Alex Hawke calls out Labor for trying to send FoI bill to ‘legislation clearing house’
Looks like the drama won’t just be reserved for the Senate today, there’s some early shenanigans going on in the house too.
The government has tried to move debate on the highly controversial freedom of information bill to the much smaller federation chamber, which the opposition has called a “secondary chamber” where there will be less scrutiny of debate.
Manager of opposition business, Alex Hawke, tries to suspend standing orders to stop it going to the chamber, and has a go at the government. He says too many bills are being sent to the federation chamber for debate and that, “the federation chamber has become a legislation clearing house”.
I can assure the prime minister that their changes to freedom of information are highly controversial and deserve a serious examination by this parliament.
This is not a debate that should be sent somewhere to ram it through … it should be scrutinised by this house.
Hawke says the opposition is also standing up for the media, who have deep concerns over this legislation.
Key events
Catie McLeod
G8 Education says it ‘welcomes scrutiny’ and is committed to regulatory reform
In today’s ASX announcement, G8 Education also said it “welcomes the scrutiny and changes that are aimed at providing better outcomes for children and our team”.
In July the alleged sex offender Joshua Dale Brown, 26, was charged with more than 70 offences involving children, including at a Melbourne centre managed by G8 Education. Brown worked at the centre in early 2024. G8 Education has repeatedly apologised for “the pain this has caused”.
During a New South Wales parliamentary inquiry in September, Greens MLC Abigail Boyd read a series of confirmed breaches at centres owned by G8 Education. These included a child being slapped on the face in 2023 and others being exposed to mould in 2024.
G8 Education said in its ASX statement today that it was working with state and federal governments and the relevant regulators, and that:
We remain committed to implementing all regulatory changes effectively and, in addition, continue to invest in strengthening the recruitment, training and development of our team, and improving our safety, quality and educational practices.
Furthermore, we have committed to the rollout of CCTV across our network, commencing in 2026.
Catie McLeod
G8 Education downgrades revenue forecast after failing to turn around drop in enrolments
G8 Education has told shareholders it has failed to turn around a drop in enrolments and is on track to make less money than it expected this year, after multiple safety breaches at its centres and its employment of an alleged paedophile.
Australia’s largest for-profit childcare provider posted an announcement to the Australian Stock Exchange today, saying it had downgraded its revenue forecast for this financial year to between $91m and $98m due to “subdued occupancy”.
G8 Education noted it had said in August that it was experiencing lower occupancy rates but expected its full-year revenue to be similar to the 2024-2025 financial year.
The company conceded its “focus on initiatives to support traditional seasonal occupancy growth” in the second half of the year had not been successful, saying that:
The operating environment has remained challenging, with families continuing to face cost of living pressures, lower enquiry levels compared to last year and ongoing sector-wide challenges.
As a result, the expected seasonal increase in occupancy in October did not occur.
The company said that, as of 2 November, its year to date occupancy rate was 65.7%, which is 4.5 percentage points lower than it was in the year before.
Alex Hawke calls out Labor for trying to send FoI bill to ‘legislation clearing house’
Looks like the drama won’t just be reserved for the Senate today, there’s some early shenanigans going on in the house too.
The government has tried to move debate on the highly controversial freedom of information bill to the much smaller federation chamber, which the opposition has called a “secondary chamber” where there will be less scrutiny of debate.
Manager of opposition business, Alex Hawke, tries to suspend standing orders to stop it going to the chamber, and has a go at the government. He says too many bills are being sent to the federation chamber for debate and that, “the federation chamber has become a legislation clearing house”.
I can assure the prime minister that their changes to freedom of information are highly controversial and deserve a serious examination by this parliament.
This is not a debate that should be sent somewhere to ram it through … it should be scrutinised by this house.
Hawke says the opposition is also standing up for the media, who have deep concerns over this legislation.
Sarah Basford Canales
Anti-nuclear weapons group founder calls for timeline on Australia signing treaty
Dr Tilman Ruff, co-founder of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (Ican), said the minister’s comments “gave the impression” the federal government would no longer go forward with signing the treaty after Marles said it was a “decision of government” and that it already follows the “Non-Proliferation Treaty” – a separate treaty that aims to prevent the buildup of nuclear weapons.
Ruff said:
As Australia pursues nuclear-fuelled submarines under Aukus, it is essential that we send a clear message to our nation, our region and the world that nuclear weapons are a red line. We call for the government to set a timeline for the signature of the TPNW in this term of parliament.
In a statement to Guardian Australia, the assistant climate change minister, Josh Wilson, who is a co-convener of the newly established Parliamentary Friends of the TPNW (Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons), said the government’s position had not changed.
