Senate Chamber — sitting of 16 September 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

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Senate Chamber

15 September 2026

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Contents updated on 16 Sept 2026

The Senate first considers and rejects Senator Bell’s No Jab, No Pay Repeal Bill on vaccination mandates and family payments, then moves to second‑reading debate on the Universities Accord Bill, where government, Greens, One Nation and other senators set out contrasting positions on funding design, equity measures, HECS, ministerial and ATEC/TEQSA powers, international students and the wider tertiary policy framework.

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Senate legislation — vaccination repeal and Universities Accord

10:02

No Jab, No Pay repeal — debate and division

10:02

Senate opening and start of repeal bill debate

10:02

Opening of sitting and procedural business

10:02

Opening of Senate sitting and prayer

10:02

Tabling of documents and authorisation of committees

11:37

Bill introduced — No Jab, No Pay repeal

11:37

Antic: case for restoring conscientious objection

12:55

Antic: welfare conditionality and coercion concerns

12:55

Antic: history and scope of conscientious objection

14:27

Antic: pandemic abuses and conscientious objection

19:32

No Jab, No Pay repeal — key stakeholder positions

21:02

Babet: parental rights and critique of coercive vaccination incentives

21:02

Babet: bill introduction and parental rights framing

21:02

Babet: coercion, low‑income impact and effectiveness data

23:55

Babet: state no‑jab laws, COVID experience and closing plea

27:37

Government and Greens — positions on repeal bill

30:25

Minister Watt: Labor opposes repeal and defends incentives

30:25

Greens: oppose repeal, affirm vaccination benefits

34:34

Greens: equity concerns and call for policy review

36:52

No Jab, No Pay repeal — Coalition and crossbench positions

44:02

Coalition: defend No Jab, No Pay and oppose bill

44:02

Crossbench: restore pre-2016 conscientious objection

48:38

Crossbench: COVID-era coercion and loss of trust

51:04

Crossbench: inequality of penalties and age-7 rule

53:32

One Nation: case for No Jab, No Pay repeal

54:39

Roberts (One Nation): support for bill and vaccination data

54:39

Roberts: state childcare laws, disease rates and migration

01:00:16

Roberts: COVID-era coercion and consent standards

01:02:48

Roberts: childhood vaccine safety, TGA and parental rights

01:06:25

Senate procedure — defeat of No Jab, No Pay repeal

01:09:13

Senate: closure of debate and division on repeal bill

01:09:13

Senate procedure: motion to close debate and call division

01:09:13

Division result on No Jab, No Pay repeal bill

01:13:52

Government model for Universities Accord funding

01:16:50

Second reading context and government funding model

01:16:50

Second reading context — O'Sullivan concerns and ministerial framing

01:16:50

Universities Accord Bill — O'Sullivan: caps, ministerial overreach and quality

01:16:50

Minister Brown: Accord context and prior reforms

01:21:42

Government model — managed growth, equity loadings and regulator powers

01:24:09

Brown: managed growth model and needs-based equity funding

01:24:09

Brown: TEQSA, ATAC powers and cross-party support

01:27:17

Accord bill — Greens critique and Government defence

01:31:00

Greens: structural inequities and opposition to bill

01:31:00

Faruqi (Greens): sector crisis and bill’s equity shortcomings

01:31:00

Greens: constrain ATEC, caps and equity funding risks

01:36:01

Greens: ministerial control over international students and migration politics

01:41:01

Greens: postgraduate exclusion, secured amendments and fee‑free vision

01:42:56

Government: Accord bill context and managed growth

01:46:11

Government: Accord context, managed growth and needs-based model

01:46:11

Smith: inquiry findings and sector concerns

01:49:59

Government: regional access, study hubs and broader reforms

01:53:56

Smith: study hubs, regional access and ATEC

01:53:56

Universities Accord bill — conditional support and oversight concerns

01:58:41

Senator Payman — conditional support and structural sector concerns

01:58:41

Payman: conditional support, prac payment gaps and graduate outcomes

01:58:41

Payman: conditional support and prac payment gaps

01:58:41

Payman: graduate outcomes inquiry and underemployment

02:00:57

Payman: systemic funding, R&D and economic complexity concerns

02:05:40

Payman: low R&D, international students and economic complexity

02:05:40

Accord bill — support, regional equity and ministerial powers

02:08:09

Senator Dowling — support for Accord bill and regional equity

02:08:09

Dowling: support for Accord bill and needs-based model

02:08:09

Dowling: Tasmanian regional campuses and implementation issues

02:11:46

Crossbench: ministerial powers, funding caps and equity

02:16:19

Pocock: support conditional on curbing ministerial powers

02:16:19

Pocock: ACT disadvantage metrics and oversight

02:21:42

Crossbench: opposition to ATEC central planning and student caps

