COMMITTEES

The SPEAKER (09:01): I present report No. 16 of the Selection Committee relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private members' business on Monday 12 October 2026. The report will be printed in the Hansard for today, and the committee's determinations will appear on tomorrow's Notice Paper. Copies of the report have been placed on the table.

The report read s as follows— Report relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and of private Members' business 1. The Committee met in private session on Tuesday, 15 September 2026. 2. The Committee deliberated on items of committee and delegation business that had been notified, private Members' business items listed on the Notice Paper and notices lodged on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, and determined the order of precedence and times on Monday, 12 October 2026, as follows: Items for House of Representatives Chamber (10.10 am to 12 noon) PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Notices 1 MR LEESER: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Australian Research Council Act 2001 and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to deal with antisemitism, and for related purposes.

(Antisemitism in Higher Education Bill 2026) (Notice given 15 September 2026.) Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142. 2 MS SPENDER: To present a Bill for an Act to amend the Fair Work Act 2009 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1984, and for related purposes.

(Sex Discrimination and Fair Work Amendment (Equality in Treatment in Religious Schools) Bill 2026) (Notice given 15 September 2026.) Presenter may speak to the second reading for a period not exceeding 10 minutes — pursuant to standing order 41. Debate must be adjourned pursuant to standing order 142. 3 MS K COOK: To move—That this House: (1) notes that World Heart Day will be held on 29 September 2026, raising awareness of cardiovascular disease and the importance of prevention, early detection and treatment; (2) recognises that: (a) cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of illness and death among Australian women; (b) more than half a million Australian women are living with heart, stroke, and vascular conditions; (c) women can experience different symptoms and risk factors for cardiovascular disease; and (d) women's heart health has historically been under-recognised, under-diagnosed and under-researched; (3) welcomes the Government's action to improve women's heart health, including: (a) making cardiovascular health the first priority of the Ministerial Expert Panel on Women's Health; (b) working with women, clinicians, researchers and advocates to improve prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care; and (c) supporting access to Medicare-funded Heart Health Checks; and (4) encourages all Australians this World Heart Day to know the warning signs, understand their risk and prioritise their heart health.

