The opposition claims recipients of a $560 million infrastructure funding program were gagged by confidentiality clauses. The Senate is examining the Major and Local Community Infrastructure Program, which included a $6 million grant to Marrickville Golf Club in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's electorate. Good governance groups say the projects were selected without a proper merit-based process. The government says the scheme meets commitments made during the 2025 election campaign. Bureaucrats are due to appear before the committee on Thursday.
Communications Minister Anika Wells says she has dropped ministerial powers to declare new harms under the digital duty of care bill. Under the changes, she would bring an amendment to the Online Safety Act when a new serious harm needs declaring, and Parliament would consider it. Wells said she expected a Senate inquiry and hoped the bill could pass before the end of the year. The bill will be introduced to Parliament today, along with a private health rebate change.
Independent Senator David Pocock is pushing for public hearings into the decision to keep the herbicide paraquat on the market. He questioned the regulator's choice, noting the chemical is banned in more than 70 countries. Research links paraquat exposure to an increased risk of Parkinson's disease. Pocock said a Senate motion on public hearings would be put to a vote on Thursday. Parkinson's Australia chief executive Olivia Nassaris said the organisation had raised concerns about the regulator's assessment with the inquiry, and called for funding to help farmers switch to other weed-control methods.
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The Coalition and the Greens both want the Albanese government's new tax on discretionary trusts put before a Senate inquiry. Treasurer Jim Chalmers introduced the legislation, which sets a 30 per cent minimum tax paid by trustees on net taxable income, with several exemptions. The government says the reform targets wealthy Australians using trusts to reduce tax. The Coalition says the tax would hurt small businesses and has pledged to axe it if elected. The Greens argue the reforms do not go far enough. The Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry urged parliament to vote the legislation down.
Advocates warn that small-town post offices need protection as ageing licensees and shifting community needs threaten their future. A Senate inquiry into Australia Post's retail network will report back this month. In Tarpeena, South Australia, the local post office closed in 2022, leaving the nearest one 20 kilometres away. Licensed post offices make up about two-thirds of the network, and 38 per cent of their owners are aged 60 or older. Australia Post says it is committed to serving regional communities and is reviewing the LPO model with licensees.
The Greens will seek a Senate inquiry into Labor's proposed tax on discretionary trusts after the government offered small firms a way to avoid it. Greens economics spokesman Nick McKim said the carve-out could let people with trusts off too lightly. Treasurer Jim Chalmers is due to introduce the legislation, but it is now unlikely to pass before late 2026. Business groups estimate compliance costs could reach billions of dollars, and say trusts are used for legitimate reasons. Chalmers has argued the structures let some wealthy Australians plan their tax affairs in ways most workers cannot.
Hundreds of submissions to a national Senate inquiry into women's health describe severe pain being dismissed and a postnatal system that fails mothers. Adelaide Mums and Babies Clinic co-founder Rhiannon Smith says recovering mothers face physical, emotional and sleep challenges that current care does not address. The clinic and Birth Trauma Australia are calling for postnatal care to be extended to at least 12 months and properly funded. Birth Trauma Australia founder Amy Dawes says many women doubted whether the inquiry would bring change. The committee will hold its first public hearing in Canberra on October 13.
A constitutional expert has labelled a $6 million grant to a golf club in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate as “grey corruption”. Anne Twomey, a University of Sydney professor emerita, submitted the assessment to a Senate inquiry. The grant was awarded under a closed, non-competitive process last July. Twomey described the scheme as a “farce” and said the funding was a misuse of public money.
A constitutional expert has labelled a $6 million grant to a golf club in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate as “grey corruption”. Anne Twomey, a University of Sydney professor emerita, submitted the assessment to a Senate inquiry. The grant was awarded under a closed, non-competitive process last July. Twomey described the scheme as a “farce” and said the funding was a misuse of public money.
