Kylea shares her week
Week 19: Highlighting serious human rights issues
I’ve had several conversations recently in our community about the latest Human Rights Watch Annual World Report. The report highlights “serious human rights issues” that tarnish Australia’s global standing, including our climate policy and treatment of asylum seekers and refugees.
I found the spotlight on asylum seekers particularly confronting, particularly at a time when Australia was making international headlines for the “Djokovic saga”. Djokovic’s case was fought loudly and publicly. There was court intervention, and eventually Ministerial intervention, before the tennis star was deported. In total, he spent 11 days in Australia, including five nights in immigration detention. People were equally outraged and dismayed.
Sadly, many of the people who arrive in Australia seeking asylum face far worse. Forty people are currently held indefinitely by our government in hotels, without recourse to a just process of review, at a cost of $450,000 per detainee per year. Then there is community detention – where the Biloela family is still facing an uncertain future – and various immigration detention centres in Australia and offshore.
In total, our approach to asylum seekers is estimated to cost taxpayers over $1 billion a year currently, and around $5 billion a year before Manus and Nauru stopped imprisoning detainees. To spend so much just to “punish” so few simply seems completely fiscally irresponsible and without any human capacity for compassion.
Australia needs to reform its immigration laws and what we do know is that this type of reform has only happened in the past when there has been a strong independent cross bench in place to pull the major parties to the table. Let’s be the change we want to see, North Sydney, and bring true leadership back to Canberra.
Recent blog posts
week 23: Cutting vehicle emissions with our new Private Members Bill
December 02, 2022
Earlier this year, in the months before the election, I promised to develop and introduce a Private Member's Bill that would deliver better, cleaner fuel to Australians and reduce pollution from our cars. That Bill was tabled in Parliament this week.
North Sydney's Reducing Vehicle Pollution Bill will bring Australian fuel quality in line with European standards, reducing the levels of sulphur and aromatics that they can contain.
Week 22: The National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill Passes the House
November 25, 2022
With just one sitting week remaining for Parliament in 2022, the past week in Canberra has definitely been full of robust debate, constructive discussion and ultimately some landmark legislative developments.
Week 21: What we're doing to strengthen the Anti-Corruption Bill
November 18, 2022
Our democracy will only ever be as strong as our willingness as citizens to actively contribute to any debate, and just on six months into this role, the capacity for me to truly listen to the many voices of North Sydney as they discuss proposed or needed legislative reform at the national level is without a doubt the most rewarding thing I get to do on a daily basis.
week 20: Speaking out for our community on climate change
November 11, 2022
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Week 19: Getting IR Reforms Right
November 04, 2022
This week, I've been looking at the Government's 'Secure Jobs, Better Pay' Bill, a package of Industrial Relations (IR) changes that was introduced in Parliament in Budget week.
Week 18: What the Budget Means for North Sydney
October 28, 2022
This week, my team and I have been hard at work determining what the newly released Federal Budget means for North Sydney's priorities, and what needs to be done to ensure government initiatives actually deliver the changes that our community wants to see.
Every Friday
Kylea's newsletter hits the inboxes of people right across our electorate of North Sydney. Stay up to date with Kylea's plans and progress as she tells us about her week speaking with people in our community. We'll also highlight the latest community events and initiatives to get involved with.