(Notice given 14 September 2026.) Time allotted — 40 minutes. Speech time limits — Ms K Cook — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 4 MR MCCORMACK: To move—That this House: (1) notes: (a) the Government's proposal to introduce a $5,000 annual cap on allied health services for veterans, which has caused significant concern amongst veterans, allied health providers and veteran advocates across Australia; and (b) that on 8 September 2026, the Senate passed amendments and resolutions opposing the Government's proposed $5,000 allied health cap and calling for veterans' healthcare to be determined by clinical need rather than budgetary considerations, with Government members voting against those measures, both in the Senate and the House of Representatives; (2) recognises many veterans rely on allied health services, including physiotherapy, exercise physiology, occupational therapy, podiatry, chiropractic services, psychology and other treatments, to manage service-related physical and mental health conditions; (3) acknowledges veterans have expressed concerns that the proposed cap may lead to reduced access to essential healthcare, increased out-of-pocket expenses and poorer health outcomes; (4) further notes: (a) that RSL Australia, based on data from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, estimates approximately 25,000 veterans spend an average of $9,700 per year, well above the proposed $5,000 annual cap; (b) the Shadow Minister for Veterans' Affairs has undertaken a national listening tour to meet directly with veterans, ex-service organisations, healthcare providers and community groups, from every state and territory, to hear firsthand their views on the proposed changes; and (c) that participants in these forums and meetings have unanimously called for greater consultation, transparency and engagement before any changes to veteran healthcare arrangements are implemented; (5) further recognises the contribution and sacrifice of Australia's veterans and their families, and the nation's obligation to ensure they receive the healthcare support they have earned through their service; (6) calls on the Government to: (a) suspend the proposed allied health cap until meaningful consultation has occurred with the veteran community; (b) publicly release the evidence and modelling underpinning the proposal; (c) listen to the concerns raised by veterans and healthcare professionals; and (d) guarantee no veteran will be worse off as a result of changes to allied health arrangements; and (7) notes that if the phrase 'for what they have done, this we will do', the concluding line of the Australian Defence Veterans' Covenant Oath, is to mean anything, the cap must be scrapped.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — 30 minutes. Speech time limits — Mr McCormack — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 5 MR WILKIE: To move—That this House: (1) notes that: (a) private hospitals perform more than two-thirds of planned surgeries, and deliver essential healthcare across Australia, including in regional areas; (b) private healthcare exists to provide choice, not to compensate for a public system in logjam; (c) rising costs relative to revenue have driven hospital closures and sales, with obstetrics and mental health services under particular pressure; (d) hundreds of thousands of Australians are downgrading their private cover as its value erodes, a trend the Government's cut to the seniors' private health insurance rebate will accelerate, adding further pressure to the public system; (e) private health regulation was designed for an earlier era of high membership, not-for-profit insurers and larger hospital numbers, and now lacks flexibility to respond to demographic change, contract imbalances and economic shocks; (f) no dedicated, whole-of-system mechanism exists to balance the interests of patients, doctors, hospitals, insurers and device manufacturers; and (g) selective contracting and vertical integration increasingly threaten patient choice and the doctor-patient relationship; and (2) calls on the Government to establish an independent statutory Private Health System Authority within the Health portfolio to: (a) monitor and report on the sector's financial sustainability, from premiums and benefit payouts to regional hospital viability; (b) ensure fair insurer-hospital and insurer-practitioner contracting, including sustainable payment arrangements given bargaining power discrepancies; (c) safeguard against managed care by assessing arrangements on their actual effect, not stated intent, where they restrict patient choice, interfere with clinically appropriate care, or distort clinical decisions, including in emerging hospital-in-the-home care; (d) advise government on policy levers, including premiums, rebates, product tier design and risk equalisation, to lift coverage and reverse the drift to exclusionary products; and (e) oversee safe, clinically-led expansion of out-of-hospital care that is properly funded and benchmarked, without shifting cost or risk to patients and families.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 12 noon. Speech time limits — Mr Wilkie — 5 minutes. Other Members — 5 minutes each. [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Items for Federation Chamber (11 am to 1.30 pm) PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Notices 1 MS STEGGALL: To move—That this House: (1) notes that: (a) extreme weather caused $4.8 billion in insured losses in Australia in 2025, according to the Insurance Council of Australia; (b) home insurance premiums increased by 51 per cent in the past five years, according to data analytics firm Finity; (c) the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation advises that each dollar invested by Government in climate adaptation or disaster risk reduction saves up to $11 in recovery costs; and (d) research from the University of New South Wales warns that economic models excluding global weather impacts can substantially underestimate climate damage, including supply-chain disruptions; (2) recognises that: (a) climate resilience is essential to household security, insurance affordability and national productivity; and (b) short term construction savings should not come at the expense of building standards that reduce long-term energy bills, disaster damage and rebuilding costs; and (3) calls on the Government to: (a) legally mandate independent national climate change risk assessments to be conducted every five years; (b) allocate 0.25 per cent of gross domestic product to national climate adaptation and disaster resilience, with this funding structure to be reviewed and adjusted every five years following the publication of each independent national climate change risk assessment; (c) establish a fully funded national adaptation plan to determine measurable outcomes and timelines, with annual evaluations submitted to Parliament; (d) establish an independent National Climate Adaptation Authority to manage, implement, and coordinate resilience plans across jurisdictions; (e) update the National Construction Code and strengthen land-use planning frameworks to promote low-cost, climate-resilient housing and protect communities from extreme weather risks; and (f) release a declassified version of the Office of National Intelligence report into climate change-induced security threats so the public and policymakers fully understand the risks Australia faces.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — 15 minutes. Speech time limits — Ms Steggall — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 3 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 2 MR SOON: To move—That that this House: (1) recognises that backing consumers and competition helps to keep prices down, expand choice and reward businesses that innovate and treat their customers fairly; (2) commends the Government for strengthening Australia's competition and consumer framework by: (a) making excessive pricing by very large supermarkets illegal from 1 July 2026; (b) increasing maximum penalties for major breaches of competition and consumer law to $100 million; (c) passing laws to ban subscription traps, drip pricing and unfair trading practices from 1 July 2027; and (d) providing the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission with an additional $67.7 million over four years to strengthen enforcement; (3) notes that these reforms protect consumers from misleading and unfair conduct, while supporting businesses that compete on price, service and quality; and (4) supports the Government's continuing work to tackle shrinkflation, strengthen unit pricing, and improve price, promotion and loyalty transparency for shoppers.

