House of Representatives, 17 August 2026: what the proof Hansard records

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House of Representatives, 17 August 2026: what the proof Hansard records

The proof Hansard for the House of Representatives sitting of 17 August 2026 records a full sitting day that began with the Speaker welcoming members of the National Youth Parliament to the gallery, followed by petitions, a long grievance debate, question time, an attempted censure motion concerning veterans' allied health services, committee reports, debate on the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026, and a business rearrangement motion setting up the next day's debate on the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026. During the attempted censure, Phillip Thompson (Herbert) moved to suspend standing orders so the House could consider a motion censuring the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel; Andrew Charlton (Parramatta) then moved that the debate be adjourned, and the House agreed to that adjournment motion by 86 votes to 43. The censure motion itself was not put to a vote. The proof record is preliminary and is subject to correction before the official Hansard is published.

This is a federal system guide. State constitutions, parliaments and local-government laws can allocate comparable functions differently.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

What the proof Hansard records

The proof Hansard for 17 August 2026 is the preliminary transcript of the House of Representatives for that sitting day, published on the Parliament of Australia website. It records the order of business, the speakers who addressed the chamber and the divisions that were held.

The day opened at 10:01 am with the Speaker, Milton Dick, advising the House that Youth Parliament members from across Australia were being recognised in the gallery, and that the program would be formally launched with the Governor-General after the morning's proceedings.

The record is published as proof text and is subject to revision; the official Hansard and the Votes and Proceedings remain the authoritative record of the sitting.

Evidence review

Petitions and grievance debate

Jodie Belyea presented a report from the Petitions Committee and presented petitions to the House.

The remainder of the morning and early afternoon was taken up with grievance debate, in which members spoke on a wide range of subjects including nuclear energy, national security, antisemitism, banking and financial services, workplace relations, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, homelessness, veterans, migration, taxation and artificial intelligence.

Shortly after 2 pm, the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, spoke on indulgence about the National Youth Parliament, which he said drew young people from all 150 electorates.

Evidence review

Question time

Question time began at 2:09 pm with a question from Aaron Violi (Casey) to the Minister for Housing about negative equity in the electorate of Hotham. The Speaker ruled on a point of order about the relevance of the minister's answer.

Further questions covered superannuation, with the Prime Minister answering a question from Renee Coffey (Griffith), and employment at the SunRice Deniliquin and Leeton plants, with Barnaby Joyce (New England) directing a question to the Leader of the House.

The proof record shows question time included a series of questions and answers across government portfolios; the full text is set out in the transcript.

Evidence review

Attempted censure over veterans' services

At 3:15 pm, Phillip Thompson (Herbert) moved that standing and sessional orders be suspended to allow him to move a motion censuring the Minister for Veterans' Affairs and Minister for Defence Personnel for not meeting with veterans that day about allied health services for veterans. Michael McCormack (Riverina) seconded the motion.

At 3:30 pm, the Cabinet Secretary and Assistant Minister for Science, Technology and the Digital Economy, Andrew Charlton (Parramatta), moved that the debate be adjourned. The House divided at 3:35 pm and agreed to the adjournment by 86 votes to 43.

The Hansard headings describe the item as an attempted censure. The censure motion was not put to a vote. The speeches are recorded in the proof transcript, and the claims made in the debate are the speakers' statements rather than findings of the House.

Evidence review

Committee report and bills

Tony Zappia presented the Public Works Joint Committee's report 5/2026, covering a proposed fit-out of leased premises for the Australian Federal Police at 949 Ann Street, Brisbane, with an estimated budget of $89.3 million, and a proposed upgrade and fit-out of Building 302 at CSIRO's Clayton site in Victoria, with an estimated budget of $18.27 million.

The House resumed the second reading debate on the Universities Accord (Opening the Doors of Opportunity) Bill 2026, with Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby) among the speakers. An amendment had been moved proposing that the House note funding arrangements for university students and call on the Government to direct the Australian Tertiary Education Commission to review Job-ready Graduates Package funding arrangements.

At 4:04 pm, the Leader of the House, Tony Burke, moved a business rearrangement motion providing for the Interactive Gambling Amendment (Gambling Reform) Bill 2026 to be considered in detail, and for the National Self-exclusion Register (Cost Recovery Levy) Amendment Bill 2026 to be dealt with, on Tuesday 18 August 2026.

Evidence review

Other business and the Federation Chamber

The Speaker reminded the House that the address-in-reply to the Governor-General's speech would be presented at Government House at 5:30 pm that afternoon.

In the Federation Chamber, members delivered constituency statements and debated private members' business, including motions on renewable energy, tertiary education and training, the national wild dog action plan, a key apprenticeship program and energy.

A leave of absence was granted for Tony Burke, and notices of motions for future sittings were given.

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