Wednesday 16 September 2026: Question Time
7 questions · 3 Dorothy Dixers removed · 43m
Summary
Nine bills were introduced in the Senate on 16 September 2026, covering the proposed repeal of the No Jab No Pay vaccination payment policy, university funding and access reforms under the Universities Accord, a Knox class action facilitation measure, a National Student Ombudsman levy and related quality standards amendments, and changes to private health insurance incentive payments. Across fifteen divisions, the Senate defeated matters of urgency on migration and manufacturing, rejected multiple orders for the production of documents on topics including climate change, the Middle East, native forest management, and the census, and defeated two motions to establish an Artificial Intelligence Joint Select Committee. One document order relating to the Middle East and one relating to personal information and privacy were passed. In question time, senators questioned the government on Rhys Muldoon's employment and Australia Day Ambassador role, sex-based rights following the Tickle v Giggle High Court decision, migration policy settings, whether a genocide occurred against Indigenous Australians, and the closure of Whyalla Steelworks' blast furnace and its connection to net zero policy.
Questions
Members of Parliament: Staff
Senator Ruston asked whether Prime Minister Albanese was involved in securing Rhys Muldoon's employment with Senator Dowling and his appointment as Australia Day Ambassador, given Muldoon's offensive social media posts and personal connection to the Prime Minister. Minister Wong condemned the comments as unacceptable, clarified that Muldoon was an Australia Day Ambassador since 2014 (under the previous government) and not reappointed this year, but did not directly address whether the Prime Minister was involved in his initial employment arrangements.
Gender and Sexual Orientation
Senator Cash asked why the Prime Minister opposes legislation to protect biological women's sex-based rights in single-sex spaces, citing the High Court's Tickle v Giggle decision. Minister Wong deflected from the specific question by invoking respect and dignity for all people, citing the government's commitment to women's equality, and redirected by challenging the Coalition's record on women's rights issues including consent in marriage and international girls' education.
Migration
David Shoebridge criticized the government's migration policies as a 'race to the bottom' with One Nation, arguing they treat migrants as economic tools while failing to address cost-of-living pressures that enable far-right scapegoating. Murray Watt dismissed the question as 'pathetic,' defended the government's migration reforms as necessary to address an unsustainable system left by the previous government, and countered that the Greens have themselves voted with One Nation on other issues.
Indigenous Australians
Senator Thorpe asked whether the government agrees a genocide occurred against Indigenous Australians, citing new research showing 2.2 million First Peoples lived on the continent before invasion. Minister Wong avoided directly answering the genocide question, distinguishing between political and legal definitions, but acknowledged the history involved 'brutality and death and murders and dispossession' and stated the government supports greater understanding of these painful truths.
Whyalla Steelworks
Senator Canavan questioned how Labor's net zero policies created secure manufacturing jobs when Whyalla Steelworks announced the permanent closure of its blast furnace, risking 500 jobs and sovereign capacity. Senator Wong acknowledged Whyalla's critical importance and blamed years of underinvestment and the facility's deterioration under previous management rather than addressing the direct link between Labor's policies and the closure.
United Nations Climate Change Conference
Senator Payman raised concerns about climate change disproportionately affecting women and questioned Australia's credibility to lead COP31 negotiations given the country is tracking to only 53% renewables by 2030 rather than the government's target. She also asked specific commitments on gender-transformative climate finance and closing the gap with other developed nations. Minister Ayres acknowledged climate change's disproportionate impact on women in the region and linked it to security concerns, but did not directly address the specific commitments requested regarding renewable energy targets, climate finance frameworks, or per capita climate finance increases.
Economy
Senator Hume asked when inflation would return to the Reserve Bank's target band and whether the government acknowledged that higher interest rates are pressuring small businesses, citing concerns reportedly raised by Labor MPs. Senator Gallagher responded by highlighting that inflation had fallen from 7.8 per cent to the 3 per cent range since Labor took office, defended the government's cost-of-living support as targeted and non-inflationary, and criticized the previous government's handling of inflation, but did not directly address the specific concerns about small business pressure or provide a timeline for inflation returning to target.