Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee — hearing of 27 October 2026: transcript & video · Polyfact

Free trial Learn more

Australia

Videos

Australia

Learn more Log in Free trial

Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee

26 October 2026

Speaker dots

Speakers in the chapter
Colour: political group
Grey: no group

Tap or click a chapter's dots to see names and groups.

Contents updated at 14:47

Hearing of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee examining 2026–27 supplementary budget estimates for the Home Affairs portfolio.

Layout

Layout Balanced Video, transcript and chat in equal parts Video Larger player Reading Wider transcript

Legend

Transcript markers

text Sentence being played
text Search result
text Intervention cited by the link you opened

Click a sentence to play the video from that moment. Select text to quote it with the speaker, timestamp and link.

More options

Official source

Offset

Transcript offset

0s

Text size

Export

Select segments to export (Word)

0 segments selected

Supplementary budget estimates 2026–27 — Home Affairs portfolio

10:05

Opening statements — procedures and scope of the hearing

10:05

Senator Jana Stewart (Chair) — opening of hearing and procedural remarks

10:05

National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) — opening statements

14:08

Minister representing the Minister for Emergency Management — opening statement on high‑risk weather season and Aus‑Alert

14:08

NEMA senior official — opening statement on preparedness, crisis coordination, OzAlert and workforce issues

17:55

NEMA — staffing levels and disaster recovery funding framework reforms

22:56

Question of Senator Susan McDonald on NEMA staffing levels and FTE

22:56

Question of Senator Susan McDonald on financial impact of new disaster recovery funding model on councils

24:35

Question of Senator Susan McDonald on progress of DRFA reform negotiations and future engagement

25:40

Question of Senator Susan McDonald on remaining DRFF reform priorities after 50–50 cost‑sharing abandoned

31:49

NEMA — Disaster Ready Fund round four projects in Victoria

34:53

Questions of Senator Lisa Darmanin on Victorian DRF round four community resilience projects

34:53

NEMA — AusAlert system costs and commercial confidentiality

42:12

Questions of Senator Payman on AusAlert total cost and commercial‑in‑confidence treatment

42:12

NEMA — staffing levels and disaster recovery funding framework reforms (cont.)

50:10

Questions of Senator Susan McDonald on revised DRFA activation thresholds, counter-disaster operations and 15% betterment scheme

50:10

NEMA — replacement for Disaster Relief Australia and national recovery surge capability

59:06

Question of Senator Susan McDonald on replacement for Disaster Relief Australia workforce capability

59:06

NEMA — APS employee census results and senior leadership culture

01:03:03

Questions of Senator David Pocock on NEMA APS census results, SES leadership, turnover and workplace culture

01:03:03

Supplementary budget estimates 2026–27 — Home Affairs portfolio (cont.)

01:17:30

NEMA — Disaster Ready Fund projects in Tasmania and other jurisdictions

01:17:30

Questions of Senator Polley on DRF round three projects in Tasmania and WA and timing of round four announcements

01:17:30

NEMA — replacement for Disaster Relief Australia and national recovery surge capability (cont.)

01:22:48

Exchange between Senator Susan McDonald and Minister McAllister on the demise of Disaster Relief Australia and replacement recovery capability

01:22:48

Supplementary budget estimates 2026–27 — Home Affairs portfolio (cont.)

01:31:46

NEMA — payroll underpayments, consultants and remediation plan

01:31:46

Questions of Senator David Pocock on NEMA payroll underpayments, consultants and remediation timeline

01:31:46

Questions of Senator Susan McDonald on accountability standards for NEMA payroll non‑compliance and disaster response capability

01:47:28

NEMA — funding for Northern Australia Fire Information (NAFI) service

01:50:47

Questions of Senator Susan McDonald on NAFI ongoing funding, Grants Hub administration costs and satellite data risks

01:50:47

NEMA — AusAlert system costs and commercial confidentiality (cont.)

01:57:18

Questions of Senator Susan McDonald on AusAlert national test performance and non-receipt of alerts

01:57:18

Department of Home Affairs — Outcome 1 cross‑portfolio corporate and general matters

02:10:32

Department of Home Affairs — opening statements

02:10:32

Secretary of Home Affairs — opening statement on portfolio achievements, threats and workforce

02:10:32

Department of Home Affairs — corporate budget measures and NZYQ/Operation Aegis costs

02:15:39

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on NZYQ cohort and Operation Aegis costs

02:15:39

Questions of Senator Barbara Pocock on Illicit Tobacco and E‑cigarette Commissioner Deloitte contract timing

02:27:58

Department of Home Affairs — SES flexible work arrangements and Four Corners 'Pregnancy Penalty' episode

02:29:10

Questions of Senator Fatima Payman on SES flexible work policies and the Alicia Warner case

02:29:10

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on Four Corners reporting accuracy and review of the Warner matter

02:42:00

Department of Home Affairs — corporate budget measures and NZYQ/Operation Aegis costs (cont.)

02:45:12

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on offers of payment to NZYQ cohort members

02:45:12

Department of Home Affairs — voluntary redundancies and workforce impacts

02:45:42

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on voluntary redundancies and SES incentives to retire

02:45:42

Department of Home Affairs — timeliness of answers to questions on notice

02:54:59

Questions of Senator Shoebridge on stale data in answers to questions on notice and ministerial delays

02:54:59

Department of Home Affairs — SES flexible work arrangements and Four Corners 'Pregnancy Penalty' episode (cont.)

03:11:54

Questions of Senator Fatima Payman on Alicia Warner’s redundancy and FOI handling

03:11:54

Department of Home Affairs — voluntary redundancies and workforce impacts (cont.)