The government’s position hasn’t changed. We continue to actively support disarmament and non-proliferation measures as part of our commitment to a world without nuclear weapons, and Australia recognises and values the contribution that the TPNW has made to that vital cause in terms of global focus and momentum. The Albanese government has engaged as an observer with the TPNW process, and continues to consider how the TPNW can interact with and reinforce foundation agreements like the NPT.
Sarah Basford Canales
Marles’ comments spark concerns Labor will renege on promise to sign nuclear weapons ban treaty
An anti-nuclear weapons group has raised concerns the Albanese government is walking back its promise to sign and ratify a nuclear weapons ban treaty, after comments made by the defence minister, Richard Marles, on ABC’s Four Corners last night.
Countries who sign up to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons would be prohibited from developing, testing, producing, acquiring, possessing or using nuclear weapons. Since 2017, 94 countries, including Ireland, Mexico and New Zealand, have signed the treaty with many having also ratified it since. Notably, the US, China, Russia, France and the UK join Australia as countries who’ve yet to sign it.
At Labor’s 2018 national conference, Anthony Albanese, then shadow infrastructure minister, passed a resolution that Labor, in government, would sign and ratify the treaty. It was seconded by Marles. The footage of Labor’s commitments in 2018 was aired in an episode of ABC’s Four Corners last night.
Well, I have received update from the government on their motion to force all senators to be present and in the chamber for Senate question time.
A government spokesperson clarified senators can leave for bathroom breaks and emergencies.
It’s not yet clear whether the motion will go through – the government would need either Coalition or Greens support. Or the Coalition and the Greens could team up with the crossbench and vote against it.
Tom McIlroy
Coalition tearing themselves apart over net zero again, PM says
Anthony Albanese has lashed the Coalition over its plans to dump support for net zero by 2050 emissions policies, urging Labor MPs to maintain focus on the economic opportunities from the renewable energy transition.
Speaking to a closed-door meeting of the Labor caucus at Parliament House on Tuesday, Albanese said the politics were bad for the opposition leader, Sussan Ley.
“It is all about investment certainty,” Albanese said.
“We need investment certainty to deliver reliable energy. This is a commonsense approach.”
Of the Coalition, Albanese said:
Those opposite have torn themselves apart before and they’re doing it again.
It’s important we keep our focus on what we are doing for jobs and the economy.
Albanese noted that 24 out of 28 coal-fired power stations in Australia had announced their closures under the former Coalition government.
Andrew Messenger
Queensland treasurer vows to continue good faith negotiations with teachers’ union
Queensland’s treasurer, David Janetzki, has vowed to continue good faith negotiations with the state’s teachers union, in the face of threatened strike action.
QTU delegates voted on the weekend to take their second strike action of the year within the next three weeks. The first is estimated to have disrupted learning for 600,000 school students across the state.
At a press conference in Rockhampton, Janetzki said “we believe we’ve made a good offer”:
Well, we’ll remain good faith negotiators, and we’ll continue to work with them [the union].
We’ll let the process take its course now. We want to see teachers well paid and safe in the classroom, and that’s what we’re working towards through some of the red tape reduction and work that the education minister [is taking].
More than two-thirds of teachers voted down an 8% pay rise offer last week. The state government hopes to take the union into industrial arbitration to resolve the dispute.
Penry Buckley
Sydney defence expo continues uninterrupted by protest
Inside the Indo Pacific International Maritime Exposition, outside which police arrested at least 10 protesters and used pepper spray on crowds, the atmosphere is relaxed.
Thousands of people, including hundreds of white-uniformed Australian navy personnel, are packed into the International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. A naval band is playing classical flute music, while attenders are being given out free doughnuts and lollies by organisers and exhibitors, including some of the world’s largest weapons companies.
Inside the main exhibition hall, people are flocking to stalls run by the likes of Lockheed Martin and the Australian federal and state governments, as attenders pose alongside scale models of ballistic missiles and unmanned drones.
Among the exhibitors is Israel’s largest weapons company, Elbit Systems, and the Israeli state-owned company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, who both have large, centrally located stalls.
Former member of the UN commission of inquiry, Chris Sidoti, has criticised the companies for being “key enablers of the Israel Defense Forces in its commission of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza over the last two years”.
Guardian Australia has approached Rafael and Elbit for comment.
Nick Visser
Sydney weapons expo protesters to march to Town Hall
Protesters are set to march from Sydney’s Tumbalong Park, where they have gathered since 6.30am this morning, to the city’s Town Hall.
NSW police said the unplanned march should begin momentarily, with traffic disruptions and rolling road closures as the group moves through the CBD.
