The short answer
House of Representatives Proof Hansard, 19 August 2026: what the chamber did
The Proof Hansard for the House of Representatives sitting of 19 August 2026 records a full day of legislation: the House considered and passed the five-bill News Media Bargaining package, including the News Journalism Payments Bill 2026, the News Journalism Payments (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2026, the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026, the News Media Bargaining Charge Bill 2026 and the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining) (Consequential) Bill 2026; the second reading debate on the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill 2026 was resumed and the bill was declared referred to the Federation Chamber; the second reading debate on the Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026 was resumed and the bill was also declared referred to the Federation Chamber as the PJCIS presented its advisory report; and the Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026 was declared referred to the Federation Chamber. A Proof Hansard is an uncorrected working transcript that is subject to revision before the final Hansard is published; the settled record of the sitting is the Votes and Proceedings and the corrected Hansard.
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 Proof Hansard is
A Proof Hansard is the draft transcript of a chamber sitting, published shortly after the sitting and before it has been corrected by the parliamentary staff who compile the official record. It can contain minor errors and is subject to revision. The authoritative record of what the House did on 19 August 2026 is the Votes and Proceedings and the corrected Hansard published later; the Proof, plus the House Live Minutes for that day, provide an early point-in-time view. Readers should treat any figure, quotation or procedural step in a Proof as provisional until the corrected record appears.
The House Live Minutes (draft minutes) are a separate working document, also produced on the sitting day, that lists the orders of the day and the decisions taken. Together with the Proof they show what the chamber was working through on 19 August 2026. The description below draws on the official bill pages and the chamber records.
Evidence review
The News Media Bargaining package
The main business of the 19 August 2026 sitting was the government's News Media Bargaining package. The House debated and then passed the News Journalism Payments Bill 2026, which would establish a News Journalism Payment Scheme distributing revenue raised by a charge on large digital platforms to eligible Australian news organisations. The Parliament of Australia bill page records that the second reading debate took place on 18 August 2026, that on 19 August an amendment was negatived by division (Division 256, 40-83), and that the second reading was agreed to and the third reading passed on the same day.
The House also considered the companion bills on 19 August 2026. The Parliament bill records show the second reading agreed to and the third reading passed, on 19 August 2026, for the News Journalism Payments (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2026, the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill 2026, the News Media Bargaining Charge Bill 2026 and the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining) (Consequential) Bill 2026. These bills work together to impose and administer a charge on large digital platforms, create a payment scheme for news organisations and make consequential amendments. Passing the House is one stage; a bill also needs the agreement of the Senate and Royal Assent to become law.
Evidence review
Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
The House also resumed the second reading debate on the Counter-Terrorism Legislation Amendment Bill 2026, a government bill introduced on 12 August 2026 that would extend critical counter-terrorism powers and amend control order and post-sentence order frameworks in the Criminal Code. The Parliament bill page records the second reading debate on 19 August 2026 and that the Leader of the House declared the bill referred to the Federation Chamber for further consideration. The bill had also been referred to the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security, whose review was still in progress.
Evidence review
Australia's Foreign Relations Amendment Bill 2026
The Australia's Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026, introduced on 1 July 2026, was also before the House on 19 August 2026. The Parliament bill page records that the second reading debate resumed and was adjourned that day and that the bill was declared referred to the Federation Chamber. Around the same time the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security presented its advisory report on the bill, which was made a Parliamentary Paper. The bill would implement recommendations of the 2025 independent review of the Foreign Arrangements Scheme, embedding a national interest test and extending oversight to overseas campuses of Australian universities.
Evidence review
Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026 and other business
The Combatting Illicit Tobacco Bill 2026 was also before the House. The Parliament bill page records that on 19 August 2026 the Leader of the House declared the bill referred to the Federation Chamber for further consideration; the bill had been debated at second reading in the main chamber earlier in the year. The bill would increase penalties for illicit tobacco offences, allow telecommunications interception warrants for those investigations and expand proceeds-of-crime confiscation powers.
The 19 August 2026 sitting was primarily a day for progressing government legislation through the House. The bills described here are at different stages: the News Media Bargaining package passed the House on 19 August 2026 and went to the Senate, while the Counter-Terrorism, Foreign Relations and Combatting Illicit Tobacco bills were referred to the Federation Chamber for further consideration. None of these bills had become law as at 19 August 2026.
Evidence review
Chamber record and evidence
This description is drawn from the Parliament of Australia bill pages for the relevant bills, which record each bill's parliamentary stages, and from the House Live Minutes and the Proof Hansard for 19 August 2026. Because the Proof Hansard is an uncorrected working record, any procedural detail should be checked against the corrected Hansard or Votes and Proceedings before it is quoted as settled fact. The purpose of this article is to show what the chamber was doing that day and where each bill stood, not to forecast how any bill will ultimately be decided.
Common questions
Before you rely on the answer
What is a Proof Hansard?
A Proof Hansard is the draft, uncorrected transcript of a chamber sitting published shortly after the sitting. It is a working record and can be revised before the final Hansard is issued. The settled record is the Votes and Proceedings and the corrected Hansard.
Which bills were passed by the House on 19 August 2026?
The House passed the five bills of the News Media Bargaining package on 19 August 2026: the News Journalism Payments Bill, the News Journalism Payments (Consequential Amendments) Bill, the News Media Bargaining (Administration) Bill, the News Media Bargaining Charge Bill and the Treasury Laws Amendment (News Media Bargaining) (Consequential) Bill.
Does passing the House mean a bill has become law?
No. Passing the House of Representatives is one stage of a bill's progress. It must also be agreed to by the Senate and receive Royal Assent before it becomes law. As at 19 August 2026 none of the bills discussed here had become law.
What does 'referred to the Federation Chamber' mean?
The Federation Chamber is a second chamber of the House of Representatives where much of a bill's detailed debate is conducted, allowing the main chamber to move on to other business. Referral is a procedural step within the House; it does not mean a bill has passed.
What is the Chamber record cross-check?
This article's claims about the sitting are based on the Parliament of Australia bill pages and the House Live Minutes, which record the bill's stages and the day's decisions. These are official parliamentary records.
Source spine
Primary material used for this guide
- Parliament of Australia — House of Representatives Proof Hansard, 19 August 2026 — official record — checked 2026-08-22
- Parliament of Australia — House of Representatives Live Minutes — official record — checked 2026-08-22
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Archive note: Reviews the House of Representatives Proof Hansard and Live Minutes for 19 August 2026. The Proof Hansard is an uncorrected working record; the authoritative record is the Votes and Proceedings and the corrected Hansard.
Primary links are provided without affiliate or tracking parameters. Confirm that the source still applies to the bill, sitting date, jurisdiction or reporting period before relying on it.