Llew O’Brien, a Queensland LNP MP, speaks on the repeal net zero bill first, and starts by saying that climate change “is real”, but that net zero is “economic sabotage”. O’Brien supported a Queensland LNP motion calling on the federal Coalition to abandon net zero at the party’s state convention over the weekend.
He says again that not supporting the “blind obsession” with net zero doesn’t mean you don’t believe in climate change.
What is real is the lives of business people who are trying to survive in this country, who are going insolvent … it is crippling our productivity, it’s seeing our manufacturing go offshore because we’re not competitive.
In response Susan Templeman – a Labor MP – says O’Brien is “saying the quiet part out loud”.
The Nationals want to party like it’s 1999. To be fair the Howard government in 1999 was in theory supporting action on climate change but then changed its mind on supporting the Kyoto protocol.
Updated at 20.21 EDT
Key events
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Luca Ittimani
Santos takeover deal delayed again as profits slump
The Australian oil and gas giant Santos has announced a profits slump and further delays in its proposed takeover by the investment arm of an Abu Dhabi state-owned entity.
The company extracted more oil from its Western Australian and Papua New Guinea projects in the first half of 2025 than the same period in 2024, more than offsetting a production slip in the Cooper Basin. Oil prices fell though, dragging net profit in the half year down by a third to $439m.
Santos is facing a $30bn takeover bid that would see Australian gas assets owned by a consortium led by a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company if successful.
Photograph: Jason Reed/Reuters
It today agreed to the consortium’s request for more time to negotiate the deal, including protection for Santos shareholders in case the transaction takes even longer to go through, with agreement now required by 19 September.
Santos had already accepted a previous extension request earlier in August, which expired on Friday. The consortium told Santos it had confirmed again on Sunday it had not found reason to withdraw its proposal.
Even if the bid was agreed on by then, it would need the signoff of Australia’s treasurer, Jim Chalmers, whose “captain’s call” would be the final hurdle, analysts say. Read more from Jonathan Barrett here:
Updated at 20.39 EDT
Sarah Basford Canales
Private member’s bill implementing outstanding robodebt royal commission recommendations to be introduced
Independent MP Andrew Wilkie and the Greens will introduce a private member’s bill today to implement the outstanding recommendations of the robodebt royal commission released more than two years ago.
The private member’s bill, which will be seconded by Helen Haines in the lower house, is unlikely to get off the ground without government and opposition support but would reinstate six-year limits for the recovery of government debt and place a duty of care on the department to prioritise the needs of social security recipients.
It would also restrict the type of decisions which can be made or automated without human oversight and better protection for those on welfare experiencing hardship from receiving debt notices.
Penny Allman-Payne, the Greens’ social services spokesperson, said:
This legislation is ready to go, the Greens are urging Labor to walk the walk on robodebt and end the cruelty in the welfare system for good.
In July, the federal court ruled the social services department could estimate a welfare recipient’s income using its preferred method, meaning thousands of recipients could now be liable for debts totalling more than $1bn and dating back decades.
The federal government is still considering its options, including whether it will set aside some of these debts or pursue them.
Updated at 20.34 EDT
Labor MP accuses LNP of ‘saying the quiet part out loud’ as net zero repeal bill debate kicks off
Llew O’Brien, a Queensland LNP MP, speaks on the repeal net zero bill first, and starts by saying that climate change “is real”, but that net zero is “economic sabotage”. O’Brien supported a Queensland LNP motion calling on the federal Coalition to abandon net zero at the party’s state convention over the weekend.
He says again that not supporting the “blind obsession” with net zero doesn’t mean you don’t believe in climate change.
What is real is the lives of business people who are trying to survive in this country, who are going insolvent … it is crippling our productivity, it’s seeing our manufacturing go offshore because we’re not competitive.
In response Susan Templeman – a Labor MP – says O’Brien is “saying the quiet part out loud”.
The Nationals want to party like it’s 1999. To be fair the Howard government in 1999 was in theory supporting action on climate change but then changed its mind on supporting the Kyoto protocol.
Updated at 20.21 EDT
The bells are ringing!
Parliament is back in action, and as we know, first up on the agenda in the House is debate on Barnaby Joyce’s repeal net zero bill.
I’ll just remind you that this debate is an entirely cynical and political move by Labor to wedge the Coalition, as it figures out its energy policy.
From first observation, the Coalition benches look pretty thin this morning ahead of the debate.
You can read a bit more background on that from my colleague Sarah Basford Canales here:
Updated at 20.12 EDT
Australia’s greenhouse emissions down 28% over past 20 years, new figures show
Australia’s emissions are trending down, having dropped 1.4% in the year to March 2025, according to the government’s latest figures.
The Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory shows emissions in the year to March were 28.1% below emissions for the year to June 2005.
Interestingly, emissions per capita are 47.2% lower than in the year to June 2005.
The report, which looks at how Australia is tracking against its emissions targets, said that carbon emissions from electricity generation decreased by 0.8% in this quarter compared with the last quarter.
Why’s that? Data from the Australian Energy Market Operator (Aemo) says that it’s due to increases in wind and rooftop solar generation and “a modest increase in hydro generation”.
Updated at 19.59 EDT
Australia’s gun lobby says it’s ‘winning’ as firearm numbers surge
The gun lobby in Australia is mobilising.
The lobby claims it is “winning” the fight against Australia’s longstanding crackdown on firearms, as experts say current laws are “losing control”.
There are now more than 4m guns in the community – almost double the number recorded in the years after the Port Arthur massacre that prompted a national crackdown
You can read more of my brilliant colleague Sarah Martin’s reporting here:
Updated at 19.29 EDT
Tom McIlroy
Marles headed to US to discuss Aukus with Pete Hegseth
The defence minister, Richard Marles, is headed to the United States this week, and is set to talk about the Aukus nuclear agreement with his counterpart, Pete Hegseth.
Marles said in a statement he would hold talks with the defence secretary, other senior Trump administration officials and defence industry figures during the visit.
Marles said Washington and Canberra wanted to promote collaboration and work for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo Pacific region.
I was pleased to speak with Secretary Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue in May, and welcome the opportunity in Washington to build on our valuable discussions of shared defence and security matters.
Given the shared challenges we face in our region, I look forward to reaffirming our commitment to the Alliance and advancing our strong partnership.
Richard Marles and Pete Hegseth at the Shangri-La Dialogue defence summit in May. Photograph: How Hwee Young/EPAShare
Updated at 19.07 EDT
Joyce’s bill to end net zero ‘defying the science’, PM says
There’ll be plenty of drama in the house this morning when Barnaby Joyce’s end net zero bill is debated.
The government voted to debate it at the end of the last sitting fortnight, to wedge the Coalition. When voting on whether to put it on the agenda, only Joyce voted with Labor to debate it, where the rest of the Coalition opposed it.
At his press conference a bit earlier, Anthony Albanese stuck the boot in to the Coalition and Joyce.
If you get rid of net zero, you are saying climate change is not real, and you do not need to do anything about it … It is defying what we see happening around us and defying the science.
But Labor’s not coming out of this debate unscathed, and is still under enormous pressure to announce an ambitious 2035 target. Albanese won’t say yet when that target will be made public.
We’ll announce it when there’s an announcement … What we’ll always do is to support action on climate change.
Updated at 19.56 EDT
Lambie says nimbys should ‘get stuffed’
Jacqui Lambie says negative gearing needs to be on the agenda when we talk about housing.
Speaking to Sky News, Lambie says she doesn’t understand why the PM isn’t talking about the generous tax incentive.
Saying those people that are on it ‘you can grandfather what you have’, but any new people coming into this market, ‘[the] maximum you can have is two negative geared properties’. I don’t understand why [Albanese’s] not discussing this, apart from his lack of courage.
Asked whether it should be on Labor’s policy platform for the next election, Lambie says Albanese needs to pull more levers to temper house prices and get more houses built.
She also tells nimbys to “get stuffed”, and says that the government needs to build more public housing.
Independent senator Jacqui Lambie. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 19.57 EDT
Bill for federal climate risk assessment to enter parliament today
This morning, independent Zali Steggall introduce her national framework for adaptation bill. It will require the government to undertake independent national climate change risks assessments every five years, develop a national adaptation plan, provide an annual progress report and release a report into the security threats of climate change by the Office of National Intelligence.
Be prepared for a bit of whiplash because that introduction will come soon after debate on Barnaby Joyce’s end net zero bill.
The government has been working on a climate risk assessment – but Steggall wants a more regular one.
Australia’s approach to climate risks is piecemeal and left to the whims of whichever party is in power. While we wait for the government to release its ‘one-off’ National Climate Risk Assessment, this bill ensures future climate risks assessments are independent of government and released in a timely and transparent manner.
The Greens will be pushing for that risk assessment, which is being worked on by assistant minister for climate change and energy, Josh Wilson, to be released through the Senate this morning. Greens senator Barbara Pocock told a doorstop a bit earlier:
We’ve been waiting for nine months for this detail to be released, and we hear it’s bad news. News of more frequent floods, more frequent droughts, and an end to our coral reefs.
Zali Steggall. Photograph: Mick Tsikas/AAPShare
Updated at 18.44 EDT