Marchers will head from the park to Liverpool Street, before turning on to George Street.
A police operation is ongoing.
UPDATE: Protesters have indicated they will be marching from Darling Harbour to Town Hall at 11.20am.
Traffic is expected to be disrupted, with rolling road closures to take place.
The group is expected to march from Tumbalong Park onto Liverpool Street, before turning onto… https://t.co/MrzPRz8hTl
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) November 4, 2025
Cait Kelly
Greens to move amendment to ensure workers under 18 are paid super
The Greens are set to move an amendment to Labor’s Superannuation Guarantee bill today, making sure workers under 18 are paid super.
This bill will require employers to meet key obligations to accurately calculate employees’ individual superannuation guarantee.
And the Greens want under-18s included. Right now, to be eligible for super, under 18s need to work at least 30 hours a week for the same employer. However, most young people juggle paid work with school and study commitments and, therefore, are unable to reach the required 30 hours per week. As a result, hundreds of thousands of young workers are missing out.
The Greens’ amendment would ensure super contributions are paid to all workers, including under-18s.
Greens spokesperson for finance, employment and workplace relations, senator Barbara Pocock, said:
Under-18s pay taxes and contribute to our economy, so why shouldn’t they receive super?
Excluding young people from super only makes it harder to get ahead – robbing them of thousands in retirement savings and financial security.
The Greens believe superannuation should be a universal right. Every worker deserves super, whether they’re 16 or 60 years old, and should receive the same financial rights as everyone else, whether part-time or full-time.
Labor has previously promised to deliver super for all workers. The national platform states:
Labor will … work with unions and employers to examine gaps in the superannuation system and where possible close these gaps for injured workers, young workers, carers (including for parents who provide full-time care up until school age) and low income families.
Josh Butler
Greens say door is still open for environmental laws negotiations
The Greens are expected to vote against the EPBC environmental laws in the lower house this week.
Following a meeting of the party room this morning, the Greens have said they don’t believe the legislation goes far enough to protect forests and address climate change, and has been geared too much toward mining and industry interests.
The minor party isn’t expected to propose amendments in the lower house, but hasn’t ruled out amendments in the Senate.
The Greens say their door is still open to minister Murray Watt for more negotiations, but they’ve resolved to oppose it in the lower house for now.
Cait Kelly
Cancelling Centrelink payments a ‘fundamental breach of natural justice’, Wilkie says
This morning, independents Lidia Thorpe and Andrew Wilkie gave a presser on the amendment to give home affairs the power to cancel Centrelink payments of those accused of a serious crime and on the run from the law for a minute.
Wilkie said it was a “fundamental breach of natural justice”.
Until someone has been convicted in a court found guilty, then they are innocent. So the whole notion of taking income support of anyone in the community simply because they are accused of something is a fundamental breach of natural justice.
It is wrong. It’s also punitive, because the person who has the income support stopped is, in all likelihood, providing financial support for someone else, for the wife and the kids, for the family.
Thorpe called for an inquiry into the proposed amendment:
People are innocent [until] proven guilty. We look at the assault on Aboriginal women who are victims of family violence, and the cops rock up. And then Aboriginal women become the perpetrators.
Now this has long-reaching impact … and an inquiry needs to happen.
Josh Butler
Barnaby claims credit for net zero drama
Barnaby Joyce has claimed credit for the Coalition sitting on the brink of dropping or dramatically altering its net zero pledge, saying he and supporters like Matt Canavan have “just moved the whole agenda to exactly where I want it to be”.
Joyce told a press conference:
I think I’m going quite well. It’s almost like I’ve done it before.
Joyce says he’ll remain outside the Nationals and Coalition party rooms for now, even as the two opposition parties discuss net zero and climate commitments today in their weekly meetings. Joyce said he had no meetings scheduled with Pauline Hanson this week – who, as we reported yesterday, still remains out of the country and was reportedly spotted at Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago Halloween party – as questions remain about whether he could switch to One Nation.
In a doorstop, Joyce downplayed the impact of the damaging and ugly net zero fight on the Coalition’s electoral fortunes, noting it was still early in the cycle before the next election. He also said he didn’t want the debate to claim the scalp of Liberal leader Sussan Ley, who is fighting to stave off pressure from her right flank.
Joyce said he wanted to see renewable power wound back, and maintained that coal power would be the cheapest option, raising concern about the effect of power prices on businesses. However Joyce claimed “the Business Council is wrong” after the peak corporate group backed net zero and called on the Coalition to maintain its commitment.
Asked why he remained outside the Coalition and Nationals party rooms, and why he wasn’t internally contributing to the debate he wanted to have, Joyce said he and colleagues like Canavan had moved the whole debate, but wouldn’t telegraph what his next campaigning move would be.
