The House met, at 9 am, pursuant to adjournment. The Speaker (the Honourable M. Dick) took the Chair, made an acknowledgement of country and read prayers.

Women’s Health Week —STATEMENT ON A SIGNIFICANT MATTER— Reference to Federation Chamber

Ms White (Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care), pursuant to notice, made a statement in relation to Women’s Health Week.

Mrs McIntosh addressed the House in reply.

Ms White moved—That further statements on Women’s Health Week be permitted in the Federation Chamber.

Question—put and passed.

National Symbols —STATEMENT ON A SIGNIFICANT MATTER— Reference to Federation Chamber

Mr Gorman (Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister), pursuant to notice, made a statement in relation to national symbols.

Mr Wallace addressed the House in reply.

Mr Gorman moved—That further statements on national symbols be permitted in the Federation Chamber.

Question—put and passed.

Freedom of Information Amendment Bill 2025

Ms Rowland (Attorney-General), pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to amend the law relating to access to information, and for related purposes.

Document

Ms Rowland presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

Ms Rowland moved—That the bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned (Ms Bell), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Administrative Review Tribunal and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2025

Ms Rowland (Attorney-General), pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to amend the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 and the Migration Act 1958 , and for related purposes.

Document

Ms Rowland presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

Ms Rowland moved—That the bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned (Mr Birrell), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Australian Centre for Disease Control Bill 2025

Mr Butler (Minister for Health and Ageing), pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to establish the Australian Centre for Disease Control, and for related purposes.

Document

Mr Butler presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

Mr Butler moved—That the bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned (Mr Birrell), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Australian Centre for Disease Control (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2025

Mr Butler (Minister for Health and Ageing), pursuant to notice, presented a Bill for an Act to deal with consequential amendments and transitional matters arising from the enactment of the Australian Centre for Disease Control Act 2025 , and to make other amendments of related legislation.

Document

Mr Butler presented an explanatory memorandum to the bill.

Bill read a first time.

Mr Butler moved—That the bill be now read a second time.

Debate adjourned (Mr Birrell), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Treaties—Joint Standing Committee —REPORT—STATEMENTS BY MEMBERS

Ms Chesters (Chair) presented the following document:

Treaties—Joint Standing Committee—Report 227: Nauru-Australia Treaty; Radio Regulations WRC-23—Report, September 2025.

In accordance with standing order 39(e) the report was made a Parliamentary Paper.

Ms Chesters and Ms McKenzie, by leave, made statements in connection with the report.

MEMBERS’ STATEMENTS

Members’ statements were made.

QUESTIONS

Questions without notice being asked—

Member directed to leave

At 2.16 pm the Member for La Trobe ( Mr Wood ) was directed, under standing order 94, to leave the Chamber for one hour for interjecting and he accordingly left the Chamber.

Questions without notice continued.

Auditor-General’s Report

The Speaker presented the following document:

Auditor-General—Audit report No. 2 of 2025-26—Performance audit—Effectiveness of the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission’s regulatory functions: NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission.

The document was made a Parliamentary Paper.

DOCUMENTS

The following documents were presented:

Airservices Australia—Corporate plan for 2025-26.

Crimes Act 1914— Commonwealth Ombudsman’s report to the Minister for Home Affairs on agencies’ compliance with Part IAAA of the Act—Report for the period 1 July to 31 December 2024.

Export Control Act 2020— Livestock exports by sea—Report for the period 1 January to 30 June 2025.

*National Emergency Management Agency—Disaster Ready Fund—Report for 2024-25.

*The document was made a Parliamentary Paper.

DISCUSSION OF MATTER OF PUBLIC IMPORTANCE— Tax

The House was informed that Ms Chaney had proposed that a definite matter of public importance be submitted to the House for discussion, namely, “The need for broad tax reform to address growing intergenerational unfairness”.

The proposed discussion having received the necessary support—

Ms Chaney addressed the House.

Discussion ensued.

Discussion concluded.

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Board of Management Functions) Bill 2025

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the question—That the bill be now read a second time—

Debate resumed.

Debate adjourned (Mr Keogh—Minister for Veterans’ Affairs), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for a later hour this day.

Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Amendment (Board of Management Functions) Bill 2025

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the question—That the bill be now read a second time—

Debate resumed.

