COMMITTEES
Senator SHELDON (New South Wales—Chief Government Whip in the Senate) (11:15): I present the seventh report of 2026 of the Selection of Bills Committee. I seek leave to have the report incorporated in Hansard. Leave granted.
The report read as follows— Selection of Bills Committee REPORT NO. 7 OF 2026 25 May 2026 MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE Senator Tony Sheldon (Government Whip, Chair) Senator Wendy Askew (Opposition Whip) Senator Sean Bell (One Nation Whip) Senator Nick McKim (Australian Greens Whip) Senator Ralph Babet Senator Leah Blyth Senator Ross Cadell (The Nationals Whip) Senator the Hon.
Anthony Chisholm Senator Jessica Collins Senator the Hon. Katy Gallagher Senator Jacqui Lambie Senator Fatima Payman Senator David Pocock Senator Lidia Thorpe Secretary: Tim Bryant 02 6277 3020 SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE REPORT NO. 7 OF 2026 1. The committee met in private session on Wednesday, 24 June 2026 at 7.12 pm. 2.
The committee recommends that— (a) the provisions of the Defence Legislation Amendment (RCDVS Implementation and Related Measures No. 2) Bill 2026 be referred immediately to the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 24 August 2026 (see appendix 1 for statements of reasons for referral), (b) the provisions of the Health Insurance Amendment (Incentive Payments and Other Measures) Bill 2026 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 14 August 2026 (see appendix 2 for statements of reasons for referral), (c) the provisions of the Private Health Insurance Amendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026 be referred immediately to the Community Affairs Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 7 October 2026 (see appendix 3 for statement of reasons for referral), and (d) the provisions of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 2) Bill 2026 be referred immediately to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 13 August 2026 (see appendix 4 for statement of reasons for referral). 3.
The committee recommends that the following bills not be referred to committees: Mandatory Regulation Impact Statement Bill 2025 Treasury Laws Amendment (Fuel Excise Relief No. 2) Bill 2026 4. The committee deferred consideration of the following bills to its next meeting: A New Tax System (Family Assistance) Amendment (No Jab No Pay Repeal) Bill 2025 Aged Care Amendment (Restoring Human Override for Aged Care Needs Assessments) Bill 2026 Broadcasting Services Amendment (Audio Description) Bill 2019 Climate Change Amendment (Duty of Care and Intergenerational Climate Equity) Bill 2025 Commission of Inquiry into Antisemitism at Australian Universities Bill 2024 Commonwealth Electoral Amendment (Banning Dirty Donations) Bill 2026 Competition and Consumer Amendment (Divestiture Powers) Bill 2024 Constitution Alteration (Right to Free Speech) 2025 Copyright Legislation Amendment (Fair Pay for Radio Play) Bill 2023 Crimes Amendment (Repeal Mandatory Minimum Sentences) Bill 2025 Customs Amendment (Safeguard Inquiries) Bill 2026 Customs Legislation Amendment (Commercial Greyhound Export and Import Prohibition) Bill 2021 Digital ID Repeal Bill 2024 Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Communications) Bill 2025 (No. 2) Electoral Legislation Amendment (Fair Territory Representation) Bill 2024 Electoral Legislation Amendment (Fairer Contracts and Grants) Bill 2023 Electoral Legislation Amendment (Lowering the Voting Age) Bill 2023 Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Low Emissions Future) Bill 2025 Environment and Other Legislation Amendment (Removing Nuclear Energy Prohibitions) Bill 2026 Fair Work Amendment (Paid Reproductive Health Leave and Flexible Work Arrangements) Bill 2025 Higher Education Support Amendment (End Dirty University Partnerships) Bill 2025 Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Amendment (Consideration of UNDRIP) Bill 2023 Lobbying (Improving Government Honesty and Trust) Bill 2025 Major Sporting Events (Indicia and Images) Protection Amendment Bill 2026 National Housing and Homelessness Plan Bill 2024 Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Domestic Reserve) Bill 2026 Online Safety Amendment (Broadening Adult Cyber Abuse Protections) Bill 2026 Online Safety Amendment (Fix Our Feeds) Bill 2026 Plebiscite (Future Migration Level) Bill 2018 Prime Agricultural Land Protection Bill 2026 Regulatory Reform Omnibus Bill 2026 Right to Protest Bill 2025 Social Media Minimum Age Repeal Bill 2025 Social Security and Other Legislation Amendment (Responding to Robodebt) Bill 2025 [No. 2] Statute Update Bill 2026 Superannuation Guarantee (Administration) Amendment (Frontline Emergency Service Workers) Bill 2025 Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026 Unlocking Supply of Family Homes Bill 2025 Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Clearing the Fair Work Commission Backlog) Bill 2026 5.
