Newsletters 2024

Our community has consistently called for a better, fairer approach to housing, healthcare, climate and education. This week, we have taken an important step towards fundamentally addressing these issues and more by playing a very active role in the development and presentation of the government committee report recommending the introduction of a National Human Rights Act.

Australia is currently the only liberal democracy in the world without national human rights legislation, relying instead on an incomplete patchwork of anti-discrimination and other laws which has seen consecutive governments layer bad law over the top of bad law. The result has been an unnecessarily complex and piecemeal approach to protecting basic rights.

By contrast, at the State and Territory level, Victoria, Queensland and the ACT have all established human rights acts that have enabled people to secure more accessible public transport, superannuation benefits for same-sex couples and ensure education for children seeking asylum.

For the past 15 months then, I have been working with my colleagues on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights to review the effectiveness of Australia's human rights protections. This process involved reviewing over 300 submissions, 4,000 pieces of individual correspondence and hearing testimony in the course of 6 public hearings, from which we identified an overwhelming level of public support for a national Human Rights Act.

With the report now presented to government I will continue to work with those from across both our community and the wider coalition fighting for this change to push forward what I believe could be the single most important step we could take as a nation to reclaim our fundamental human rights from the hands of the political establishment.

Meanwhile, the renewable energy transition remains on the agenda, with my team and I contributing to debates on the Net Zero Economy Authority Bill 2024 and new rooftop solar feed-in tariffs being introduced in NSW.

I also had the opportunity to discuss our overstretched primary healthcare system in Parliament this week, with people now spending a median of 4 hours and 40 minutes in the emergency department of the Royal North Shore Hospital. The GP shortage is even more severe in rural and regional areas. While there is no simple fix, I am looking forward to continuing this important discussion and working towards a reasonable solution.

Finally, many of us are deeply distressed by the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The images we have seen daily since October 7th, and the reports we continue to read, are heartbreaking. I know many people personally within our community are feeling isolated, scared, frustrated and angry. I am ever wary of oversimplifying this deeply complex situation, or of minimising any person’s hurt and true concern, but please know I hear you and am doing all I believe I can to advocate for an immediate and enduring ceasefire, the unimpeded provision of humanitarian aid into Gaza, and the release of all hostages.

I pursue these things by speaking directly with Australian Government Ministers and liaising with the Human Rights bodies on the ground. While this is work that is being done behind the scenes, I do believe we are making a difference as evidenced by our capacity to get our government to reinstate funding to UNRWA. Click here for my most recent summary of what I am doing to try ensure that we, as a community and a nation, are fighting to protect of innocent lives while we also look after those within our own community who are feeling vulnerable.

Thank you as always for your feedback and support, and for working with me towards a safe, united and inclusive North Sydney.

- KT

P.S. Thank you to all who have written in to share your thoughts on social media, particularly after the parliamentary roundtable discussion with the Butterfly Foundation on social media and eating disorders earlier this week. Parliament is currently calling for submissions from the public on the influence and impacts of social media on Australian society. Click here to have your say by 28 June 2024.

COME AND MEET KYLEA

WHAT'S ON IN NORTH SYDNEY

PREPARE FOR 3G NETWORK CLOSURE

Australia's remaining 3G networks will be permanently switched off in the coming months. When this happens, 3G-only devices will no longer be able to make or receive calls, nor access the internet.

The shutdown will affect older, 3G-only electronic devices, typically over 5-6 years old. These could include some mobile phones, EFTPOS machines, smartwatches, tablets, medical devices and security cameras.

Certain 4G mobile devices will no longer be able to call triple-zero, if they don't have VoLTE technology.

There are an estimated 3 million 3G-only devices still operating in Australia so please review any devices that you rely on at home and at work, and make sure your older relatives and friends are aware of the changes ahead.

See more information from Telstra here, and from Optus here.

IN THE NEWS

Report backs call for federal human rights act - Canberra Times, 30 May. Australia is one of the only democratic nations without an enshrined bill of rights or human rights act. Kylea, who serves on the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, has called for change. "This is not a time for cheap politicking... [or] to drive division," she says.

Interview with ABC Radio - Melbourne Drive, 30 May. Kylea speaks with ABC Radio's Ali Moore about how a National Human Rights Act would work with existing state-based legislation and religious freedom in Australia. Kylea's interview is featured about two-thirds the way through the linked recording.

Federal Human Rights Act could help prevent policy failures like robodebt, parliamentary inquiry says - The Guardian, 30 May. A parliamentary inquiry has called for Australia to adopt its first ever federal Human Rights Act. Public policy disasters including robodebt and neglect in the aged care sector “may not even have happened if we had a Human Rights Act providing protections for Australians”, Kylea says.

Statement on motion to recognise the state of Palestine - Media statement, 29 May. Kylea has abstained from voting on a motion in the House of Representatives that she believes would not meaningfully assist the people of Gaza or Israel, nor support social cohesion in Australia when it is most needed.

Tink asks treasurer about decision not to raise jobseeker in the budget - The Guardian, 28 May. Kylea has asked the Government to explain why it has decided not to heed recommendations of the Economic Inclusion Advisement Committee about raising the rate of jobseeker.

Electric buses are coming to Willoughby! - Willoughby Living, 28 May. Local media coverage of the $115 million in Commonwealth funding for a brand new electric bus depot in Macquarie Park, and upgrades to existing bus depots in Willoughby and North Sydney. "Electrification of our public transport network will bring quieter, more sustainable transport options, and improve the commute for our community," Kylea says.

More media mentions here.