This sitting week featured the Treasurer’s presentation of, and the Leader of the Opposition’s reply to, the 2025-26 Budget, the passage of supply bills and the presentation of committee reports ahead of the prorogation of Parliament and dissolution of the House of Representatives.
Budget
Presentation of the 2025-2026 Budget and Budget reply
At 7.30 pm on Tuesday, 25 March, a message from the Governor-General was announced by the Speaker, recommending, in accordance with the Constitution, an appropriation for the purposes of the Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026. The Treasurer presented Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026 which was read a first time. The Treasurer then moved the second reading and made the Budget speech. Following the adjournment of debate, the Assistant Treasurer presented Budget Papers 1-4, the women’s budget statement and the regional budget statement. The Assistant Treasurer then presented the Appropriation Bill (No. 2) 2025-2026 and the Appropriation (Parliamentary Departments) Bill (No. 1) 2025-2026 following the required messages from the Governor-General. On Thursday evening at 7.30 pm, the Leader of the Opposition made his Budget reply speech when debate resumed on the second reading of the main appropriation bill.
Arrangements for Budget Week
At the commencement of proceedings on Tuesday, 25 March, the House agreed to three suspensions of standing orders. The first motion was to suspend standing order 133, allowing divisions to occur during the usual periods of deferred divisions on Tuesday. The second motion related to the time and order of business for 25 and 27 March. It provided for the Budget introduction on Tuesday evening and the Budget reply speech on Thursday by suspending standing orders 31 (automatic adjournment of the House) and 33 (limit on business after normal time of adjournment), as is usual practice in Budget Week. The third motion, which was agreed to on division, was a debate management motion to support the passage of the supply bills and other legislation through the House on Tuesday, to enable timely transmission of those bills to the Senate.
It is the usual practice for the Speaker to remind Members that standing orders allow the Treasurer and the Leader of the Opposition unlimited time on their second reading speeches on the main appropriation bill and that clocks in the Chamber are set for 30 minutes only to assist with timing. The Speaker also noted that courtesies that apply to these speeches and that the Member with the call is entitled to be heard without interruption; on that basis, in accordance with precedent, any member determined to be required to leave the House under standing order 94(a) would be advised by written note. No members were subject to such a direction during the speeches.
Supply bills
On Tuesday, the Assistant Treasurer introduced three supply bills for appropriations to facilitate the continuation of normal government and parliamentary activity for the first five months of the 2025-2026 financial year. These supply bills represent approximately five-twelfths of annual appropriation, designed to fund government and parliamentary expenditure on an interim basis until the principal appropriation bills are passed in the new financial year. In accordance with the resolution made earlier in the day, debate on each bill was adjourned until a later hour and the bills were then considered and passed later that day.
Supply bills were once an annual feature in the House of Representatives, when the Budget was traditionally held in August and supply was required for the first part of the financial year. Since 1994, when the Budget moved to May and appropriation bills could be expected to pass before 30 June, supply bills have become largely a feature of election years, where the Budget may be held at a different time to accommodate the timing for a federal election. Supply bills were also passed in 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted the sitting calendar and delayed the introduction of the Budget that year.
Motions to suspend standing and sessional orders
In addition to motions to suspend standing orders mentioned above, the House agreed to one non-government motion to bring on an item of government business for debate. On Wednesday, 26 March, after the reporting of a message from the Senate requesting that the House immediately consider the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Incentives and Integrity) Bill 2024, a House bill listed on the notice paper, the Manager of Opposition business moved to suspend standing and sessional orders to allow the government business order of the day relating to bill to be called on immediately and all questions required to complete passage of the bill be put without delay. Following debate, the question was put and passed with the concurrence of an absolute majority. Further consideration in detail of the bill then occurred in accordance with the resolution, and the bill passed through all remaining stages on the voices.
Legislation
Introductions
During the week, nine Government bills were presented. In addition to the appropriation and supply bills, these included a treasury laws amendment bill to give effect to measures announced in the Budget, as well as a bill relating to environmental protections. As the House did not sit on Monday, there were no private Members’ bills introduced.
Contingent notices of motion and closure of question used to pass bill in a single day
On the morning of Wednesday, 26 March, the Treasurer introduced the Treasury Laws Amendment (More Cost of Living Relief) Bill 2025. Following the Treasurer’s second reading speech, debate was adjourned and the resumption made an order of the day for the next sitting. The Leader of the House then moved, pursuant to contingent notice, that standing orders be suspended to allow the resumption of debate to be made an order of the day for a later hour – that is, allowing debate to resume the same day – and the motion was carried on division. In accordance with the resolution, the second reading debate was then resumed. Following contributions from eight Members, the Leader of the House moved closure of question. The closure and subsequent question on the second reading were both carried on division. After the bill was read a second time, the Leader of the House again moved a contingent motion to allow the third reading to be moved without delay, and this motion and the question on the third reading of the bill were both agreed to on the voices. The bill was then read a third time.
Passing the House
Nine bills passed the House during the week.
Ministerial statements
There were three ministerial statements made during the week. No time limits apply to ministerial statements, which are made by the leave of the House. The Member speaking in reply is then granted an equal amount of time to respond.
On Wednesday 26 March, the Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories, made a ministerial statement relating to the regional ministerial budget statement which had been presented with the budget papers. The Leader of the Nationals addressed the House in reply.
On Thursday, 27 March, the Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, representing the Minister for Women, made a ministerial statement relating to the women’s budget statement, which had also been presented with the budget papers. The Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Shadow Minister for the Status of Women) spoke in reply.
Also on Thursday, the Minister for Early Childhood Education made a ministerial statement relating to quality early childhood education and care and presented a copy of the statement, and the Shadow Minister for Early Childhood Education spoke in reply.
Statements on indulgence
Just before Question Time on Tuesday, 25 March, the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition made statements by indulgence on Tropical Cyclone Alfred and the Queensland floods. On 26 March, the Leader of the House moved that further statements on the matter be permitted in the Federation Chamber, where further contributions were made by Members later that day.
Parliamentary committees
In advance of the anticipated dissolution of the House, 26 reports of parliamentary committees were presented during the week, including final reports as well as interim reports and issues papers. A comprehensive list of reports, with hyperlinks, will be published in Last Week in the House.
Marking the death of a former Senator
On Tuesday, 25 March, the Prime Minister moved a condolence motion on the death of the Honourable Dr Rosemary Anne Crowley AO, a former Senator for South Australia from 1983 to 2002 and a former Minister. The Leader of the Opposition seconded the motion and, at the end of his contribution, all Members present rose in silence as a mark of respect. The motion was referred to the Federation Chamber, where further contributions were made on 26 March, before being returned to the House and agreed to on 27 March.
Communication with the Senate
The Senate sat only on 25 and 26 March. All messages transmitted through the week related to legislation. The Senate returned 13 bills without amendments or requests and requested the immediate consideration of one bill before the House (see above).
End of the 47th Parliament
At the conclusion of the sitting on Thursday evening, the House was scheduled to have met next on 7 April. However, on Friday, 28 March, Parliament was prorogued and the House of Representatives dissolved. The dissolution ends the 47th Parliament, so that writs can be issued for the general election to take place on Saturday, 3 May 2025.