Stonewalling, late hours, viral social media clips: What Australia’s senators really think of estimates

Crikey surveyed a group of sitting senators for a health check on one of Australia’s most important transparency mechanisms.

Jun 4, 2026

6 min read

Labor Senator Helen Polley, independent Senator David Pocock, independent Senator Fatima Payman, and Greens Senator David Shoebridge (Image: Private Media/AAP)

Senate estimates grillings suffer from stonewalling bureaucrats wasting precious time, and scheduling issues mean the public and media miss out on key discussions — but social media has been a net positive for getting information out to voters, a group of sitting senators tells Crikey.

As the current round of estimates approaches its end, we surveyed several senators on what they believe works and doesn’t work about the process. We got answers back from Greens Senator David Shoebridge, independent senators David Pocock and Fatima Payman, and Labor Senator Helen Polley.