Community Newsletter

Greater Sydney has been updated with new restrictions until at least next week. Some of these restrictions include Warringah even though we currently have no known cases and will not be under a “stay-at-home” order. I encourage all Warringah residents to please reduce their travel as much as possible.

To see the latest restrictions CLICK HERE 
 

PARLIAMENT 

This fortnight in Parliament House has exposed the Government on its poor record on the environment.

Both the ALP and the Coalition were shown to disregard climate in a number of areas, including the UNESCO draft recommendation to put the Great Barrier Reef on the “in danger” list; the introduction of amendments that will weaken environmental protection (EPBC); and perhaps most shamefully, both major parties allowing the gas fracking to happen in the Beetaloo Basin in the Northern Territory that has the potential to increase Australia’s emissions by up to 8%. This has been described as a “methane time bomb”.

This week we also saw dysfunction in the Coalition, as Nationals MP Barnaby Joyce was sworn in as Party Leader and therefore, Deputy Prime Minister.
At a time where we already have uncertainty around COVID-19, the vaccine rollout and Australia’s response to climate change, this was hardly the time for a leadership spill to dominate Question Time and the news.
 

We are now entering the ‘winter break’, before Parliament resumes in August. In the past fortnight I made speeches on:

• Disallowance motion on the proposed gas drilling in the Beetaloo Basin
• Asking the Prime Minister why the younger cohort in Australia is not being given the vaccine
• The failure of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout
• Refugee Week 2021 
• Speaking on the Environmental Protection Biodiversity Conservation Bill amendments
• Aged care and Other Legislation Amendment (Royal Commission Response No. 1) Bill 2021
• Speaking on Common Grace’s Knit for Climate Action (pictured above)
• Fuel Security Bill 2021 and consequential amendments
• Asking the Government why it is focused on a gas folly
• Centenary of Rotary
• Introducing a petition calling for parents to be classified as immediate family
• Asking the Home Affairs Minister to change the immediate family classification

To see all my speeches click here: https://www.zalisteggall.com.au/parliament_updates

NSW BUDGET

The NSW Government handed down its Budget this week. Specific measures mentioning Warringah based initiatives include:
 
Manly Hospital site

• $82.8 million over four years to continue to strengthen specialist palliative care services, including: – improving community-based care for people with late stage chronic and degenerative diseases, and people with a disability
• Operational funding for the Manly Adolescent and Young Adult Hospice ($15.2m)      

 
Beaches Link

Western Harbour Tunnel and Beaches Link Program and Warringah Freeway Upgrade Planning and preconstruction – $6.3 billion (over next four years) $454.0 million (2021-22) Specific to the Beaches Link $60m will be spent on Planning in 2021-22
 
Schools

• Manly Village Public School Upgrade $527,000
• Middle Head Environment Education Centre (Mosman) $158,000
• Neutral Bay Public School Upgrade $1.95m
• The Forest High School (Relocation) $8.43m
• Brookvale Public School Upgrade $14,000
• North Curl Curl Public School Upgrade $461,000
• Manly Vale Public School Upgrade $60,000
• Mosman High School Upgrade $19.2m

 
Other Infrastructure

•  Manly Hydraulics Laboratory (MHL) Asbestos Removal $2.3m
•  Northern Suburbs Ocean Outfall Sewer Desilt and Rehabilitation (Manly) $48.2m
•  North Head Wastewater Treatment Plant Biosolids Amplification $12m
•  Taronga Zoo Infrastructure Upgrades $22.8m
• $2 million for continued works on the upgrade of Manly Wharf 3
   

Surf Club 

• $4 million ($16 million over four years) for the expansion of the Surf Club Facility Program, which enables the construction of new and upgraded safe and inclusive Surf Club facilities in New South Wales

MEETING LOCAL SCHOOLS

Thank you to Middle Harbour Public School for coming to visit me in Parliament House this week. This group had some great questions about tackling online bullying, how to stop parents behaving badly on sporting fields (not unlike Question Time in my opinion!), traffic in Balmoral and changing the date of Australia Day.

I hope to see more Warringah primary schools when Parliament resumes in August.


WHAT’S ON

• There is now a public exhibition of the Wakehurst Parkway Flood Mitigation Feasibility Study. Submissions close on 18 July. For more information go to 

        https://yoursay.northernbeaches.nsw.gov.au/wakehurst-parkway-flood-mitigation

• Local organisation “One Meal” provides food and support to the homeless on the Northern Beaches is searching for some volunteers to help out. For more information go to https://www.onemeal.org.au/northern-beaches