It was a busy day of Government business on Thursday with the House agreeing to censure the Leader of the Government for the failure to comply with an order for papers. The Council went on to pass five bills, including those related to the Commonwealth’s ‘Help to Buy’ scheme, bail and the management of cemeteries. Read on for more…

CENSURE OF THE LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT – NON-COMPLIANCE WITH AN ORDER FOR PAPERS

The Hon Damien Tudehope (Liberal) successfully moved a motion suspending standing orders to bring on debate on a motion to censure the Leader of the Government, Minister Penny Sharpe, for the Government’s non-compliance with an order for papers related to the Local Small Commitments Allocation.

Speaking to the motion, Mr Tudehope explained that despite the initial order in November 2024 and a clarified request in May 2025, the Cabinet Office and Premier’s Department had not met the specified deadlines, citing the large volume of documents. While returns of some documents have been provided, the full response remains pending.

Contributions to the debate were made by Independent members the Hon Mark Latham and the Hon Rod Roberts, members of the Opposition, The Greens and the Government. Read the full debate in the Hansard record, and continued here.

The motion was agreed to on division (Ayes: 20/Noes: 14), with members of the Government and the Legalise Cannabis Party voting in the negative. The Leader of the Government is required to provide the remaining documents by close of business on 2 June 2025 or explain to the House why they have not been provided.

PASSED: HELP TO BUY (COMMONWEALTH POWERS) BILL 2025

The Help to Buy (Commonwealth Powers) Bill 2025 passed the Legislative Council on Thursday, having passed the Legislative Assembly on the previous sitting day. The bill enables the Commonwealth’s shared equity scheme, Help to Buy, to operate in New South Wales by referring specific legislative powers and adopting key provisions of the Commonwealth Help to Buy Act 2024 through a targeted referral mechanism.

In her second reading speech Minister Courtney Houssos explained that the bill facilitates the implementation of the Commonwealth’s Help to Buy scheme in New South Wales through a targeted referral of legislative powers and includes consequential amendments to laws related to housing assistance, stamp duty and land tax. The Help to Buy scheme aims to support around 3,000 low- to middle-income households each year by reducing barriers to home ownership. Eligible participants will benefit from a shared equity arrangement with the Commonwealth, who will contribute up to 40% of the purchase price. This bill includes safeguards to ensure existing or future state shared equity and first home buyer assistance schemes remain unaffected and makes consequential amendments to protect the integrity of state taxes and grants. Read more about the bill in Mrs Houssos’s second reading speech.

Contributions to the second reading debate were made by members of the Opposition, the Libertarian Party and The Greens. Read all member contributions in the Hansard record.

Both the second and third readings of the bill were agreed to on the voices, with the bill then returned to the Assembly, ready to be forwarded to the Governor for assent.

PASSED: ELECTORAL FUNDING AMENDMENT BILL 2025

Also passing the Council on Thursday was the Electoral Funding Amendment Bill 2025. This bill amends the Electoral Funding Act 2018 to make further provision regarding payments from the Administration Fund, where funding for parties and independent members is both stored and distributed.

In his second reading speech, Minister John Graham explained that the bill amends the Electoral Funding Act 2018 to clarify the relationship between payments from the Administration Fund and additional entitlements available to members of Parliament under the Parliamentary Remuneration Act 1989. It allows independent members and political parties to claim expenses from the Administration Fund even if those expenses could also be claimed under an additional entitlement — provided they do not claim the same item twice. The bill introduces declaration requirements, enforcement mechanisms, and retrospective application of the changes from 1 April 2023, allowing for supplementary claims and extended repayment timeframes. It also mandates public consultation on draft guidelines related to administrative expenditure. Read more about the bill in Minister Graham’s second reading speech.

Read the Opposition’s contribution to the second reading debate in the Hansard record.

With the second and third readings of the bill agreed to on the voices, the bill was then returned to the Assembly, ready to be forwarded to the Governor for assent.

PASSED: HEALTH LEGISLATION AMENDMENT (MISCELLANEOUS) BILL 2025

The Health Legislation Amendment (Miscellaneous) Bill 2025 also passed the Council on Thursday. This bill makes miscellaneous amendments to legislation relating to health and associated matters.

