Key Legislation Updates and Community Safety
6 December 2024
It’s great to be back in Warringah after a huge sitting fortnight in Canberra, the last for 2024. It saw a huge number of bills passed including the somewhat controversial legislation to put an age ban on social media platforms, which I did not support (more on that below).
Frustratingly, some other important legislation is still waiting to be passed – including truth in political advertising reforms, the Nature Positive Bills and legislation to help better protect us from scams.
Disappointingly, we have not seen any action from the government on the much-needed legislation to ban gambling advertising.
We also saw the Minister for Climate give his Annual Climate Statement, in accordance with the amendments to the Climate Change Act 2022 which were proposed by Independent MP Kylea Tink. It was promising to hear that emissions are coming down, but it’s not nearly fast enough – you can view my full statement here.
And as the Christmas countdown begins, I’m looking forward to spending more time out and about in Warringah connecting with many of the wonderful organisations in our community as well as hearing from you about what will be important as we head into 2025.
Also read below to find out how you can provide feedback on housing opportunities in our Housing Survey, get involved by supporting some great community organisations, be safer at the beach and be aware of scammers targeting us during this busy end of year period.
Read on to learn more about my parliamentary activities below.
Also in this newsletter:
Zali in Parli
It was a busy two weeks of Parliament with the government rushing through legislation with inadequate scrutiny and consultation.
Electoral Reform Bill
The Government rushed the Electoral Reform bill through the House but failed to progress the Bill on truth in political advertising. The Bill improves transparency and accountability through real-time donation reporting and a lower threshold for reporting and introduces an overall cap on political party spending. But the Bill remains deeply flawed through entrenching major party advantage through the creation of quarterly administrative assistance funding, which will see the Labor and Coalition pay themselves $4.82 million per annum to pay for conferences, functions, staff training, office accommodation and even payments of interest on loans! Anne Twomey, a Professor at the University of Sydney, has raised that the Bill might be vulnerable to constitutional challenge given its potential impact on the implied freedom of political communication
It is telling that the government is concerned - no member of the government or opposition, aside from the Minister and Shadow Minister, were prepared to speak on the Bill. I asked the Treasurer whether the reforms are a poor use of public funds, you can watch his response here.
Online Safety Amendment (Social Media Minimum Age) Bill 2024
Another rushed Bill was the Social Media Minimum Age Bill, which was not given proper scrutiny and meaningful community input. While this may be a great headline, it's a poor piece of policy that will drive social media harm underground. The government needs to enforce greater accountability on these platforms, not a blanket ban. I’ve been listening to the electorate’s concerns on this Bill, and I thank everyone who took the time to write in to express their views.
You can watch my speech here.
Midwife Professional Indemnity (Commonwealth Contribution) Scheme Amendment Bill 2024
I spoke too on the Midwife Professional Indemnity Bill which provides government-backed insurance indemnity for midwives undertaking out-of-hospital births. It sounds technical, but it is incredibly important to women in their birthing choices, including for First Nations women choosing to Birth on Country. Equitable access to midwifery services is an important step in ensuring Australia's maternal healthcare system meets the needs of expectant mothers.
Other parliamentary business
The Government also rushed through two migration amendment bills. Human Rights organisations raised significant concerns on harms of these bills, as it would provide the government with unprecedented powers to forcibly remove non-citizens from Australia and take away items, like phones and glasses from detainees.
I also spoke on the Sydney Airport Demand Management Amendment Bill 2024, which provides customers of Sydney airport with greater transparency and choice by encouraging greater efficiency of the allocation of slots for airplanes.
Mental health continues to be a key focus and remains a critical issue affecting so many Australians. November is a month dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and suicide prevention. Tragically, suicide is a leading cause of death among Australians aged 18 to 24, with nine lives lost every day. This crisis demands urgent national action. Locally, Warringah is home to incredible organisations making a difference including Mentoring Men, Lifeline Northern Beaches and Vipers Run Club.
Finally, Parliament House was lit up orange in recognition of the United Nations’ global 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The Minister for Social Services addressed Parliament on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women to provide an update on the government’s investment to date on gender violence prevention.
To view my parliamentary speeches visit my Parliament Updates.
I seek to represent the views of Warringah and welcome feedback. My approach to legislation is on my website as is my Voting Record.
Out and About in Warringah & Canberra
Walk Against Violence
Team Zali joined Mosman Council’s Walk for Women Against Family and Domestic Violence. On average, police respond to a domestic violence incident every day on the Northern Beaches, every 2-3 days in North Sydney and every 11 days in Mosman. A big thank you to Mayor Ann Marie Kimber for leading this important initiative and to everyone who walked to advocate for safe, respectful relationships in our community.
Launch of the National Coastal Safety Report
I attended the Parliamentary Friends of Surf Life Saving’s Launch of the National Coastal Safety Report which found there were more than 16 million coastal visits across the country last year and 150 deaths due to drowning, 85% of which were male. Read more in Community Safety about Surf Life Saving Australia’s new campaign to help keep people safe at our beaches.
Grants and Housing Survey
Volunteer Grants
The Volunteer Grants 2024/25 Expressions of Interest are now open.
Grants of between $1,000 and $5,000 will be available to assist eligible not-for-profit community organisations that rely on volunteers.
Expressions of Interest close at 5pm on Thursday 16th January 2025. For more information including grant guidelines, please visit my website.
Local Sporting Champions
Applications for Round 3, 2024-25 of the Local Sporting and Local Para Champions are now open until 31 January 2025. The grants provide financial assistance for young coaches, officials and competitors participating in state, national or international championships.
Warringah Housing Survey
To better understand your concerns and to hear from the community about the measures that could play a key role in addressing housing supply and demand, please take a few minutes to complete the housing survey.
Community Safety
Water Safety
With summer just around the corner, Surf Life Saving Australia have just launched a great new campaign to help keep people safe: STOP, LOOK, STAY ALIVE.
They also launched a fantastic initiative, the Beach Passport, a free e-learning course that has been gamified to make learning about the serious business of how to stay safe at the beach fun. And of course a huge thank you to all the SLSA volunteers who keep us safe at the beach every summer, helping to stop drownings by taking 2.4 million preventative actions in the last year.
Australia Post and scams
With the festive season just around the corner, Australia Post is gearing up for a busy period which also comes with a potential rise in scam attempts aimed at people eagerly waiting for their deliveries. Please watch this short video on scam awareness and consider downloading the AusPost app as a secure way to track and manage deliveries to enjoy a safer, stress-free holiday season.
My friendly electorate office team and I are here to help you, so please contact my office on 99776411 or email me at [email protected] should you need assistance.
Please share this newsletter with your friends and family to keep them updated, or encourage them to sign up here on my website.
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