02:38:55

Greens — critique of Universities Accord and HECS

02:27:18

Greens — student debt, access and AI risks

02:27:18

Greens: student debt, access and equity

02:27:18

Shoebridge (Greens): student debt and Job-ready Graduates

02:27:18

Greens: AI in universities and Accord risks

02:29:39

Shoebridge: AI partnerships and UNSW concerns

02:29:39

Shoebridge (Greens): AI deals, NTEU and Accord risks

02:33:17

Greens senators: university funding and student debt

02:48:28

Greens: student poverty, funding and regional impacts

02:48:28

Allman-Payne (Greens): student poverty, fees and underfunding

02:48:28

Greens: JCU veterinary lab closure and regional impacts

02:54:23

Greens: equity agenda, student poverty and university funding

03:00:40

Greens senators: free university and HECS reform

03:03:16

McKim (Greens): free university and HECS abolition

03:03:16

McKim (Greens): cost-of-living, HECS and free university funding

03:08:32

Steele-John (Greens): half-baked Accord bill and Greens amendments

03:14:21

Steele-John: health workforce, prac payments and exclusion of medical students

03:18:52

One Nation — opposition to Universities Accord Bill

02:38:55

One Nation – opposition to bill and equity model

02:38:55

One Nation: oppose centralised ATEC control and identity-based equity

02:38:55

One Nation: oppose ATEC central planning and international load

02:38:55

One Nation: identity-based equity funding and migration cuts

02:43:29

Senators’ statements — infrastructure, environment, digital regulation

03:24:59

Senators’ statements — infrastructure, environment and digital regulation

03:24:59

Senators’ statements — state projects and environmental approvals

03:24:59

Senate procedure and O’Sullivan’s WA priorities

03:24:59

Senate procedure: transition to senators’ statements

03:24:59

O'Sullivan: WA child protection failures

03:25:16

O'Sullivan: delayed WA road projects and AUKUS impact

03:30:19

Tasmania — environmental approvals and AI data centres

03:35:20

Tasmania: Robbins Island wind farm approval and breaches

03:35:20

Greens: oppose Tamar Valley AI data centre

03:40:09

Community protection, digital harms and AI regulation

03:44:33

Community protection, digital harms and mental health

03:44:33

WA Holocaust Education Centre and William Cooper’s legacy

03:44:33

Government senator: digital duty of care and AI risks

03:53:06

Brown: new Medicare mental health centres in Tasmania

03:58:15

Corporate leverage, AI copyright and gas tax debate

04:03:19

Hanson-Young (Greens): AI copyright carve-outs and data centres

04:03:19

Pocock: fuel prices, gas export tax and reservation scheme

04:08:24

Infrastructure, AI regulation and defence workforce

04:13:29

Sterle: Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Steering Committee legacy

04:13:29

Lambie: OpenAI ultimatum and AI copyright protections

04:18:35

Whiteaker: Henderson defence precinct and WA skills pipeline

04:22:36

Economic settings, supply chains and democratic integrity

04:27:42

Economic settings, energy policy and women’s health

04:27:42

Energy policy, regulation and economic competitiveness — Hanson

04:27:42

Hanson: Uhlmann article on energy, regulation and "Argentinization"

04:27:42

Maternity care failures and women’s health inquiry — Payman and Green

04:32:51

Payman: postpartum trauma, reproductive leave and informed consent

04:32:51

Green: support for women’s health inquiry and birth trauma focus

04:37:32

Agriculture and garment supply chains — power, pricing and labour

04:40:13

Food processing market power and farmer treatment — Colbeck

04:40:13

Colbeck: Simplot pricing dispute and farmer intimidation

04:40:13

Ethical Clothing Australia Week and garment worker protections — Darmanin

04:42:24

Darmanin: Ethical Clothing Australia Week and garment workers

04:42:24

Broader social policy, public funding integrity and democratic norms

04:44:27

Social policy and healthcare rights debates

04:44:27

Allman-Payne (Greens): Queensland gender-affirming care class action

04:44:27

McDonald (Nats): deindustrialisation, energy policy and net zero

04:46:22

Brown (ALP): critique of One Nation super "pay boost"

04:48:24

Hanson (One Nation): funding call for Custom R Pilus footrot vaccine

04:50:22

Public funding integrity and online harms

04:52:26

McGrath (LNP): grants to PM’s golf club and Butler’s soccer club

04:52:26

Stewart (ALP): online racism inquiry and platform accountability

04:54:31

Democratic integrity, grants, and political framing

04:56:38

Hodgins-May (Greens): democracy, grants rorts and gas minister gifts

04:56:38

Babet (UAP): political language and reframing of contested issues

04:58:44

Live capture

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Senate Chamber

15 September 2026

Senate Wed, 16 Sept 2026 Australian Parliament

10:02 - 10:08

Speaker 1

Honourable Senators, the President.

10:08 - 10:08

I acknowledge

11:00 - 11:13

Speaker 6

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.

11:13 - 11:16

Speaker 2

Are there any documents to be tabled by the clerk?

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