Senate — 22 June 2026

The Senate sitting on 22 June 2026 was dominated by the government's budget tax reform package, processed across every segment of the day — from bill readings through Question Time, urgency motions and senators' statements — making this one of the most legislatively dense tax debates of the parliament to date.

The central event was the introduction and second reading of the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 and the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s021]. Senator Gallagher led the second-reading speeches, outlining a package built around four pillars: a permanent $250 Working Australians Tax Offset for 13.3 million workers; a $1,000 standard deduction for work-related expenses from 2026–27 projected to save $380 million annually in compliance costs; negative gearing reform restricting the benefit to new residential builds from 1 July 2027 while grandfathering existing investment properties; and capital gains tax changes carrying a 30 per cent minimum rate [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s095].

The government framed these as a pro-worker, pro-homeownership package aimed at helping an additional 75,000 first-home buyers over the next decade and lifting average worker incomes by up to $2,800 by 2028.

Opposition parties attacked the bills from multiple directions. Senator Hume, Deputy Leader of the Opposition, called the package a "tax grab" passed without adequate scrutiny [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s108]. Senator McDonald argued the CGT and negative gearing changes would damage mineral exploration and conflict with the Critical Minerals Strategy.

Senator Roberts (One Nation) claimed the bill would raise $1.38 billion in 2027–28 and increase compliance costs. Senator Pocock (Independent) offered qualified support — welcoming the removal of certain ministerial powers and the 50 per cent CGT discount for innovative businesses — but warned the legislation was rushed and incomplete. Senator Bell and Senator Nampijinpa Price (CLP) uniformly characterised the bills as harmful to small businesses, apprentices and young Australians.

In Question Time, the contested terrain narrowed to a precise question that exposed the legislation's most unresolved element: Senator Hume asked what criteria a café or hairdresser must meet to qualify as an "innovative" business for the CGT concession, and who decides [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s108]. Senator Wong replied that a consultation on the innovative-business CGT concession is open and that the 50 per cent active asset reduction threshold has been raised to cover businesses with turnover up to $10 million — making 2.7 million small businesses eligible — following extensive consultation [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s041].

The eligibility criteria question remains unresolved in the record and is the sharpest live technical risk in the bill. Senator Gallagher framed the budget's three goals as relief, productivity and fairness, citing $3.8 billion of new tax measures, 75,000 more first-home buyers and $540 million in annual compliance savings.

Beyond the tax bills, the appropriation stream was substantial. Appropriation Bills (No. 5) and (No. 6) 2025–26 seek a combined $3.8 billion — $2.7 billion for defence, health and disability programmes and $1.1 billion for defence, Inland Rail and other priorities. Appropriation Bills (No. 1) and (No. 2) 2026–27 carry $178.7 billion and $33.7 billion respectively, with $345.4 million for Parliamentary Departments, covering health (Medicare Urgent Care Clinics), defence (nuclear-powered submarines and the 2026 National Defence Strategy), housing (Housing Australia Future Fund and the Australian Housing Bond Aggregator) and NDIS "reasonable and necessary supports." Senator Ayres tabled all second-reading speeches and moved all readings in a consolidated procedural sweep.

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift) Bill 2026 was also read, legislating that ASIC retains responsibility for Australia's business registers and linking Director IDs to the Companies Register — preventing legacy provisions from transferring registry administration away from ASIC on 1 July 2026 [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s087].

The NDIS was the day's sharpest procedural flashpoint. Senator Steele-John (Greens) suspended standing orders to bring forward a substantive motion condemning the NDIS Amendment Bill, stating it would cut support for 241,000 disabled people [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s005]. Minister McAllister acknowledged sustainability challenges, outlined reforms to address fraud, eligibility and cost, and defended the scheme as a human-rights achievement.

Senator Waters moved a withdrawal motion; Senator Green put the question and the withdrawal motion was agreed. This outcome means the Senate has formally called on the government to withdraw its own NDIS bill — a significant cross-chamber constraint on the government's disability reform agenda.

Gas taxation and industry lobbying generated the day's most multi-party urgency motion debate. The Greens moved for a moratorium on meetings with gas-industry lobbyists and disclosure of such contacts. Senator Whiteaker (Labor) countered with petroleum resource rent tax revenue figures — $1.6 billion increase, $12 billion total gas tax in 2023–24.

Senator Pocock called for a 25 per cent gas export tax rather than a lobbying ban [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s059]. Greens senators — Faruqi, Whish-Wilson and Shoebridge — accused the major parties of accepting fossil-fuel donations and labelled the export regime a "great Australian gas rip-off" [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s064]. Labor defended gas as a firming fuel essential to the net-zero transition.

Senator Bragg (Liberal) separately moved an urgency motion calling on the government to explain alleged election-time tax misrepresentations.

Side debates in senators' statements and the motions segment reinforced the day's themes. Senator Hanson cited 301,000 net overseas migrants in 2025 as driving housing shortages. Senator Whish-Wilson described One Nation's rise to over 30 per cent of the vote as linked to funding from Gina Rinehart and a campaign generating up to 400 fake AI-generated posts per week [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s032].

Senator Pocock warned in senators' statements that Australia lacks regulatory and tax frameworks for data centres — an emerging cross-portfolio risk spanning industry, energy and Treasury domains [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s036]. Senator Watt announced a 4.75 per cent award wage increase and a 6 per cent minimum-wage rise — the first time the national minimum will exceed $1,000 per week — alongside a $113 million H5N1 bird flu preparedness investment and a $3.6 billion package funding 15 per cent pay rises for early-childhood educators [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s151].

In procedural business, Senator Faruqi moved to disallow the Migration Amendment (Temporary Graduate Visa Application Charge) Regulations 2026, which double the temporary graduate visa fee from $2,300 to $4,600, arguing discrimination against international students [TA-260622-senate-9b445244af00:s088]. Senator Liddle (Liberal) opposed disallowance, noting the fee reflects administration costs and Pacific and Timor-Leste applicants retain exemptions.

Senator McDonald criticised the government's refusal to release the ACIL Allen report justifying the Inland Rail cancellation, framing this as an affront to Senate oversight — a thread connecting to the Inland Rail appropriation funding flowing through the same day's bills. Senator Allman-Payne highlighted that aged-care funding for Australians over 65 with motor neurone disease covers only $78,000 of the $300,000 annual care requirement under the new priority rules.

Senator Pocock's motion to establish a Select Committee on the Personal Staffing of Parliamentarians was negatived after amendment attempts by Senator McKim.