It’s having no effect, is it? We’ve just moved the whole agenda to exactly where I wanted to be. I think I’m going quite well.
Here’s a trick. Keep cards close to your chest and don’t tell anybody what you’re doing, because that’s how you have effect.
The Senate shenanigans don’t stop!
We’ve got a copy of a motion which Labor has drawn up, that would stop all senators from being able to leave the chamber during the extra long question time.
A quick recap: senate question time has been extended to give non-government senators five extra questions, until the government hands in a report on government board appointments that independent David Pocock has been chasing for months, and was handed to Labor two years ago.
Now it seems like Labor are looking to move a motion on top of that one, that “all senators be required to attend the Senate whilst questions without notice are asked and answered”.
A senator can only be “excused” if they have been “granted leave of absence by the Senate” or with the agreement of all whips and independent senators.
So what does that mean for bathroom breaks? Or any other emergencies? We’ll try and get to the bottom of this! *A quick midday update, we have got the answer for you, which you can see here.
But I will note that – like in the case of question time being extended – the Coalition, Greens and crossbench can again team up to defeat this motion if Labor brings it forward.
Nick Visser
10 arrested during Sydney protests over defence expo
10 people have now been arrested at this morning’s protests in Sydney’s Tumbalong Park.
NSW police said its operation remains ongoing, with a smaller group of protesters still demonstrating near the ICC against the weapons expo. Police said on social media:
The safety and security of delegates at the venue and the wider community is paramount. Anyone who breaches the peace will be arrested.
Police will continue to have a presence at the assemblies and will work with protestors to ensure there is minimal impact to the community.
UPDATE: 10 people have now been arrested, and the police operation remains ongoing.
The safety and security of delegates at the venue and the wider community is paramount.
Anyone who breaches the peace will be arrested.
Police will continue to have a presence at the assemblies… https://t.co/hwdz82SxFD
— NSW Police Force (@nswpolice) November 3, 2025
Cait Kelly
Legal service warns security services changes will impact Aboriginal women misidentified as perpetrators
Staying on the security services amendment, senator David Pocock is expected to try and split the changes into a separate bill that can be sent to an inquiry today.
Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Women’s Legal Centre CEO and Bundjalung woman Christine Robinson has also put out a statement saying:
Wirringa Baiya has concerns about the proposed amendments, and the way that these are being pushed through the parliament without adequate scrutiny.
As a service that works with Aboriginal women who are often misidentified as perpetrators, we see the many possible unintended consequences of this proposed amendment.”
The 2024 Senate Inquiry into Missing and Murdered First Nations Women and Children found misidentification of women as perpetrators puts First Nations women at risk.
Robinson said:
We urge the government to remove this amendment from the bill and go through the appropriate pathway to allow necessary scrutiny and input from stakeholders.
Cait Kelly
Critics urge government to scrap plan to allow police and ministers to cancel welfare payment
A growing group of civil society organisations representing welfare recipients, First Nations people, survivors of family violence, disabled people and legal experts are calling on the government to scrap a proposed amendment that will allow police and federal government ministers to cancel someone’s welfare payment.
The person must be accused of a serious crime and on the run from law enforcement.
Karly Warner, chair of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services (Natsils), said:
The Government is trying to pass legislation that would allow police to cancel Centrelink payments for people who have not been found guilty of any offence.
This is an unprecedented attack on fairness and due process which will shake public confidence in our legal system. Under this legislation, people’s benefits could be stripped away simply because they are unaware police have issued a warrant for their arrest, and without any opportunity to access legal help.
The proposed amendments will inevitably have a greater impact on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, who are grossly overrepresented at every stage of the criminal process. Cutting off people’s Centrelink payments will not only impact those individuals, but put their children and families, too many of whom already live below the poverty line – at risk of homelessness and child removals.
Joyce warns Coalition split ‘not as easy as you think’
As the Liberals and Nationals try to find a pathway to energy harmony, Barnaby Joyce – who is still not sitting in party room meetings – says he’s keeping his cards “close to his chest” on whether he’ll fully return to his party.
While “vastly happier” with the Nats current position of scrapping net zero, as previously reported, he’s not happy about the number of renewables that will continue being built in the regions.
Speaking to Sky News, he says:
On the backbench, you don’t have many cards, and when you [have] the few cards you do have, you keep them very close to your chest, because I think people would have given net zero no chance of having an effect on the agenda. Egotistical statement, I think I have.
Joyce says he respects leader Sussan Ley and regards her a “political friend”. On whether the Coalition can or should be split, he says, “that’s not as easy as you think”.
