Every sitting day, time is set aside for what is known as 'Discovery of Formal Business'. This is an opportunity for business to be 'fast-tracked' - that is, moved and determined without debate.

Senate Discovery is a video series designed to 'fast-track' information about Senate business and the work of its committees.

Current episodes | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 |

Senate Discovery: 30 November to 10 December 2020

• Australia’s Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Bill 2020 and a related bill
• Currency (Restrictions on the Use of Cash) Bill 2019
• Social Security (Administration) Amendment (Continuation of Cashless Welfare) Bill 2020
• COVID-19 Select Committee – interim report
• Senator Ben Small
• Senator Lidia Thorpe – first speech

Senate Discovery: 9 to 12 November 2020

• Senate estimates
• Economic Recovery Package (JobMaker Hiring Credit) Amendment Bill 2020
• Media diversity in Australia
• Senate Weekly Summary

Senate Discovery: 6 to 9 October 2020

• Senator Lidia Thorpe
• Higher Education Support Amendment (Job-Ready Graduates and Supporting Regional and Remote Students) Bill 2020
• Treasury Laws Amendment (A Tax Plan for the COVID-19 Economic Recovery) Bill 2020
• Budget 2020-21
• Senate estimates
• Senator Cormann

Senate Discovery: 24 August to 3 September 2020

• Procedure Committee report
• Senator Di Natale’s valedictory
• Coronavirus Economic Response Package (Jobkeeper Payments) Amendment Bill 2020
• COVID-19: Aged care - Statements
• Scrutiny of Delegated Legislation Committee
• Parliamentary committees

Senate Discovery: 10 to 18 June 2020

• Bills to which the Houses disagreed
• Further information on disagreements between the Houses
• Australian Postal Corporation (Performance Standards) Amendment (2020 Measures No. 1) Regulations 2020 [Watch the debate]
• Statement on the 50^th anniversary of Senate committees

Senate Discovery: 12 to 14 May 2020

• Ministerial statement on the economy
• Privacy Amendment (Public Health Contact Information) Bill 2020
• Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage Amendment (Cross-boundary Greenhouse Gas Titles and Other Measures) Bill 2019
  Offshore Petroleum and Greenhouse Gas Storage (Regulatory Levies) Amendment (Miscellaneous Measures) Bill 2019
• Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Competition and Consumer) Bill 2019
  Telecommunications (Regional Broadband Scheme) Charge Bill 2019
• Ministerial statement on the bushfire recovery and drought response
• Senate committees

Senate Discovery: 23 March and 8 April 2020

• Senate Daily Summaries – 23 March and 8 April
• Procedural Information Bulletins – 23 March and 8 April
• Select Committee on COVID-19
• Questions on notice database

Senate Discovery: 24 February to 6 March 2020

• Social Services and Other Legislation Amendment (Simplifying Income Reporting and Other Measures) Bill 2020
• Orders for the production of documents
• The people behind 000: mental health of our first responders: committee report and government response
• Senator Andrew McLachlan: first speech
• Senate estimates

Senate Discovery: 4 to 13 February 2020

• Treasury Laws Amendment (2019-20 Bushfire Tax Assistance) Bill 2020
• Bills received and passed
• Senate weekly summaries for 4 to 6 February and 10 to 13 February 2020 (contain information about orders for production of documents)
• Select Committee on Administration of Sports Grants
• Closing the Gap Report 2020
• Senator Andrew McLachlan