I hope you all enjoyed your weekend. After a short but packed week in Canberra I certainly did. Out in the surf a common thread of conversation was how lucky we are to live in one of the most beautiful places on this planet.

Cost of living remains the issue that is most pressing for people across Mackellar. Throughout this term of parliament I’ve been working to help ease bill pressures for households and individuals. This has included supporting a cap on the price of gas when it spiked, grants for energy efficient appliances for businesses, cheaper medicines, more bulk billed visits to the GP, more affordable childcare, the extension of paid parental leave, super on parental leave payments, a fairer indexation of HECS/HELP and increases in rental assistance.

Read on to hear more about the recent wins and new legislation that will impact you.

Highlights:
• Save the Aussie Bush!
• Gambling advertising reforms
• Changes to our aged care system explained
• Calling for better behaviour in parliament
• Our new Mackellar Seniors Guide
• PEP-11 - nearly dead in the water!
• Celebrating small business month

Let’s Save the Aussie Bush!

In the lead up to Australia hosting the first ever Global Nature Positive Summit last week in Sydney, I’ve been running a campaign to Save the Aussie Bush.

Why? Because Australia is a global deforestation hotspot, and we lead the world in mammal extinctions. Even the koala is projected to be extinct in the wild by 2050.

It’s madness that our native forests are being logged largely for low value products like tomato stakes and woodchips.

I’m calling for state based native forest logging to no longer be exempt from our national environment laws.

It’s not too late to sign the petition.

We’ve reached over 20,000 signatures already. Please share the petition with your friends and family so that we can send a strong message that we love our Aussie Bush and unique wildlife and want to protect it.

Pittwater by-election - October 19

Don’t forget! The Pittwater state by-election is on this Saturday 19th October.
Apparently on average only 70% of people remember to vote in by-elections so remind all your family and friends.

And please remember to fact check your sources and do your own research. Currently under Australian law it is perfectly legal to lie in political advertising (something I’m working on changing) and I am deeply disappointed to see it occur during the Pittwater by-election campaign.

If in doubt, you can visit the candidate’s office and website, and the Australian Electoral Commissions' Disinformation Tactics webpage here.

Canberra Matters

Gambling advertising reforms

Over 70% of Australians support a ban on gambling advertising. Parents in particular are very concerned that our children and young people are being deluged with gambling advertising.

In 2023 a parliamentary committee unanimously recommended a ban on all gambling advertising both on TV and online. So it is disappointing that the government is walking back from these recommendations in their draft legislation. A partial ban will mean gambling ads could still run during popular family shows like MasterChef and The Block, when children and young people are often watching.

Along with public health experts, I’ll keep pushing for a complete end to gambling advertising because anything less means gambling will continue to be normalised.

Changes to our aged care system explained

The new Aged Care Bill has just been released for consultation.
The aim of the new legislation is to ensure Australians have access to high quality care and that the system is financially sustainable into the future.

The changes include:
• A single, simpler entry point for assessment of needs
• 300,000 more aged care home packages to be provided over the next 10 years
• More investment in residential aged care beds
• A statement of rights for people in aged care
• Stronger powers for the aged care regulator to ensure high standards of care

What does it mean for you?
• Home care packages will be easier to access and waiting times should reduce
• If you’re in care already, there’s a “no worse off” rule so you won’t pay more
• The new arrangements are due to start for people entering care from 1 July 2025
• There will be larger means-tested contributions from new entrants

I’d like to hear your views. Email my office at [email protected] or watch my recent speech.

Protecting Australians against scams

In 2023, Australians lost $2.74 billion to scammers. Australia currently has weak protections in place, so increasingly we have become a target for international scammers, and the scams are becoming ever more sophisticated.

Therefore, the government's draft legislation to better protect people from scammers is very welcome. Under this new legislation banks, telecommunications companies and social media platforms must take greater responsibility to prevent scams or face heavy penalties. See my speech here.

Paid parental leave update

On average women retire with 25% less superannuation than men. To help close this stark gender pay gap I supported government legislation to include super on commonwealth paid parental leave. It means parents receiving the support will get an additional 12% of their payment as a contribution to the super fund. This is another practical step to improving financial equality for women. See my speech here.

Gas fracking project scrutinised

One of Australia's biggest fracking projects in the NT is set to face greater scrutiny based on new laws that I helped get introduced (the Water Trigger).

The project of up to 6,000 gas wells in the Beetaloo Basin risks destroying the underground water system that is the lifeblood of the region. An Independent Scientific Committee has now been asked to provide advice about the potential impacts and risks of this gas fracking project. If it is found that the fracking is likely to have a significant impact on these aquifers, then under the new national environment law, the project must be rejected. This would be the first time the Water Trigger has been pulled.

New Administrative Review Tribunal (ART) opens Oct 14th

Based on my ‘ending jobs for mates’ amendment – appointments to this important tribunal must now be done using a process that is transparent and merit-based.

This is a significant win for the integrity of our political system and sets a precedent for further change. The old Administrative Appeals Tribunal was abolished and replaced because there had been too many top jobs going to mates during the last term of government.

The ART is the place where people can challenge decisions made by government agencies on issues such as migration, aged care, Centrelink, NDIS, and veterans’ compensation. It is a critical part of our democracy and so it is vitally important that appointments are independently and transparently made. See the Fact Sheet here.

Better behaviour in parliament

Australians have had enough of politicians behaving badly.

Last sitting week, I supported the bill to establish an Independent Parliamentary Standards Commission (IPSC). The aim of the commission is to improve the workplace culture and safety in Parliament House. Australians deserve a parliament they can respect and that sets a high standard of conduct.

