Newsletters 2024

A growing share of Australian voters have turned away from the major parties in recent years, in hopes of better representation from community independents and others on the crossbench.

This should have been an opportunity for the majors to look in the mirror and reflect on how to better meet Australians’ needs. But it appears they've decided to join forces to change the electoral rules in their favour instead.

To be clear: yes, electoral reforms are sorely needed. We need to ensure our democracy is free from the undue influence of any individual, business or interest group, and that there is transparency over the sources of political funding. At the same time, new rules must not be written and rushed through by the major parties alone.

If the reported reforms are rammed through by Labor and the Coalition, they will create an uneven playing field that will make it harder for independents to campaign fairly and effectively at future elections. Australians deserve better.

In more local news, yesterday my team and I held our third Ageing Well seminar of the year, this time focusing on brain ageing and health. With guest speakers from COTA, NeuRA and Dementia Australia, we discussed the risks and challenges associated with loneliness and social isolation which affects around 1 in 5 older Australians and 1 in 3 of those in residential aged care.

While many of us are aware of the physical health risks while ageing, mental health is deeply important too. Prolonged social isolation is said to have the same health risks as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Fortunately, this is something we can all help to address by spreading awareness of the risks, checking in with those around us and each doing our part to strengthen the communities in which we live. Thank you to all those who joined us yesterday and please save the date for our next seminar, ‘Making Connections’ on 13 March 2025.

It was a pleasure as always to catch up with constituents at last night's online Parliamentary Update, where we discussed what my team and I have been focusing on in Canberra including gambling advertising reform; electoral reform and immigration changes; mis- and dis-information laws; and more. In case you missed it, you can catch up on the recording here.

I'll be back in Canberra over the next two weeks for the final Parliamentary Sitting fortnight of 2024. It's been a huge year but we aren't done yet — stay tuned!

- KT

WHAT'S ON IN NORTH SYDNEY

IN THE NEWS

Running scared: As major parties collude on electoral reform they won’t stop communities demanding better alternatives - Media release, 15 November 2024. Kylea responds to a reported bid by the major parties to rush donation reforms through Parliament before Christmas, which she describes as a cynical attempt at collusion to protect a waning political duopoly. "Quite simply – this is the “legacy political brands” running scared and trying to do everything they can to stop a political evolution."

Australian parliament still unsafe, Mark Butler says - The Guardian, 10 November 2024. The Parliamentary Workplace Support Service's first annual report has uncovered at least 30 alleged instances of serious wrongdoing – including sexual assault and sexual harassment — between 1 October 2023 and 30 June 2024. Kylea is quoted in the article as describing some of her experiences in Parliament House as “condescending”, “aggressive” and “often misogynistic”.

Australia urged to show climate leadership as Trump Administration casts doubt on net zero - The Nightly, 8 November 2024. Britain's High Commissioner to Australia has urged the Government to be as ambitious as possible in setting its 2035 emissions reduction target following the recent election of Donald Trump, who has promised to wind back US emissions-reduction policies. Kylea is quoted in the article as saying: "Australians deserve to know exactly how committed the major parties are to climate action before they go to the poll."

More media mentions here.