It was a marathon sitting week in the Legislative Council last week, with the House voting to sit on Friday to continue debating – and ultimately pass – the National Park Estate (Great Koala National Park Reservations) Bill 2026. The week also saw a private member’s bill passed which will facilitate the introduction of terramation or ‘human body composting’ as an end-of-life option in NSW, with supportive debate across party lines. There was additionally discussion around ‘bringing down the temperature’ in political discourse and new security measures in parliament, a new member sworn in, committee reports tabled, and several new orders for papers agreed to.
Read on to find out more about what happened in the Upper House last week…
NEW MEMBER SWORN IN
Following a joint sitting of both Houses on Thursday 15 October 2026 to elect a new member to fill the vacant seat in the Upper House left by the resignation of the Hon Greg Donnelly, the Hon Bernard Govind was officially sworn in on Tuesday of last week.
The new Labor member took the Pledge of Loyalty and signed the ‘Roll of the House’ in the chamber, before taking his seat alongside his Labor colleagues. Mr Govind is due to deliver his inaugural speech in the chamber during the next sitting period.
NATIONAL PARK ESTATE (GREAT KOALA NATIONAL PARK RESERVATIONS) BILL 2026
On Thursday afternoon, the House voted in favour of suspending standing orders to lift the hard adjournment time of 10pm, allowing the House to debate the National Park Estate (Great Koala National Park Reservations) Bill 2026 until midnight, and reconvene upon the ringing of a long bell at 9am on Friday.
The bill delivers on the Government’s election commitment to establish a Great Koala National Park on the Mid North Coast of New South Wales, reserving over 178,000 hectares of State forest and other Crown lands to protect a significant koala populations. Supported by the Liberal Party, The Greens, and the Animal Justice Party, the bill attracted strong opposition from the Nationals and the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, who cited concerns around the timber industry, fire risk, and the carbon credit scheme. Read the beginning of the debate in the Hansard record here (with Friday debate to be linked once available).
With 164 proposed amendments, the bill ultimately passed without amendment on Friday afternoon, after which the House was adjourned.
BILLS INTRODUCED
BILLS PASSED
- Public Health Amendment (Terramation) Bill 2026
- Environmental Legislation Amendment (Plastic Reduction and Container Recycling) Bill 2026
- Parliamentary Budget Officer Amendment Bill (No 2) 2026
- National Park Estate (Great Koala National Park Reservations) Bill 2026
IN COMMITTEES
A new committee inquiry was established in the House last week:
- Firearms Legislation Amendment (Reforms Repeal) Bill 2026, Portfolio Committee No. 5 – Justice and Communities
Additionally, the following committee reports were either tabled or reported in the House last week:
- Delegated Legislation Monitor No. 13 of 2026 of the Delegated Legislation Committee, dated October 2026
- Legislation Review Digest No. 53/58 of the Legislation Review Committee, dated 20 October 2026
- Report No. 55 of the Selection of Bills Committee, dated 20 October 2026
- Proposed energy from waste facilities, report no. 1 of the Select Committee on Proposed Energy from Waste Facilities, dated October 2026
- Clean indoor air, report no. 69 of Portfolio Committee No. 2 – Health, dated October 2026
GENERAL MOTIONS
| Topic | Moved by | Agreed to? |
| Costings and Funding of Election Policies | The Hon Bob Nanva (Labor) | Agreed to |
| Funding for Ask Izzy | The Hon Natasha MacLaren Jones (Liberal) | Agreed to, on division (Ayes: 17/Noes: 16) |
ORDERS FOR PAPERS
| Request | Moved by | Agreed to? | Due date |
| Development at Woollahra and Edgecliff stations | The Hon Chris Rath (Liberal) | Agreed to, as amended | Wed 11 November 2026 |
| Public-private partnerships at Calvary Mater Hospital and Northern NSW Helicopter Rescue Service | Dr Amanda Cohn (The Greens) | Agreed to | Wed 11 November 2026 |
| Queanbeyan Hospital and Health Service | The Hon Sarah Mitchell (Nationals) | Agreed to | Wed 11 November 2026 |
| Red imported fire ants at the Enfield Intermodal Logistics Centre | The Hon Scott Barrett (Nationals) | Agreed to, as amended | Wed 04 November 2026 |
| Liverpool City Council – Further Order | The Hon Chris Rath (Liberal) | Agreed to, as amended | Wed 11 November 2026 |
| Coal policy in New South Wales | Ms Sue Higginson (The Greens) | Negatived, on division (Ayes: 18/ Noes: 20) | |
| Epping Aquatic Centre at Dence Park | The Hon Rachel Merton (Liberal) | Agreed to | Fri 13 November 2026 |