Safe

1. Safeguard our Communities

We cannot insure our way out of climate risk.

Australia continues to face a growing number of extreme weather events. There have been bushfires which have devastated homes and habitats, floods that have displaced thousands, coastal erosion threatening infrastructure, and intense heatwaves affecting health and livelihoods.

Local councils are on the front line of this crisis and are carrying an increasing share of the burden, often without the resources or long-term planning frameworks they need.

We must do more to protect our communities. We need national leadership to better support communities to prepare, adapt and build resilience.

Zali's Record

  • Brought together industry, government and civil society to discuss impacts of climate change on insurance.
  • Launched the National Adaptation Framework Bill into parliament.
  • Served on the Standing Committee on Environment and Energy from 2019 to 2022, including issuing a dissenting report on the Inquiry into Lifting Australia’s Ban on Nuclear.

Zali’s Commitment to You

  • Climate Resilience Plan: A sustainable plan to keep our communities safe from a changing climate.
  • National Climate Adaptation Framework: Legislative plan to back-in the National Climate Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Plan.
  • Mandatory Climate Risk Disclosure: Mandate climate risk disclosure in Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) assessments.

Parliamentary Action

  • The cost of climate change on our insurance – Zali speaks about her roundtable on the rising cost of climate change on our households, especially their insurance bills (August 2024). (Watch here)

Media coverage

2. Prioritise Safe and Affordable Housing

Zali’s Record

  • Advocated for broadening of the Help to Buy Scheme to ensure that it covered housing in Warringah
  • Pushed for greater funding for social and community housing
  • Hosted the Warringah Housing Forum with expert panellists and representatives from local stakeholders (Watch the forum here)
  • Made submissions at the public hearing for the Legislative Assembly Select Committee on Essential Worker Housing

Zali’s Commitment to You

  • Lower Barriers to Entry: Bring down housing costs by removing barriers to low-waste construction with prefab modules.
  • Stronger Rental Protections: Improve the quality of rental housing through swift adoption of tenancy energy ratings and increase tenancy security through longer lease agreements and cap yearly rental increases.
  • Resilient, Safe and Environmentally Conscious Housing: Ensure our houses are built safer and cheaper by adopting resilient updates to the National Construction Code, funding the Resilient Building Council’s resilience ratings and driving low-cost, climate-resilient and energy efficient housing.
  • Increase Housing Stock: Improve housing stock by minimising housing as a speculative investment.
  • Affordable Housing for Front Line Workers: Incentivise the inclusion of affordable housing for front-line workers in development assessments.

 Parliamentary Action

  • Support for the People Power Plan: Zali advocates for greater household electrification incentives. (Watch here)
  • Housing affordability: Zali highlights concerns around housing affordability in Warringah. (Watch here)

3. Preserve our Social Cohesion

Equal opportunity for all, inclusion and support for those in need.

Zali’s Record

  • Supported Stronger Anti-Discrimination Laws: Championed reforms to protect individuals from discrimination based on gender, race, religion, or disability.
  • Advocated for Multicultural Community Support: Secured increased funding for social cohesion programs that celebrate diversity.
  • Pushed for Stronger Hate Speech Protections: Called for stricter regulations to combat online hate speech and misinformation.
  • Supported LGBTQ+ Rights: Advocated for legal protections and workplace rights.

Recent Local Engagement

Zali’s Commitment to You

  • Stronger Laws Against Hate Speech and Discrimination: Ensuring national consistency in anti-discrimination protections.
  • Greater Support for Community-Led Programs: Pushing for investment in grassroots initiatives that promote inclusion.
  • Fairer Immigration and Citizenship Pathways: Ensure a fair and efficient refugee policy to safeguard those in most need.
  • Protection of Basic Rights: Strengthen protections for LGBTIQ+, the rights of children and uphold human rights.

Parliamentary Action

  • Inclusion on the Northern Beaches (Watch here)
  • The importance of maintaining social cohesion in Australia (Watch here)
  • Inclusion of LGBTIQA+ Australians in 2026 census (August 2024) (Read here)
  • Multicultural Framework (August 2024) urging government to take the opportunity to ensure that everybody feels safe and welcome in Australia. (Watch here)
  • Age discrimination in the workplace: Zali highlighted issues facing older Australians to re-enter the workplace, especially after taking time off work due to health or caring commitments, despite possessing all the experience and skills necessary. (Watch here)

Media Coverage