The Legislative Council returned from its winter break and was straight back to business this week.
Across the three sitting days, the House passed five bills, including legislation relating to road tolls, support for the music industry and a government bill seeking to reverse the recent determination of the Parliamentary Remuneration Tribunal in relation to members’ remuneration and entitlements. Members also debated a bill concerning driver licence registration for medical cannabis users, and heard the introduction of a private members’ bill seeking to reverse recent amendments to the Firearms Act 1996.
Early on Tuesday, the President informed the House that two independent legal advisers had been appointed to provide legal advice concerning the ongoing dispute between the Government and the House over the production of documents relating to an incident at NSW Parliament House. The President tabled a legal advice from Georgina Wright SC and Laura Johnston. Separate legal advice from Geoffrey Watson SC was tabled the following day.
On Wednesday, the House agreed to six orders for papers, and on Thursday, a motion moved by Dr Amanda Cohn (The Greens) seeking to disallow the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Amendment (Classification of Inmates) Regulation 2026 was debated and ultimately negatived on division (Ayes: 5/Noes: 29).
Read on for more details about what happened in the Legislative Council this week, including new committee inquiries and reports tabled…
BILLS INTRODUCED
BILLS DEBATED
BILLS PASSED
- Children’s Guardian and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
- Contemporary Music Bill 2026
- Roads Legislation Amendment (NSW Motorways) Bill 2025
- Fair Trading and Building Legislation Amendment Bill 2026
- Parliamentary Remuneration Amendment (Basic Salary and Additional Entitlements) Bill 2026
IN COMMITTEES
The following new inquiries were either established or reported in the House this week:
- Alleged unauthorised disclosure of privileged material returned to the House under standing order 52 in response to the order for papers concerning Football in Schools grant (Further Order), Privileges Committee
- Redeemer Baptist School, Portfolio Committee No. 3 – Education
- Select Committee into the potential for competition reforms regarding solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance
- Alleged unauthorised disclosure of unreported proceedings of Portfolio Committee No. 7 – Planning and Environment, Privileges Committee
The following committee reports were either tabled or reported in the House this week:
- Sessional order for supplementary questions, report no. 23 of the Procedure Committee dated August 2026
- Report No. 51 of the Selection of Bills Committee, dated 4 August 2026
- Delegated Legislation Monitor, report no. 9 of 2026 of the Delegated Legislation Committee dated August 2026
- Legislation Review Digest, report no. 49/58 of the Legislation Review Digest dated 4 August 2026
- Licences to harm native animals, report no. 3 of the Animal Welfare Committee dated 28 July 2026
- Final report – Impact of Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) on rural and regional communities and industries in New South Wales, report no. 65 of Portfolio Committee No. 4 – Regional NSW dated 29 July 2026
- Emissions from the fossil fuel sector, report no. 2 of the Joint Standing Committee on Net Zero dated 3 August 2026
- Final report – Consideration of disputed claims of privilege as referred by the Clerk under standing order 54 (August 2026), a report of the Privileges Committee dated 3 August 2026
- Sessional order for supplementary questions, report no. 23 of the Procedure Committee dated 4 August 2026
- Eighteenth General Meeting with the Valuer General, report 3/58 of the Joint Standing Committee on the Office of the Valuer General dated August 2026
- Modern slavery risks faced by temporary migrant workers in rural and regional New South Wales, report no. 4 of the Modern Slavery Committee dated August 2026
- Consolidation of the provisions of the Interpretation Act 1987, Subordinate Legislation Act 1989 and Legislation Review Act 1987 relating to delegated legislation, report no. 11 of the Delegated Legislation Committee dated August 2026
GENERAL MOTIONS
| Topic | Moved by | Agreed to? |
| Exploitation of migrant workers by the labour hire industry | Ms Abigail Boyd (The Greens) | Agreed to |
| Select Committee into the potential for competition reforms regarding solicitors’ professional indemnity insurance | The Hon Taylor Martin (Independent) | Agreed to, on division (Ayes: 23/Noes: 14) |
| Audit of grants administration by the Audit Office of New South Wales | The Hon Tania Mihailuk (Independent) | Agreed to |
| 2026-2027 Budget and vehicle registration discounts | The Hon Stephen Lawrence (Labor) | Agreed to |
| Foundational support services for children | The Hon Natasha Maclaren-Jones (Liberal) | Agreed to |
| Independent Commission Against Corruption Operation Rosny | The Hon Mark Latham (Independent) | Negatived, on division (Ayes: 14/Noes: 19) |
| Portfolio Committee No. 5 – Justice and Communities Inquiry into Identity Protections for Proceedings Involving Children and the Attorney General | The Hon Susan Carter (Liberal) | Agreed to, as amended |
ORDERS FOR PAPERS
| Request | Moved by | Agreed to? | Due date |
| Sydney Metro Infrastructure, Parramatta Light Rail or Sydney Light Rail projects | The Hon Natalie Ward (Liberal) | Agreed to, as amended, on division (Ayes: 24/Noes: 15) | 9 September 2026 |
| Lake Cargelligo Multipurpose Service | The Hon Sarah Mitchell (Nationals) | Agreed to, on division (Ayes: 20/Noes: 14) | 26 August 2026 |
| Protests in New South Wales | Ms Sue Higginson (The Greens) | Agreed to, on division (Ayes: 19/Noes: 13) | 19 August 2026 |
| Review of the Thoroughbred Tracing Act 1996 | The Hon Wes Fang (Nationals) | Agreed to | 12 August 2026 |
| Disclosures by Greyhound Racing NSW | The Hon Emma Hurst (Animal Justice Party) | Agreed to | 26 August 2026 |
| Foundational supports for children | The Hon Natasha Maclaren-Jones (Liberal) | Agreed to | 19 August 2026 |
NEW NSW PARLIAMENT WEBSITE
Readers may be familiarising themselves with the new NSW Parliament website, which was launched in early July 2024. The redesigned site has a different look and navigation structure, so some commonly used information — including bills, Hansard, tabled papers, committee inquiries and member information — may now be found in different places. To help users adjust, the Parliament has published a series of help guides explaining the new design and where to find key parliamentary information.