 August (Perth)

This is the inquiry the Greens bought eight extra weeks for, and the extra time produced the sharpest evidence of the recess. National Legal Aid, appearing through executive director Yvette D'Ath for the eight legal aid commissions, told the committee the bill would "significantly limit access to the NDIS" by creating complicated legal tests, greater ambiguity and inconsistency, and removing safeguards. Its five objections: redefining permanence so participants must exhaust treatment options rather than have lifelong impairment assessed, reassessment barriers that lock people into outdated plans, cost shifted onto families and informal supports, new debts raised while review rights are denied, and revocation provisions that could cut out people who are homeless, hospitalised or escaping domestic violence.

The Robodebt comparison was made explicitly, which matters because the government is pursuing A$38 billion in savings over four years and around 160,000 people leaving the scheme. The report is due Friday.

Cash Distribution Framework Bill 2026 (aph.gov.au)

Senate Economics Legislation Committee - 21 July (Canberra)

• Reported 7 August with three recommendations, with the third being the most urgent: pass the bills. Chaired by Senator Darmanin (Labor), the committee wants them through as a matter of urgency because the enforceable undertaking the ACCC attached to the 2023 Armaguard-Prosegur merger expires in September, leaving the company that moves 85 to 90 per cent of Australia's cash unregulated.
• Coalition senators added comments rather than dissenting, backing the object while objecting to the money: the Treasurer can release up to A$400 million per crisis event from consolidated revenue, the cap is per event rather than lifetime, the authorisation cannot be disallowed by the Parliament, and the bill contains no cost recovery mechanism at all. Their most arresting detail came from the Transport Workers' Union: cost pressure has single-crew operators driving millions of dollars through Australian cities in unmarked Hyundai i30s.

Inquiry into Productivity in Australia (aph.gov.au)

Select Committee on Productivity in Australia - 20 July, 29 July and 30 July (Canberra)

Three hearing days inside a fortnight, and the committee spent them on the supply side of the economy. The population related terms of reference became an argument about temporary migration, with some witnesses noting the near doubling of temporary migrants from about a million in 2007 to 1.9 million by 2023 with no material adjustment to underlying structures affected by such an increase.

As a quick note before you head to the regular edition of Krafted. for today. This morning's Newspoll has Labor's primary vote at 29 per cent, its lowest since June 2013, with One Nation level at 29 and the Coalition on 18; and the political press spent the weekend on the NDIS savings target and gambling bill negotiations. Both of those were in focus over the past five weeks, which is where the detail sits as the chambers resume.

— Mia