This story contains reference to allegations of sexual assault.
Another round of Senate estimates is over after a week of Senators grilling government ministers and department officials.
During this week, the head of Australia's top security agency said antisemitism was the agency's number one priority, Greens senators called for resignations, and two senators butted heads.
Here are some of the key moments.
Antisemitism now ASIO's 'number one priority'
The head of Australia's security agency says for the first time, antisemitism has become the agency's number one security concern.
ASIO director-general Mike Burgess told Senate estimates that anti-Jewish hatred has increased following the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
Responding to questions from Liberal senator James Paterson, Burgess said has resulted in it being the top challenge for the agency.
"In terms of threats to life, it's my agency's number one priority because of the weight of incidents we're seeing play out in the country," he said on Tuesday.
Asked by Paterson if it's the first time a form of racism was the number one concern for ASIO, Burgess said: "I don't believe we've done that in our history, certainly not in my six years as director general … it's the volume of incidents that we are dealing with."
Amid increasing pressure for action to be taken against antisemitic acts, Burgess urged the public to let the agency "do our job", adding that investigations took time.
"Let us do our job. Sometimes, these investigations do take time. It's not because we're sitting back admiring the problem … [Investigations] require some capabilities to be put in place that allows us and police to do their job."
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Antisemitism is ASIO's biggest concern for Australia | Morning News Bulletin 26 February 2025
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ADF officer who lost security clearance still in defence force
Under questioning at Senate estimates hearing on Wednesday, Chief of Army Lieutenant-General Simon Stuart confirmed an officer who had been stripped of his security clearance due to ASIO concerns had not been kicked out of the Australian Defence Force (ADF).
The officer was stripped of his clearance due to concerns he was more loyal to Israel than Australia.
Despite having served in the ADF for 19 years, the officer told ASIO he did not view Israel as a foreign government and would share classified information with its military if asked for it.
Stuart said the officer remained in the ADF in the inactive reserve, pending administrative action.
Greens Senator David Shoebridge questioned defence officials on why this was the case: "What does it take to have somebody removed from the ADF?"
"Ensuring that members of the ADF, their highest loyalty is to Australia, I would have thought is something that you would take as incredibly serious."
Shoebridge asked if a review had been undertaken to ensure no other ADF members had undergone training making them susceptible to recruitment by a foreign government.
The question was taken on notice.
ABC's million-dollar legal bill
During Tuesday's Senate estimates, senior figures from the ABC were hit with questions about , who alleges she was unlawfully taken off air after sharing an Instagram post by Human Rights Watch saying Israel used starvation as a "weapon of war" in Gaza.
Acting managing director Melanie Kleyn said the broadcaster tried to settle the case multiple times and had already spent $1.1 million on external lawyers to defend itself.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said the incident had been handled poorly by management, resulting in a messy public debate.
Liberal senator Sarah Henderson questioned the broadcaster's processes for reviewing the social media activity of employees or prospective employees in the hiring process.
ABC chief people officer Deena Amorelli said it was "not part of the process" to examine social media activity for each employee.
Greens senator Mehreen Faruqi queried a since-abandoned legal defence, including an "atrocious" argument questioning the existence of the Lebanese or Arab races.
"It was a technical legal argument that we accept should never have been made," Amorelli told the hearing.
Global uncertainty played a role in rate cut, RBA says
The Reserve Bank was more inclined to cut interest rates at its board meeting earlier in February because of uncertainty surrounding the global economy, according to comments made at this week's Senate estimates hearing.
The central bank's deputy governor Andrew Hauser said companies were already delaying their investment decisions as they wait to see how a looming trade war between the United States and China plays out.
That freezing effect of uncertainty had the potential to lower economic output and was a factor weighing in favour of the board's decision to cut the cash rate by 0.25 per cent.
"Companies are slowly waking up to the possibility that if things remain as uncertain as they currently are — that perhaps they'll just delay their investment projects or delay their new external market developments — just to see how things pan out," Hauser said.
"Whilst things remain uncertain, cutting rates and easing monetary policy a little in response seemed to us — some of us — sensible."
Linda Reynolds leaves room after rejected apology from Katy Gallagher
Liberal senator Linda Reynolds walked out of Senate estimates on Tuesday after a clash with Finance Minister Katy Gallagher.
Reynolds, who is set to retire from politics at the upcoming election, used what was likely her last Senate estimates appearance to request an apology from Gallagher regarding Brittany Higgins rape allegations.
"As this is most likely my last Senate estimates, I just want to ask you, minister, will you now apologise, not just to me, but to my staff and my family, for all of the damage that has been wrought on them by you and by others in the Labor Party?" Reynolds asked Gallagher.
Gallagher said she was "sorry" for any hurt, but said her "conscience is clear".
"I am sorry that you have been hurt by all of this but I, and I've gone back and had a look at all of the questions I've asked ... believe the questions I asked in my role when you were a minister and accountable for what happened in your office were reasonable," Gallagher said.
"You were a minister. You were accountable for what happened in your office, and we asked questions about an alleged sexual assault."
"I would believe that other senators in a similar circumstance would ask exactly the same questions."
Reynolds stood up and left the room after Gallagher's response, to which she responded, "My conscience is clear".
Calls for chief executive of Creative Australia to resign
The chief executive of Creative Australia should resign and the organisation's board should be spilled, Hanson-Young said on Tuesday.
It follows the federal funding body's , which is considered contemporary art's most prestigious event.
Creative Australia chief executive Adrian Collette acknowledged its selection process for the Biennale had fallen short and would be subject to an external review, but said the board was compelled to exercise its judgment given the circumstances.
"As public debate intensified and scrutiny was applied to some of the artist's prior works — it became very quickly evident to the board that the organisation was confronting significant risks to its future mission," Collette told Senate estimates.
The Greens' arts election policy released on Friday said the dumping of Australia's Venice Biennale entrants threatens artistic freedom of expression, brought Creative Australia into disrepute and left the nation's creative workers in crisis.
Status updates for Australians locked up overseas
Senate estimates also addressed the status of some Australians who are incarcerated overseas.
Liberal Party senator James Paterson questioned the status of
Craig Maclachlan from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said: "We have been advised by the Russian authorities that Mr Jenkins is alive as recently as a week ago."
Maclachlan also said in a suspected 'hostage' situation according to his family, that he is still being held in prison despite his sentence expiring.
Maclachlan said the $122 million fine remained "outstanding" and he was still in custody, despite completing his sentence.
He said the government had made more than 200 representations to the Iraqi government about Pether and consular officials had visited him more than 100 times in prison.
There was also an update on the status of Australian writer Dr Yang Hengjun, who has received a suspended death sentence in Beijing. Hengjun is now able to be visited by his family in prison.
Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong added that she had spoken to the Chinese vice president, Han Zheng, about his welfare.
With reporting by the Australian Associated Press.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, text 0458 737 732, or visit . In an emergency, call 000.
