Senate committees face heavy workload

POSSIBLE NEW SENATE INQUIRIES :

* Census debacle. Labor, the Greens and Nick Xenophon want to find out what went wrong with the Australian Bureau of Statistics' website on census night and who is blame.

* Nauru papers. The leaking of more than 2000 asylum-seeker incident reports raises questions about transparency and management of the detention centre.

* Banking system. If a royal commission is not supported, the alternative will be a parliamentary inquiry.

* Family law system. Pauline Hanson and Derryn Hinch want a close look at the way the courts handle family matters.

* Racial Discrimination Act. Some coalition senators are siding with independents David Leyonhjelm and Bob Day on a private bill to drop Section 18C, which would be the subject of an inquiry.

* Workplace deaths. The Nationals and Labor support an inquiry into workplace health and safety with a focus on deaths on industrial sites.

* Military suicide. Jacqui Lambie wants scrutiny of the hidden toll of serving defence personnel and veterans taking their own lives.

* Milk. Labor wants an inquiry into the behaviour of Murray Goulburn and whether regulators and producers were misled by the company.

* Islam. One Nation says a probe is needed into whether Islam is a religion or a political ideology.

* Grants. The Greens say the distribution of federal money to local councils is in need of a rethink.

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Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467.

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