Ms Watson-Brown moved, as an amendment—That all words after “That” be omitted with a view to substituting the following words:

“whilst not declining to give the bill a second reading, the House:

(1) notes that:

(a) in the words of the First Nations Heritage Protection Alliance, the current approach is ‘largely focused on regulating the destruction of First Nations Cultural Heritage, rather than its protection’; and

(b) decision makers have prioritised the profits of gas cartels and climate wrecking projects at great cost to the world’s oldest continuous culture, including the entirely legal destruction of 46,000-year-old caves at Juukan Gorge by Rio Tinto in May 2020 under outdated laws; and

(2) calls on the Government to:

(a) deliver on the long-overdue cultural heritage reforms that support and empower the traditional owners and communities to preserve their connection to their ancestors and protect their rich, historic and vibrant culture from inappropriate developments; and

(b) ensure that First Nations communities have autonomy and control over decisions concerning their own heritage by guaranteeing that free, prior, informed consent is a fundamental element of all Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 decisions”.

Debate ensued.

Amendment negatived.

Question—That the bill be now read a second time—put and passed—bill read a second time.

Leave granted for third reading to be moved immediately.

On the motion of Mr J Wilson (Assistant Minister for Climate Change and Energy), the bill was read a third time.

Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the question—That the bill be now read a second time—

Debate resumed.

ADJOURNMENT

It being 7.30 pm—The question was proposed—That the House do now adjourn.

Debate ensued.

The House continuing to sit until 8 pm—The Speaker adjourned the House until 9 am tomorrow.

DOCUMENTS

The following documents were deemed to have been presented on 3 September 2025 (An explanatory statement has been presented with each instrument unless otherwise indicated by an asterisk):

Competition and Consumer Act 2010— Competition and Consumer (Price Inquiry—Natural Gas) Direction 2025 [F2025L01012]—Replacement explanatory statement.

Corporations Act 2001—

ASIC Corporations (Basic Deposit and General Insurance Product Distribution) Instrument 2025/520 [F2025L01030].

ASIC Corporations (Repeal) Instrument 2025/519 [F2025L01029].

Health Insurance Act 1973—

Health Insurance (Section 3C Diagnostic Imaging Services—Complex gynaecological ultrasound) Determination 2025 [F2025L01015].

Health Insurance (Section 3C—Lutetium PSMA Treatment) Amendment (No. 2) Determination 2025 [F2025L01031].

Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Assessment Act 1987— Petroleum Resource Rent Tax Assessment Regulations 2024 [F2024L00964]—Replacement explanatory statement.

Public Governance, Performance and Accountability Act 2013— Commonwealth Grants Rules and Principles 2024—Report under paragraph 4.11—1 January to 30 June 2025—Replacement report.

ATTENDANCE

All Members attended (at some time during the sitting) except *Ms Fernando, Mr Hamilton, Mr Katter, Ms Scrymgour and Ms Swanson.

* On leave

Claressa Surtees

Clerk of the House of Representatives

2025

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SUPPLEMENT TO VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS

No. 14

FEDERATION CHAMBER

MINUTES OF PROCEEDINGS

Wednesday, 3 September 2025

The Federation Chamber met at 9.30 am.

MEMBERS’ CONSTITUENCY STATEMENTS

Members’ constituency statements were made.

Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility—Ministerial Statement —MOTION TO TAKE NOTE OF DOCUMENT

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the motion of Ms M M H King (Minister for Northern Australia)—That the House take note of the document ( presented on 28 August 2025 ), viz.—

Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility—Statement by the Minister for Northern Australia, Madeleine King MP, 28 August 2025—

Debate resumed.

Debate adjourned and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

Agriculture—Ministerial statement —MOTION TO TAKE NOTE OF DOCUMENT

The order of the day having been read for the resumption of the debate on the motion of Ms Collins (Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry)—That the House take note of the document ( presented on 2 September 2025 ), viz.—

Agriculture—Statement by the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Julie Collins MP, 2 September 2025—

Debate resumed.

Debate adjourned (Ms France), and the resumption of the debate made an order of the day for the next sitting.

30th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide—STATEMENTS

Statements were made.

Women’s Health Week—STATEMENTS

Statements were made.

ADJOURNMENT

On the motion of Ms Miller-Frost, the Federation Chamber adjourned at 12.29 pm, until 9.30 am tomorrow.

Peter Banson

Clerk of the Federation Chamber