Weekend Wrap for 15 August 2026

National: Labor shuts down telehealth debate (12 August 2026)
The government combined with the Coalition to defeat, 74 votes to 12, independent Kate Chaney's private member's bill to let voluntary assisted dying consultations be conducted by telehealth. The bill would have amended the Howard-era criminal provisions that treat phone or video discussion of VAD as unlawful counselling of suicide — a barrier doctors say falls hardest on people in regional and remote areas, where a face-to-face consultation can be hundreds of kilometres away. Health Minister Mark Butler said telehealth safeguards were not yet adequate; the change was backed by the Australian Medical Association, the Law Council and state health ministers. The vote defied a Labor national conference resolution to remove the bar, and came after faith-based lobbying urged the Prime Minister to hold firm. The contest now moves to the Senate.
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CathNews (opens in new tab)

NSW: 'No defence of this': A reckoning in Catholic schools as teachers want answers (12 August 2026)
As Operation Rosny entered its third week, the pressure on Catholic Schools NSW turned inward. The Independent Education Union called for the law to be widened so that peak bodies distributing public money — not just individual schools — face the same scrutiny over how they spend it, after evidence that $165,000 was funnelled to right-wing Liberal operatives. Catholic Schools NSW distributes some $3.8 billion in state and Commonwealth funding to almost 600 diocesan schools, yet, the union noted, is not scrutinised the way each school is. Former Catholic education leaders warned the allegations would poison future funding negotiations, and federal Education Minister Jason Clare called the evidence "very concerning". The body's chief executive, Dallas McInerney, had stood aside to give evidence.
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The Age (opens in new tab)

WA: Failed One Nation WA candidate Parminder Singh says gay people have 'mental illness' (12 August 2026)
A former One Nation candidate in Western Australia, Parminder Singh, drew condemnation after putting out a social-media video in which he said gay people have a mental illness, among other homophobic statements. His profile was removed from the party's website, and One Nation MP Barnaby Joyce distanced himself from the remarks, insisting the party was "one of the gayest parties in Australia". Singh later apologised. The episode is a small illustration of a larger question: how much of One Nation's rising vote is a vehicle for social-conservative and religious-right grievance, and how far the party is willing to let that flank speak in its name.
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ABC News (opens in new tab)
QNews (opens in new tab)

NSW: Redeemer Baptist School inquiry hears North Parramatta institution put dog collar, lead on student (13 August 2026)
A NSW parliamentary inquiry into Redeemer Baptist School and Church — described in evidence as a "cult" — heard a former member testify that her sister was made to wear a dog collar and was pulled about by a lead, held underwater and routinely shamed. Other witnesses alleged the institution operated as "a criminal gang who uses religion as camouflage", amassing at least 40 properties worth some $140 million while avoiding payroll tax, GST and fringe benefits tax by paying members token stipends. The NSW Education Standards Authority told the inquiry it is investigating whether the school breached the requirement that non-government schools receiving public funding operate not-for-profit. The school's leadership declined to appear, arguing the school and church are separate entities and the "cult" label is baseless.
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The Age (opens in new tab)

NSW: Catholic Schools NSW boss says he did 'due diligence'. His allies gave him someone else's ABN (14 August 2026)
Dallas McInerney spent two days before ICAC defending his decision to sign Catholic Schools NSW as the first client of Beckington, a government-relations firm set up by his Liberal factional allies with no experience in the education sector. Pressed on the "due diligence" he said he had done, McInerney conceded he had not noticed the consultancy supplied him with somebody else's ABN. The commission is examining allegations that the taxpayer-funded body made undeclared political donations exceeding legal caps under a scheme McInerney authorised. He denied a claim that Angus Taylor had committed to funding the Reformers and suggested a Reformer figure may have "lied". The hearings continue, with former police minister David Elliott to follow.
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The Sydney Morning Herald (opens in new tab)

WA: Former Broome bishop found guilty of abusing young men (14 August 2026)
A District Court of Western Australia jury found Christopher Saunders, 76, the former Catholic Bishop of Broome, guilty of one count of sexual penetration and 12 counts of indecent assault against young Aboriginal men in the Kimberley. The assaults occurred at the bishop's church-owned residence and at a retreat known as the beach house; one victim referred to Saunders as "Brother B". Saunders, who did not give evidence, was remanded in custody ahead of a sentencing hearing on 21 September. The conviction of a serving-era bishop is rare, and lands as institutional churches face scrutiny elsewhere over accountability and public money. The Bishop of Broome, Tim Norton, apologised to the victims for "the hurt they have experienced".
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ABC News (opens in new tab)
OUTinPerth (opens in new tab)