Senate — 24 June 2026

The Senate sitting of 24 June 2026 was dominated by the government's tax reform package — the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 and the Income Tax Rates Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026 — which drew sustained and wide-ranging attack from Liberal, National and One Nation senators and a partial critique from the Greens, while government senators mounted a defence built around working-family tax cuts, housing supply and intergenerational fairness.

The sharpest contestation centred on the government's pre-election commitments. Senator O'Sullivan accused the Prime Minister of having promised on at least fifty occasions not to change capital gains tax or negative gearing, and Senator Colbeck said the budget was eroding public trust [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s009]. During question time, Senator Scarr cited CPA Australia's estimate that more than $800 million will be spent on asset valuations before the end of the next financial year as a direct compliance cost of the reforms [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s047].

Opposition senators used the language of broken promises and characterised the changes as a "death tax" targeting family inheritances, while One Nation's Senator Whitten called the legislation a "dirty deal" with the Greens.

Senator Gallagher outlined the package's core mechanics: replacing the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount with cost-based indexation, introducing a 30 per cent minimum tax on capital gains, limiting negative gearing to new builds from 2027–28, and creating a $250 Working Australian Tax Offset for over 13 million workers [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s103].

Senator Wong explained in question time that the inflation-indexed discount applies from 1 July 2027 across all asset classes [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s137]. Government senators framed the reforms as simplifying the system and delivering tax cuts to working Australians. Senator Mulholland added that the changes aim to produce 75,000 additional homebuyers and that existing investor arrangements are preserved under grandfathering provisions [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s010].

The Greens supported the tax reform bills but criticised the grandfathering of existing property investors, with Senator Faruqi noting that $33 billion in tax concessions would remain with wealthy investors. Senator Pocock pressed during question time on whether removal of grandfathering for joint-ownership transfers on death or divorce would disproportionately disadvantage women, who on average hold 20 per cent less superannuation.

Senator Gallagher pointed to the Women's Budget Statement as addressing those gender impacts.

The Superannuation Legislation Amendment (Tackling the Gender Super Gap) Bill 2025 generated a parallel debate that also split along party lines. Senator Henderson denounced the broader tax package as a "dirty, rotten deal" harming mum-and-dad investors [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s002], while Senator O'Neill argued the super bill primarily benefits approximately 103,000 high-wealth individuals and would enable tax planning for wealthy couples.

Labor's Senator Walker contended the bill fails to address the structural causes of the gender superannuation gap and highlighted Labor's own paid-parental-leave superannuation contributions and payday super reforms. Senator Bragg sharpened the equity debate in question time by asking why the government singles out families for punitive tax treatment while APRA-regulated institutional and union-backed super funds retain the ability to purchase residential property [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s110] [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s111].

Beyond tax, the NDIS dominated the motions and urgency segment. The Greens moved an urgency motion calling for AUKUS defence spending to be redirected to disability services [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s085]. Senator Steele-John argued the NDIS Amendment (Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill would cut nearly $40 billion from disability supports and grant sweeping ministerial powers [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s088].

Senator Ananda-Rajah presented the government's case for the reforms, citing fraud, cost growth, diagnostic inflation and mission creep as problems requiring correction, and flagging a $200 million community fund as part of the package. Opposition leader Senator Cash separately moved to suspend standing orders to give precedence to legislation on the government's "toxic taxes", but Senator Gallagher rejected the motion, saying a committee stage would occur the following day [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s007].

On foreign affairs, Senators Faruqi and Shoebridge moved take-note motions on Gaza, with Shoebridge citing a UN figure of more than 20,000 Palestinian children killed and demanding comprehensive sanctions on Israel [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s053]. Senator Wong condemned Israel's targeting of children and confirmed Australia will speak at the UN Security Council on violence against children in armed conflict [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s146].

Senator Thorpe criticised the government's response on Indigenous housing in Mount Isa as inadequate, a theme reinforced by independent senators calling for emergency action. Senator McCarthy outlined 6,000 jobs and the Low-Cost Essentials Subsidy Scheme as existing government supports for remote communities.

The sitting opened with a cross-party condolence for former Senator Trish Crossin AM, who died on 13 April 2026. Senator Wong moved the condolence motion and senators from all parties paid tribute, reflecting on Crossin's fifteen-year career as the first Northern Territory woman in federal parliament and her advocacy for Indigenous and bilingual education [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s056] [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s058].

In the legislation segment, Senator Ayres introduced the Customs Amendment (Safeguard Inquiries) Bill 2026, framing it as a modernisation of Australia's trade-remedies system that transfers safeguard inquiry responsibilities to the Australian Trade Remedies Commission [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s072]. Senator Askew introduced the Workplace Relations Legislation Amendment (Clearing the Fair Work Commission Backlog) Bill 2026, outlining reforms to streamline jurisdictional objections, introduce early conciliation and mediation processes, delegate procedural powers to Commission staff, and address frivolous applications [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s075].

In the committees segment, Senator Ayres referred three public works projects — including an Air Mission Training System facility and an ANSTO campus utilities building — to the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works, while Senator Askew moved to refer Australia Post's retail network sustainability to the Environment and Communications References Committee for report by 12 October 2026.

Senators' statements ranged from Senator Mulholland's announcement of the paid parental leave expansion to 26 weeks at $1,004.70 per week including superannuation, to Senator Colbeck's criticism of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation subsidising a foreign investor's acquisition of the 22,000-hectare Rushy Lagoon farm, to Senator Thorpe's warning that the Olympic Dam expansion threatens the Great Artesian Basin and sacred Indigenous water sites [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s024] [TA-260624-senate-7bf3cfa288f1:s025].