03:17:35

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on savings from voluntary redundancies

03:17:35

Department of Home Affairs — OpenAI incident, cybersecurity reviews and access to frontier AI models

03:18:43

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on the OpenAI unauthorised access incident and legacy systems stocktake

03:18:43

Preliminary questions of Senator David Pocock on access to frontier AI models

03:22:58

Department of Home Affairs — SES flexible work arrangements and Four Corners 'Pregnancy Penalty' episode (cont.)

03:24:53

Deputy Secretary Brooke Hartigan — correction of evidence on FOI internal reviews

03:24:53

Department of Home Affairs — OpenAI incident, cybersecurity reviews and access to frontier AI models (cont.)

03:25:21

Questions of Senator David Pocock on access to frontier AI models, OpenAI Daybreak and cybersecurity support for Home Affairs

03:25:21

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on whole-of-government OpenAI response, legacy IT costs and cyber deadlines

03:35:48

Questions of Senator Lisa Darmanin on Cyber Security Strategy Horizon 2, human firewall and supply chains

03:48:07

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on sovereign cyber capability and procurement barriers

03:56:49

Department of Home Affairs — Australians linked to Islamic State and repatriation from Al-Roj camp

03:59:14

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on Australians linked to Islamic State and charges against returnees

03:59:14

Department of Home Affairs — Australians linked to Islamic State and repatriation from Al-Roj camp (cont.)

04:38:18

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on monitoring of Islamic State returnees and participation in countering violent extremism programs

04:38:18

Department of Home Affairs — Enhanced Border Security Partnership and US Visa Waiver Program

04:51:09

Questions of Senator Shoebridge on US Enhanced Border Security Partnership data demands and privacy protections

04:51:09

Department of Home Affairs — Australians linked to Islamic State and repatriation from Al-Roj camp (cont.)

05:05:38

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on status of Dr Kamleh and government awareness of his situation

05:05:38

Department of Home Affairs — Bondi Junction attack Royal Commission interim recommendations

05:08:55

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on implementation of Bondi Royal Commission interim recommendations and JCTT review

05:08:55

Department of Home Affairs — Enhanced Border Security Partnership and US Visa Waiver Program (cont.)

05:19:05

Questions of Senator Shoebridge on US data demands, biometrics and timelines for the Enhanced Border Security Partnership

05:19:05

Department of Home Affairs — transnational repression and coerced repatriation offences

05:38:27

Questions of Senator (Intervenant 152) on coerced repatriation offence and support for victims of transnational repression

05:38:27

Department of Home Affairs — development of immigration reform package (Outcome 2)

05:52:46

Questions of Senator Jonathon Duniam on development of the immigration reform package

05:52:46

Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee

26 October 2026

Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee Tue, 27 Oct 2026 Australian Parliament

10:04 - 12:16

Speaker 1

I declare open this hearing of the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Legislation Committee inquiry for the 2026-27 supplementary budget estimates. I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of the lands on which we meet today and pay our respects to their ancestors and elders past and present. I extend this respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people who might be joining us today. The Senate has referred to the committee the particulars of proposed expenditure for 2026-27 for the portfolios of Home Affairs and the Attorney-General and other related documents. These are supplementary budget estimate proceedings and the outcomes to be heard during today's estimates are from the Home Affairs portfolio.

The committee has set Thursday 5 November 2026 as the date by which written questions on notice are to be provided to the secretariat. The committee has also decided that answers to written questions on notice should be returned to the secretariat by 5:00 PM Thursday 17 December 2026. Under standing order 26, the committee must take all evidence in public session. This includes answers to questions on notice. I remind all witnesses that in giving evidence to the committee, they are protected by parliamentary privilege.

It is unlawful for anyone to threaten or disadvantage a witness on account of evidence given to a committee and such action may be treated by the Senate as a contempt. It is also a contempt to give false or misleading evidence to a committee. Officers and senators are familiar with the rules of the Senate governing estimates hearings, if you need assistance the secretariat has copies of the rules.

The Senate, by resolution in 1999, endorsed the following test of relevance of questions at estimates hearings. Any questions going to the operations or financial positions of of the departments and agencies which are seeking funds in the estimates are relevant questions for the purpose of estimates hearings. I remind officers that the Senate has resolved that there are no areas in connection with the expenditure of public funds where any person has a discretion to withhold details or explanations from the Parliament or its committees unless the Parliament has expressly provided otherwise.

The rest of the transcript is for Pro customers

Unlock the full transcript, chat, and every analysis feature with Polyfact Pro.

Start a free trial

Australian Parliament

Watch the full session, transcribed live

Unlock word-for-word transcripts, AI summaries and chat on every parliamentary session.

Live transcript, every speaker identified
AI summaries and chat on every session
Alerts the moment your keywords are said

14-day free trial · cancel anytime

Free trial Learn more

Already have an account? Log in

Ask anything about this video — I analyse its transcript to answer.

Australian Parliament

Watch the full session, transcribed live

Unlock word-for-word transcripts, AI summaries and chat on every parliamentary session.

Live transcript, every speaker identified
AI summaries and chat on every session
Alerts the moment your keywords are said

14-day free trial · cancel anytime

Free trial Learn more

Already have an account? Log in

Keyboard shortcuts

Playback

Play / pause: Space
Back / forward 15 s: ←→
Back / forward 10 s: JL
Full screen: F

Chapters and transcript

Previous / next chapter: PN
Search the transcript: /
Turn follow on / off: S
Copy the current sentence as a quote: C
Show this help: ?

Single-key shortcuts J, L, N, P, C, S, / and ?. Turn them off if you use voice control or assistive tech that types letters.

Inactive while a text field, a button or the chat has focus.