The committee considered the following bill but could not reach agreement: Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Building Cooperative Workplaces No. 1) Bill 2026 (Tony Sheldon) Chair 24 June 2026 SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Name of bill:Defence Legislation Amendment(RCDVS Implementationand Related Measures No. 2) Bill 2026 Reasonsforreferral/principalissuesforconsideration:Scrutinise legislation Possiblesubmissionsorevidencefrom:Relevantstakeholders Committeetowhichbillistobereferred:ForeignAffairs,DefenceandTrade Possible hearing date(s): July-August Possible reporting date : August 2026 (signed) Wendy Askew SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Nameofbill:DefenceLegislation Amendment (RCDVS ImplementationandRelatedMeasures No. 2) Bill 2026 Reasonsforreferral/principalissuesforconsideration:ThisisacomplexBillinwhichstakeholdersthatwanttocommenton.
Possiblesubmissionsorevidencefrom:FamiliesofVeteransGuild Veteran Advocates Committeetowhichbillistobereferred:ForeignAffairs,DefenceandTrade Possiblehearingdate(s):5 August, 2026 Possiblereportingdate: 24 August, 2026 (signed) Nick McKim SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Nameofbill:HealthInsuranceAmendment(IncentivePaymentsandOtherMeasures)Bill Reasonsforreferral/principalissuesforconsideration:Scrutiniselegislation Possible submissions or evidence from: Relevant stakeholders Committee to which bill is to be referred: Community Affairs Possible hearing date(s): July Possible reporting date: 14 August 2026 (signed) Wendy Askew SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Nameofbill:HealthInsuranceAmendment(IncentivePaymentsandOtherMeasures)Bill2026 Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration: Hear from stakeholders Possible submissions or evidence from: Representative groups, government departments, various stakeholders Committee to which bill is to be referred: Community Affairs Legislation Committee Possible hearing date(s): 1 hearing in July Possible reporting date: 14 August 2026 (signed) Nick McKim SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Nameof bill:Private Health InsuranceAmendment (Modernising the Private Health Insurance Rebate) Bill 2026 Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration: Scrutinise legislation Possible submissions or evidence from: Relevant stakeholders Committeetowhichbillistobereferred:Community Affairs Possible hearing date(s): July-September Possiblereportingdate:7October2026 (signed) Wendy Askew SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Nameofbill: PrivateHealthInsuranceAmendment(ModernisingthePrivateHealthInsuranceRebate)Bill 2026 Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration: Hear from stakeholders Possible submissions or evidence from: Health representative groups, consumer representative groups, government departments, various stakeholders Committee to which bill is to be referred: Community Affairs Legislation Committee Possible hearing date(s): 24 August — 25 September Possible reporting date: 7 October 2026 (signed) Nick McKim SELECTION OF BILLS COMMITTEE Proposal to refer a bill to a committee Nameofbill:TreasuryLawsAmendment(TaxReformNo.2)Bill2026 Reasons for referral/principal issues for consideration: Scrutinise legislation Possible submissions or evidence from: Relevant stakeholders Committeetowhichbillistobereferred:Economics Possiblehearingdate(s):July Possible reporting date: 13 August 2026 (signed) Wendy Askew Senator SHELDON: I move: That the report be adopted.