SenateDivision 3 · 25 Aug 2025

Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Priority to Australians and transparency

Passed38 aye · 23 no

What this vote was about

The majority voted in favour of an amendment to the usual second reading amendment, which is "that the bill be read a second time" (parliamentary jargon for agreeing with the main idea of the bill). The amendment was introduced by Tasmanian Senator Jacqui Lambie (Jacqui Lambie Network) and added the following words:

At the end of the motion, add ", but the Senate calls on the Government to:

(a) guarantee that members of the Australian Defence Force and their families, officers and employees of the Department of Defence and their families, and persons contracted to provide goods or services to the Australian Defence Force or the Department and their families are given priority access to Defence Housing over foreign personnel; and

(b) ensure that the full costs of providing Defence Housing and housing-related services to foreign governments, military organisations and their contractors are fully recovered from those entities, and not subsidised by Australian taxpayers; and

(c) improve transparency by requiring Defence Housing Australia to publish data on housing allocations, waiting times for Australian Defence Force members, and the net financial impact of housing foreign personnel".

While these types of motions do not have any legal force on their own, they are politically influential as they represent the will of the Senate.

Context written by They Vote For You volunteers (ODbL), reproduced unchanged.

Second reading: The second reading vote decides whether the chamber agrees with the bill in principle. A second reading amendment attaches commentary or conditions to that agreement without changing the bill's text.

Related bills

Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025

By party

Party	Aye	No
Australian Labor Party	2	22
Liberal–National Coalition	21	0
Australian Greens	10	1
Pauline Hanson's One Nation	2	0
Jacqui Lambie Network	1	0
United Australia Party	1	0
Independent	1	0

Every vote

AYE (38)

NO (23)

Other divisions this sitting day

What the Senate divided on around this vote, in order.

25 Aug 2025Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Increase defence expenditureSenate 25–35
25 Aug 2025Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Financial impactSenate 16–28
25 Aug 2025Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 - Second Reading - Agree with the bill's main ideaSenate 30–10
25 Aug 2025Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 - in Committee - HousingSenate 11–31
25 Aug 2025Documents - Housing Australia Future Fund - Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 36–21
25 Aug 2025Documents - North West Shelf Project - Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 16–27
25 Aug 2025Documents — Australian National University; Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 16–27
25 Aug 2025Documents — Australian National University; Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 16–26
25 Aug 2025Documents — Australian National University; Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 16–26
25 Aug 2025Documents — Australian National University; Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 16–26
25 Aug 2025Documents — Australian Public Service Commission; Order for the Production of DocumentsSenate 35–20
25 Aug 2025Motions - Medicare - Criticise Prime MinisterSenate 22–30
25 Aug 2025Defence Housing Australia Amendment Bill 2025 - Third Reading - Pass the billSenate 29–11