Newsletters 2025

It's official: the 47th Parliament of Australia has come to a close. As of May 3, the Federal Seat of North Sydney will be abolished.

The electorate office will be operating in caretaker mode until election day, but if you would like help with a federal agency, please contact your new electorate office in Warringah, Bennelong or Bradfield. Find which electorate you have been reallocated to here.

It has been my absolute honour to serve this community over the past three years. Thank you for entrusting me with your voice and your vote, and for working with me to reinvigorate our democracy.

While I will not be running in the coming election, I urge you to stay politically engaged, make an informed vote at the ballot box, and encourage everyone you know to do the same. Ultimately, our democracy is our responsibility.

I have no doubt that what we have achieved together, as a community, will continue to shape Australian politics in the years to come.

WHERE TO FROM HERE?

All Australian adults (that is anyone over the age on 18 on polling day) will be required to vote in the next Federal Election on May 3. You may find the following resources helpful:

• Find your electorate
• Make sure you are enrolled to vote
• Apply for postal voting
• Investigate parliamentarians’ voting records
• Learn to identify and report election disinformation
• Get involved in the Community Independents Project to continue seeing politics done differently.

Thank you and farewell, North Sydney. Here's to us changing the climate in Canberra.- KT

P.S. Let's stay in touch! I'm on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.

THIS WEEK IN PARLIAMENT

In true North Sydney form, my team and I have continued to make waves in Canberra to the very end.

Given the challenges local businesses have been facing over the past few years, I was pleased to see the $20,000 instant asset write-off pass through parliament following pressure from the crossbench. While I still believe that this is something that should be made permanent, this legislation is long overdue and will provide some much-needed relief to businesses in the short term.

Frustratingly, short-term thinking appears to have also been a theme of this week's Federal Budget, which to me was a pretty unoffensive bread-and-butter budget, with a few sweeteners sprinkled on top. In short, fairy bread.

Little sugar hits like energy rebates, cheaper prescriptions and student debt write-offs will undoubtedly appeal to voters at election time. But where is the long-term reform? Despite all that's been said about the big issues facing our society — issues like women's safety, housing affordability, youth mental health, and the state of our environment — this Budget doesn’t really provide us with much insight into what Labour offers in terms of long-term solutions.

More than one-off electricity discounts, we need to help people invest in solar and batteries, so they can generate and use their own energy. More than simply targeting the small number of homes bought by foreigners each year, we need genuine reform to address the mess of factors that have pushed prices sky high.

The only exception may be the modest tax cuts proposed for those on the lowest incomes. This was particularly interesting given the advocacy that has again been coming from the crossbench, urging both major parties to get serious about tax reform. It may only be a very small green shoot, but at least it is something.

Meanwhile, I was appalled to see Labor join with the Coalition to quietly pass legislation that weakens our environmental laws for the benefit of Macquarie Harbour’s foreign-owned salmon industry in Tasmania.

This legislation bars the Environment Minister from reviewing approvals made more than five years prior, even if the approved activity is found to cause more harm than expected. So not only has the Albanese Government failed to deliver on the EPBC reform recommended by Graeme Samuel in 2020; it has actually taken our nature laws a major step backwards. Shame.

With the election now just 35 days away, it is as important as ever to ensure that as voters, we challenge every candidate asking for our support to explain exactly what they will do to not only pay lip service to our community’s concerns but vote in a way that is consistent with achieving our ambitions. Let's never settle for anything less than authentic representation.

WHAT'S ON IN NORTH SYDNEY

FREE BACKPACKS FOR YOUR COMMUNITY GROUP

IN THE NEWS

ABC Mornings Post-Budget Panel - ABC Radio Mornings, 26 March 2025. Kylea speaks with host Kathryn Robinson and Fowler's Dai Le MP about the 2025 Federal Budget, describing the government's headline-grabbing tax breaks as a "very tiny, very small green shoot" that indicates that Labor may be prepared to begin to consider larger scale tax reform. When asked about the upcoming election, Kylea reiterates her commitment to the community independent movement: "We need everyday Australians stepping up ... to bring their real-life, lived experience into Parliament House, because it's only when you have that experience that you understand the impact that some of these reforms will have."

Rammed environment laws could ‘fast-track extinctions’ - Michael West Media, 25 March 2025. Kylea has opposed the Federal Government's attempts to water down Australia's EPBC Act, which have been rammed through parliament under the cover of the federal budget.

Fairy Bread: A Bread & Butter Budget Sprinkled with Sugar Hits - Media Statement, 26 March 2025. Kylea has described this week's pre-election budget as "fairy bread": a classic bread and butter budget that focuses on the bare basics, lacks ambition, and is sprinkled with a few sugar hits that offer temporary relief for some but no long term, lasting benefits.

$20,000 instant asset write-off passes in Parliament as Coalition promises permanent tax break - Smart Company, 27 March 2025. Small businesses have been left with little support in the Federal Budget, Kylea has said, criticising the government's refusal to extend the Instant Asset Write-off, which will drop from $20,000 in this election year to $1,000 in 2025-26.

More media mentions here.