Australia news LIVE: Crossbench rages as electoral reforms pass; Dutton calls for debate on powers to revoke citizenship

Teals and Greens are expressing their dismay at the government’s electoral reforms becoming law after a controversial move to block debate in the House of Representatives.

After passing the Senate last night, the bill returned to the House today to receive the rubber stamp, where further debate is allowed.

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The government moved to expedite the vote on the bill, stopping any further commentary from the crossbench. When Greens leader Adam Bandt stood up to call the move a “stitch-up” on what could be the last day of parliament before the election, he was shut down by speaker Milton Dick.

The government’s bid to end the debate succeeded and the House voted to make the bill law.

Teal MP Kate Chaney, who led negotiations on behalf of much of the crossbench, took to X to call it a “sad day for Australian democracy”.

“Both [major] parties [are] terrified of any scrutiny,” Chaney wrote.

Bandt was similarly incensed, accusing Labor and the Liberals of gagging debate and silencing the crossbench.

“The Liberals and Labor have done a dodgy deal to rig the system to try to lock the Greens, independents and new voices from our Parliament. Instead of just improving their policies, Albanese and Dutton teamed up to shut out their competition,” Bandt wrote in an X thread.

“It speaks volumes that the two major parties have worked together in secret on this,” he continued.

“This election could be the most important in a generation to stop Labor and the Liberals from locking in power forever.”