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THE POWER OF AN INDEPENDENT

As an Independent MP in Federal Parliament my focus is on you – the community. I serve our community, not a political party or political leader and so every vote and policy position I take has the best interests of Mackellar, and our nation, at heart.

My focus is on working with our community to develop policies and priorities to help create a better future for us all. I aim to use Mackellar’s voice and vote in Parliament to ensure our community’s values are respected and heard in Canberra.

Independent MPs, like me here in Mackellar, Nicolette Boele (Bradfield), Zali Steggall (Warringah), Helen Haines (Indi), Dr Monique Ryan (Kooyong), Allegra Spender (Wentworth), Rebekha Sharkie (Mayo) and Andrew Wilkie (Clark) all have a strong track record of achievement, accountability and of pushing the government of the day to act.

So what exactly is the power of an independent?

  • An Independent MP can genuinely represent their community in Parliament. This is very different from MPs in the major parties who are required to vote a certain way.
  • An Independent MP can introduce new legislation into Parliament and negotiate amendments to legislation without being held back by internal party politics. For example, in the first 12 months as your Independent MP I introduced two Private Member’s Bills:

My Transparent and Quality Public Appointments Bill 2023 (‘Ending Jobs for Mates Bill’) sets out a process to end cronyism and party-political appointments to important public positions that have eroded trust and integrity in our democracy. It aims to ensure that the appointment process is based on expertise, transparent and free from undue political interference. 

My Healthy Kids Advertising Bill 2023 aims to protect children from junk food marketing by removing ads from TV and radio between the hours of 6am and 9.30pm and banning marketing on social media. 

  • An Independent can vote independently and speak freely on issues that are important to our community and the nation. For example, I have continued the pressure to end the PEP-11 oil and gas exploration licence, which would allow drilling off the coast of the Northern Beaches. While every vote I have taken in Parliament has been informed by our community and aims to reflect the values and wishes of our community – unlike a party politician who gets told how to vote.