(Notice given 19 August 2026.) Time allotted — 30 minutes. Speech time limits — Mr Soon — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 3 MR CONAGHAN: To move—That this House: (1) notes that despite the Government increasing the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) workforce by more than 5,700 public servants since the 2022 election, participant complaints, funding disputes, fraud investigations and demands on parliamentary electorate offices continue to grow; (2) further notes with concern, the increasing seriousness and urgency of matters being raised, including cases involving loss of essential supports, participant safety, housing insecurity, hospital discharge delays and risks to health and wellbeing; (3) expresses concern that administrative failures within the NDIA are placing an increasing burden on carers, providers, support workers and electorate offices, to resolve participant matters that should be addressed promptly by the NDIA; and (4) calls on the Government to: (a) urgently reduce the backlog of reviews, reassessments and participant decisions; (b) prioritise participant-facing service and decision-making roles over administrative growth; (c) reduce waste, inefficiency and unnecessary bureaucracy within the NDIA; (d) strengthen accountability, timeliness and transparency in decision-making; and (e) ensure that investment in staffing, technology and artificial intelligence delivers better and more timely outcomes for participants rather than greater administrative burden.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — 20 minutes. Speech time limits — Mr Conaghan — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 4 MS TEESDALE: To move—That this House: (1) recognises that: (a) modern agricultural machinery is increasingly sophisticated and digitally enabled; (b) farmers can face significant costs when machinery breaks down during narrow planting and harvest windows; and (c) competitive repair markets can reduce downtime, lower costs and support independent repair businesses in regional communities; (2) welcomes the Government's decision to extend Australia's Right to Repair framework to agricultural machinery, and its work to improve the existing Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information Sharing Scheme; (3) notes that: (a) extending Right to Repair to agriculture will give farmers greater choice over who repairs their machinery; (b) independent repairers will have better access to the information they need to compete; and (c) the Productivity Commission estimates that extending Right to Repair to agricultural machinery could increase annual gross domestic product by $97 million through increased grain output alone; and (4) supports reforms that give farmers more choice, strengthen regional small businesses and promote competition in repair markets.

(Notice given 7 September 2026.) Time allotted — 20 minutes. Speech time limits — Ms Teesdale — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 5 MR REBELLO: To move—That this House: (1) condemns the Government for failing to ease the cost of living crisis, with inflation still at 3.5 per cent and housing costs rising 5 per cent over the year to July 2026; (2) notes Australian families continue to pay more for everyday essentials, with food prices rising 3.2 per cent, health costs 3.8 per cent and education costs 4.8 per cent over the year; (3) recognises the pressure that is being felt across Australian households, with living costs rising 3.7 per cent for employee households and 4.7 per cent for age pensioner households over the year to June 2026; and (4) calls: (a) out the Government for failing to get household pressures under control, with the cash rate at 4.35 per cent following three increases in 2026 and mortgage interest charges rising 8.2 per cent in the June quarter; and (b) on the Government to take responsibility, restore economic discipline and deliver meaningful relief from the rising costs of housing, food, mortgages and other household essentials.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — 30 minutes. Speech time limits — Mr Rebello — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 6 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue at a later hour. 6 MS STANLEY: To move—That this House: (1) notes that: (a) October is Pregnancy and lnfant Loss Awareness Month and that Thursday, 15 October 2026 marks Pregnancy and lnfant Loss Remembrance Day; and (b) this day acknowledges the shared loss experienced by parents, friends, and healthcare workers of babies lost through miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death; (2) acknowledges: (a) that there is a significant impact on families who have lost a baby; (b) that every year it is estimated that: (i) more than 110,000 Australians experience a miscarriage; (ii) more than 2,000 experience stillbirth; and (iii) almost 700 lose a baby within the first 28 days; (c) that stillbirth occurrence is higher in First Nations and some culturally diverse communities; and (d) all families who have experienced loss, either recently or over time; and (3) commends the Government for providing more than $75 million in measures to support women and families in Australia to reduce stillbirths and preterm birth and support families impacted by perinatal loss.

(Notice given 7 September 2026.) Time allotted — 20 minutes. Speech time limits — Ms Stanley — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 4 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 7 MR CHAFFEY: To move—That this House: (1) calls on the Government to: (a) repeal the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Act 2026, and reverse laws that were rushed through the Parliament in January, in response to the Bondi Islamic terrorist attack; and (b) support the Firearms Legislation Amendment (Repealing Unfair Gun Laws) Bill 2026, moved by the Member for Maranoa, to: (i) restore Commonwealth firearms and importation law to its position before the passage of the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Act 2026; (ii) abolish the Government's failed National Gun Buyback Scheme; and (iii) retain the changes to the prohibition of hate symbols and background checks, which operationally remain at the discretion of the states; and (2) acknowledges that: (a) the perpetrators of the Bondi terrorist attack should never have had access to a firearm under the laws that already existed; (b) how they obtained firearms is a question for the Royal Commission, not an excuse to punish farmers, sporting shooters and hunters who follow the rules; (c) the National Gun Buyback Scheme targets lawful gunowners, who depend on their firearms for their livelihoods and for healthy recreation, both in metropolitan areas and all over regional, rural and remote Australia, instead of addressing antisemitism which is being fuelled by Islamic extremism; (d) hardworking, small business owners are being forced to pay the price for crimes they did not commit; and (e) firearms shop owners and small businesses have been left with unsold stock, cancelled orders, collapsing sales and enormous uncertainty, forcing some to close their doors all together, while the Government's proposed support will not come close to covering their losses.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 1.30 pm. Speech time limits — Mr Chaffey — 5 minutes. Other Members — 5 minutes each. [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 3 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day.

