The Assembly found consensus — keeping it is the hard part
Two landmark acts in one week looks like a new politics. The autumn budget will reveal whether it survives contact with arithmetic.
Coastal Shield bill clears final vote, sending $9bn to flood defences
Ministers hail a “generational upgrade” to sea walls, pumping stations and river barriers after the longest sitting in the Assembly’s modern history. Opposition parties back the plan but demand quarterly spending audits.
Assembly approves tuition-free degrees at public universities from 2027
The Higher Education Access Act passes 214–96 after a marathon overnight sitting, ending two decades of fee rises and reshaping how Coravia pays for its universities.
Ethics panel clears deputy speaker after eight-month inquiry
The Assembly’s standards committee finds “no breach of the code” over undeclared hospitality, but recommends tightening the disclosure rules it says are “written for another era”.
Drought relief package for Aldenne farmers passes first reading
$480m in emergency support clears its first hurdle as the valley records its driest summer in six decades.
Health ministry defends autumn booster procurement before committee
Officials tell the health committee the $310m vaccine contract followed “every rule in the book” after auditors query a compressed tender window.