Week beginning 25 March 2025

This page provides an overview of the key events of the last sitting week in the House of Representatives. It includes all bills presented and debated, and selected statements, debates and committee business. For the official record of proceedings, see the Votes and Proceedings. For a detailed procedural account of events, see the Procedural Digest and House Review.

Key events

  • Condolence motion relating to the death of former Minister and Senator Hon Dr Rosemary Anne Crowley AO (25 March)
  • Statements by indulgence relating to Tropical Cyclone Alfred and the Queensland floods (25 March, 27 March)
  • Budget presented (25 March)
  • Budget reply (27 March)
  • The 47th Parliament was prorogued, and the House of Representatives dissolved (28 March)

Legislation

9 bills were presented and 9 bills were passed by the House 

Ministerial Statements

  • Regional budget statement—Minister for Regional Development, Local Government and Territories (26 March)
  • Women's budget statement—Minister representing the Minister for Women (27 March)
  • Quality early childhood education and care—Minister for Early Childhood Education (27 March)

Matters of Public Importance

Committee and delegation business

Committee reports presented

Standing Committee on Appropriations and Administration

  • Report No. 32: Budget estimates 2025-26 (27 March)

Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts

  • Am I ever gonna see you live again? Yes way! You bet! Oh yeah! (27 March)

Standing Committee on Economics

  • Review of Australia’s four major banks 2023-2024 (27 March)
  • Review of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission annual reports 2021, 2022 and 2023 (27 March)
  • Review of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission annual reports 2021, 2022 and 2023 (27 March)

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

  • Australia’s thematic sanctions framework: A legislated review of the operation of the Autonomous Sanctions Amendment (Magnitsky-style and other Thematic Sanctions) Act 2021, incorporating a dissenting report (26 March)

Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Sport

  • Issues paper relating to the health impacts of alcohol and other drugs in Australia, together with a corrigendum (27 March)

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights

  • Human rights scrutiny report: Report 2 of 2025 (26 March)
  • Human rights scrutiny report: Report 3 of 2025, incorporating a dissenting report (26 March)
  • Annual report 2024 (26 March)

Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources

  • Food for thought: The opportunities and challenges for Australia’s food and beverage manufacturing industry (27 March)

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Intelligence and Security

  • Advisory report on the Transport Security Amendment (Security of Australia’s Transport Sector) Bill 2024 (27 March)

Joint Select Committee on Northern Australia

  • Final report on the Cyclone Reinsurance Pool, incorporating a dissenting report (26 March)

Select Committee on Nuclear Energy

  • Interim report for the inquiry into nuclear power generation in Australia, incorporating dissenting reports (26 March)

Standing Committee on Petitions

  • Report 38: Petitions and Ministerial responses (27 March)

Privileges and Members’ Interests Committee

  • Report concerning the registration and declaration of Members’ interests during 2024 (27 March)

Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit

  • 2025-26 Draft estimates for the Australian National Audit Office and the Parliamentary Budget Office—Budget day statement (25 March)
  • Report 509: Inquiry into public sector information technology procurement and projects (26 March)
  • Report 510: Inquiry into the use and governance of artificial intelligence systems by public sector entities—‘Proceed with Caution’ (26 March)
  • Report 511: Inquiry into the contract management frameworks operated by Commonwealth entities (26 March)
  • Report 512: Report of the inquiry into the administration of Commonwealth regulations (26 March)

Parliamentary Standing Committee on Public Works

  • Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water—Davis Station critical infrastructure works and other works (1st report of 2025) (26 March)
  • Department of Defence—Facilities to support LAND 8113 Phase 1 Long Range Fires and other works (2nd report of 2025) (26 March)

Standing Committee on Regional Development, Infrastructure and Transport

  • Interim report into local government sustainability (27 March)

Selection Committee

  • Report No. 35 relating to the consideration of committee and delegation business and private Members’ business on Monday, 7 April 2025 (26 March)

Joint Standing Committee on Trade and Investment Growth

  • Final report: Inquiry into the understanding and utilisation of benefits under free trade agreements (26 March)

Joint Standing Committee on Treaties

  • Report 226: Australia-Portugal tax treaty (27 March)

Government responses

Standing Committee on Communications and the Arts

  • Connecting the country: Mission critical: Inquiry into co-investment in multi-carrier regional mobile infrastructure (27 March)

Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services

  • Statutory inquiry into ASIC, the Takeovers Panel, and the corporations legislation: Competition in clearing and settlement and the ASX CHESS Replacement Project: The CHESS Replacement Project is too important to fail (25 March)

Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters

  • Conduct of the 2022 federal election and other matters: Final report (25 March)

Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade

  • Inquiry into the Defence Annual Report 2022-23 (25 March)
  • Inquiry into the Department of Defence annual report 2021-22 (27 March)

Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards

Joint Committee of Public Accounts and Audit

  • Executive Minutes on reports Nos 500, 503, 504, 505 and 506 (25 March)

Delegation reports presented

  • Australian Parliamentary Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, 6 to 9 October 2023 (27 March)

Private Members' business

Private Members' business was not scheduled this week

More information

These Infosheets provide useful information about the business of the House and Federation Chamber.

For the official record of the proceedings of the House, including a list of papers presented, go to the Votes and Proceedings. To read transcripts of the debates, go to Hansard.

More House statistics

Statistical records of the work of the House of Representatives are available on a range of business items, including legislation, questions, statements and petitions.