Items for Federation Chamber (4.45 pm to 7.30 pm) PRIVATE MEMBERS' BUSINESS Notices—continued 8 MS THWAITES: To move—That this House: (1) notes: (a) the record uptake of electric vehicles in Australia, with more Australians choosing cleaner and cheaper-to-run cars; (b) Australians now have access to a greater range of electric vehicles at more affordable price points; and (c) electric vehicles can deliver significant savings for households through lower fuel and running costs; (2) recognises that the Government has supported this record uptake by: (a) delivering the Electric Car Discount, making eligible electric vehicles more affordable for working Australians; (b) introducing Australia's first New Vehicle Efficiency Standard, supporting greater choice and bringing more efficient vehicles to the Australian market; (c) delivering the National Electric Vehicle Strategy; (d) investing in charging infrastructure across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia; and (e) supporting greater competition and consumer choice while reducing Australia's reliance on imported fuel; and (3) welcomes the record uptake of electric vehicles, which is lowering household costs, expanding consumer choice and reducing Australia's emissions.

(Notice given 10 September 2026.) Time allotted — 40 minutes. Speech time limits — Ms Thwaites — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 9 MR WALLACE: To move—That this House: (1) condemns the Government's $3 billion cut to the private health insurance rebate, with almost $1.6 billion of that cost falling directly on age pensioners; (2) notes over 1 million pensioners with private health insurance will be affected by the age-based rebate cuts from April 2027; (3) calls out the Government for failing to properly assess who would bear the cost of the policy and for keeping its modelling from the Australian public; (4) expresses serious concern that at least 44,000 Australians are expected to drop their private health cover and several hundred thousand more are expected to downgrade their cover, placing further pressure on already stretched public hospitals and taxpayers; and (5) further calls on the Government to scrap the rebate cuts and protect older Australians, pensioners and the public hospital system from the consequences of this policy.

(Notice given 15 September 2026.) Time allotted — 35 minutes. Speech time limits — Mr Wallace — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 7 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. 10 MS BRISKEY: To move—That this House: (1) recognises that workers should be able to use their skills, change jobs, and pursue better opportunities without unreasonable restraints on their mobility; (2) welcomes the Government's decision to ban non-compete clauses from 1 January 2027 for workers earning below the high-income threshold in the Fair Work Act, currently $190,100, covering around nine in ten Australian workers; (3) notes that: (a) non-compete clauses can make it harder for workers to move to a better job, negotiate higher wages, or start their own business; (b) greater job mobility helps skills, knowledge, and ideas move through the economy; (c) removing unnecessary restraints encourages employers to compete for workers through better wages, conditions, and opportunities; and (d) the Government has estimated that reforming non-compete clauses could lift the wages of workers covered by them by up to $2,500 a year; (4) further welcomes the Government's reforms to prohibit wage-fixing and no-poach agreements between employers, which restrict competition for workers; and (5) supports a labour market in which businesses compete for talent, and Australians are free to take their skills to the jobs where they can make the greatest contribution.

(Notice given 14 September 2026.) Time allotted — 50 minutes. Speech time limits — Ms Briskey — 5 minutes Other Members — 5 minutes [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 10 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. Orders of the day COST OF LIVING : Resumption of debate on the motion of Mr Rebello—That this House: (1) condemns the Government for failing to ease the cost of living crisis, with inflation still at 3.5 per cent and housing costs rising 5 per cent over the year to July 2026; (2) notes Australian families continue to pay more for everyday essentials, with food prices rising 3.2 per cent, health costs 3.8 per cent and education costs 4.8 per cent over the year; (3) recognises the pressure that is being felt across Australian households, with living costs rising 3.7 per cent for employee households and 4.7 per cent for age pensioner households over the year to June 2026; and (4) calls: (a) out the Government for failing to get household pressures under control, with the cash rate at 4.35 per cent following three increases in 2026 and mortgage interest charges rising 8.2 per cent in the June quarter; and (b) on the Government to take responsibility, restore economic discipline and deliver meaningful relief from the rising costs of housing, food, mortgages and other household essentials.

Time allotted — remaining private Members' business time prior to 7.30 pm. Speech time limits — All Members — 5 minutes each. [Minimum number of proposed Members speaking = 8 x 5 mins] The Committee determined that consideration of this matter should continue on a future day. THE HON D.

M. DICK MP Speaker of the House of Representatives 16 September 2026