In her second reading speech, Minister Rose Jackson explained that the bill updates several NSW health laws to improve governance, efficiency, and cultural safety. It mandates Aboriginal representation on all Local Health District boards and allows the Health Secretary to charge private providers booking and cancellation fees for non-emergency patient transport. The bill supports midwifery-led maternity care by adjusting staffing requirements for certain private health facilities and aligns official visitor rules for drug and alcohol treatment centres with those for mental health facilities. It also permits next of kin to delegate consent for ante-mortem procedures related to organ donation and includes minor technical updates to other health legislation. Read more about the bill in Ms Jackson’s second reading speech.

Members of the Animal Justice Party, the Opposition, The Greens, the Libertarian Party and Independent member the Hon Rod Roberts made contributions to the second reading debate. Read all member contributions in the Hansard record.

Both the second and third readings of the bill were agreed to on the voices, with the bill then returned to the Assembly, ready to be forwarded to the Governor for assent.

PASSED: BAIL AMENDMENT (BAN ON PRIVATE ELECTRONIC MONITORING) BILL 2025

The Bail Amendment (Ban on Private Electronic Monitoring) Bill 2025 also passed the Legislative Council on Thursday. This bill amends the Bail Act 2013 to prohibit the use of private providers for electronic monitoring as a condition of bail in New South Wales.

In his second reading speech, Parliamentary Secretary, the Hon Mark Buttigieg explained that this bill sets out that bail authorities can no longer impose electronic monitoring unless it relates to specific domestic violence “show cause” offences under section 28B of the Bail Act 2013, and only if the monitoring is conducted by Corrective Services NSW. The bill removes previous provisions allowing pre-release electronic monitoring and repeals minimum standards for private monitoring previously outlined in the Bail Act and Regulation. The bill also includes transitional provisions for those already subject to private electronic monitoring at the time of commencement. A three-month transition period allows courts to review and vary bail conditions or determine detention applications. During this time, existing private monitoring arrangements remain in place. If, by the end of the period, the bail conditions are not updated to remove private monitoring, the accused will be considered in breach of bail and must appear before the court. These changes aim to strengthen oversight and consistency in bail monitoring practices. Read more about the bill in Mr Buttigieg’s second reading speech.

Contributions to the second reading debate were made by members of the Opposition, The Greens, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, the Libertarian Party and Independent member the Hon Rod Roberts. Read all member contributions in the Hansard record.

With the second and third readings of the bill agreed to on the voices, the bill was then returned to the Assembly, ready to be forwarded to the Governor for assent.

PASSED: CEMETERIES AND CREMATORIA AMENDMENT BILL 2025

The final bill that passed the Legislative Council on Thursday was the Cemeteries and Crematoria Amendment Bill 2025. This bill amends the Cemeteries and Crematoria Act 2013 to make further provision about the management and operations of cemeteries and crematoria.

In his second reading speech, Parliamentary Secretary, the Hon Mark Buttigieg explained that the bill empowers Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW (CCNSW) to publicly share information about regulatory activities and clarifies its role in complaints management. The bill enhances protections for religious and cultural burial practices and simplifies the process for families and interested parties to repair graves or be recognised as interment right holders, reducing both administrative burden and costs.

It modernises outdated notification processes by allowing contact through contemporary methods rather than relying on notices in the Government Gazette. The bill facilitates efforts to increase burial capacity in existing cemeteries, while preserving strict environmental, planning, and heritage safeguards. It also improves land management at Rookwood Cemetery and transitions CCNSW governance from a board to CEO leadership, streamlining operations. Additional reforms include strengthened record-keeping standards and mechanisms to ensure ongoing maintenance obligations are clear when cemetery land is sold. Read more about the bill in Mr Buttigieg’s second reading speech.

Contributions to the second reading debate were made by members of the Opposition, The Greens and the Government. Read all member contributions in the Hansard record.

The House resolved into a committee of the whole to consider two amendments moved by the Hon Emma Hurst on behalf of the Animal Justice Party. These amendments sought to set out that a person can be buried with their pet if they so wish. These amendments were agreed to on the voices.

Read the full committee of the whole proceedings in the Hansard record.

With the third reading agreed to on the voices, the bill as amended was sent on to the Legislative Assembly for concurrence.

GENERAL MOTIONS

The following motions were agreed to without debate during the course of the day:

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