I introduced an amendment to strengthen the independence of the Commission, unfortunately it didn’t get introduced on this occasion, but at every opportunity I continue to push for an end to the jobs for mates culture in Canberra.

Mackellar Matters

Our new Mackellar Seniors Guide

My office team and I repeatedly hear that applying for aged care support is overly complex and time consuming. So, we got busy and compiled a Seniors Guide to put all the helpful information to assist you in the one spot.

If you would like a physical copy, please call or email our office. Otherwise, you can access a digital version here. My electorate staff also have expertise in helping you and your family navigate federal support services – so please reach out if you are having difficulty.

I’d like to thank my team and the volunteers who put this booklet together – we hope it will be a valuable resource.

“I would like to thank you most sincerely for this booklet you kindly prepared. It is tremendously valuable to me, and I appreciate the effort and care that has gone into its preparation. I have not received anything as worthwhile as this booklet from my Federal MP in the 40+ years that I have now been a resident in this electorate. Thank you!”

Keeping you posted on Northern Beaches Hospital

The performance audit of Northern Beaches Hospital is underway. I worked with Michael Regan, the state member for Wakehurst, to call for a performance audit of the Northern Beaches Hospital as it had not undergone one since it opened in 2018. The audit is now underway.

You can have your say by making a submission to the NSW Audit Office here.

PEP-11 - nearly dead in the water!

The Industry Minister announced his ‘preliminary view’ that PEP-11 should NOT go ahead.

We are now one step closer to ending the PEP-11 oil and gas project that would extend from Manly to Newcastle. Zali Steggall, the member for Warringah and I, have been advocating in Canberra for a definitive end to the project and a couple of weeks ago the Industry Minister Ed Husic announced his ‘preliminary view’ that the PEP-11 permit should not be renewed. The gas company that holds the permit now has the opportunity to make a final submission.

I will continue to stand up for our community on this issue. You too can express your support by signing my petition.

Standing up for men's mental health

75% of those who take their own life in Australia are men.

We are very lucky here on the Northern Beaches to have several incredible community groups working hard to support our men. I recently hosted a roundtable to hear from them about the needs and challenges for men in our community, and to identify opportunities for groups to work together to better support each other and our blokes. These groups are saving men's lives on the Northern Beaches and we simply can’t thank them enough.

I spoke about the men’s mental health roundtable in a constituent statement in parliament and was overwhelmed by the feedback. Clearly many of you share my concerns about supporting men's health.

“I just saw your speech on men’s mental health that you gave in parliament. I cannot thank you enough! As someone who has lost loved ones and friends to mental health, your words meant so much to me.”

If you’re having a hard time, please know there’s people in the community who are keen to support you. Reach out today – see links below.

• Lifeline
• BeyondBlue
• MongrelsMen
• Men’s Table
• Men’s Shed
• MoWaNa Safe Space

Adolescent mental health on The Beaches

We desperately need more support for adolescent mental health on the Northern Beaches. I recently met with Northern Beaches Hospital and Local Area Health District executive staff to again discuss this topic.

Zali Steggall, state MP Michael Regan and I have been working relentlessly to ensure that the money provided by the previous State Government is invested in our community to boost child and adolescent mental health services where it is most needed. It also was really pleasing to hear about the new Safeguards team in our area that provides acute community based mental health support for children and adolescents.

Find out more about the Safeguards team here.

Avalon Youth Hub expands and is renamed Beaches Youth Hub

A huge congratulations to the newly revamped Beaches Youth Hub. Now young people have their own great space to hang out in Avalon.

Beaches Youth Hub do incredible work supporting young people on the Northern Beaches and helping them to build their mental fitness with meditation and mindfulness sessions.

The Youth Hub came about in 2018 in response to a number of tragic youth suicides on the upper Northern Beaches. More than 5 years on, the Youth Hub has supported thousands of young people who now know there is help available just down the road.

Make sure you head down and check out the new space at Avalon Rec Centre.

Celebrating our local businesses

October marks small business month! With cost-of-living pressures through the roof, it is more important than ever to support our local small businesses. That's why on Tuesday October 29th my office will be hosting a Small Business Grant Application Workshop for practical steps and resources to give you the confidence and skills to start your grants journey.

While running a small business, applying for grants can often feel just too hard. I want to make it as easy as possible for you to receive the support you need. Register now.

Subscribe to the Mackellar Grant Finder to receive alerts on funding and support available to you.

Sign up to the Mackellar Quarterly Business Newsletter to keep up to date on business news and supports, including explanations of new legislation that will affect your business. And - buy local!

Constituent Wins

Thank you to our amazing constituent liason team; Helen, Meredith, Carmen and Vivien for your work on these cases.

Local residents back on the buses
A local resident recently visited our electorate office after hitting a roadblock when trying to renew his Working with Children Check. Carmen helped him access and submit his residency paperwork, and Lars is now back on the job, driving buses and serving our community.

A WIN for Glenn and his family
Glen, who is dependent on carers for all aspects of his care, had been waiting 157 days for a new NDIS plan and funding to be approved. My team was able to escalate his case, and the revised plan and funding are now in place. We were very pleased to be able to help.

Getting the aged care support you need
Wait times for home care packages can exceed 12 months. If you are struggling to cope with long wait times for your home care package, you can reach out to my Community Liaison Team for help.

Just recently we were able to quickly help one local who was told he would have to wait five months for a home care package despite his significant decline in health, “We wouldn’t have had this outcome without your understanding and assistance. We very much appreciate all your help” - Daughter.

Sophie in the Media