What to expect from Parliament: MPs return to Canberra to push controversial environment reforms
Controversial environment reforms and hot air from the backbench are set to steal the spotlight as MPs return to Canberra for Parliament.
Parliament resumes
- Revamped environment laws to establish a Federal Environmental Protection Agency and force stiffer penalties on companies that breach climate laws, including fines up to $825 million, are set to be introduced.
- Labor faces an uphill battle in the Senate, with neither the Coalition or the Greens - one of which the Government will need to pass the legislation - onboard with the reforms.
- The Coalition is likely to go on the attack over Labor’s handling of Optus’ deadly triple-zero outage.
- Communications Minister Anika Wells is spearheading urgent legislation to create a Triple Zero Custodian to oversee emergency call networks, which the opposition and crossbench argue should have already been done.
- Debate will continue on reforms that would allow the Federal Government to list foreign state entities as a terrorist organisations, with the amendments spurred by allegations Iran was involved in anti-Semitic attacks in Australia.
- Once passed, it paves the way for the listing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, which would attach penalties for dealing or being involved with the entity.
- MPs will also continue to debate the creation of a Centre for Disease Control.
- Outside the chamber, eyes will be on Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce, whose future remains in limbo as he considers a possible defection to far-right minor party One Nation.
- Mr Joyce remains a Nationals member but has said his relationship with leader David Littleproud had irreparably broken down.
- Outside Parliament House, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will jet to Malaysia for the ASEAN summit before flying to South Korea for APEC.
- Parliamentary inquiries scrutinising the Optus outage, online safety laws and upcoming social media ban, and May’s Federal election will continue.
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