Newsletters 2024

Happy New Year, North Sydney! I hope you've had an enjoyable summer and are ready for what is already shaping up to be another big year.

You may have seen my team and I out and about some months back, asking people about the issues keeping them up at night. We had hundreds of in-person conversations, and many more via email. From these, we know climate change and costs of living are currently the biggest concerns in our community, and have been working on these as top priorities.

The Stage 3 Tax Cuts — and the Albanese Government's proposed changes — will have a significant impact on household budgets, and will be hotly debated when Parliamentary Sittings resume in February. As always, my position on this issue will be shaped by community feedback. If you haven't already, please let me know what you think of the Stage 3 Tax Cuts here.

I've also been advocating for a stronger emissions reduction target of 75% by 2035, as well as fuel efficiency standards, which have yet to be introduced despite the Government's many promises to do so by Christmas. Australia has the potential to become a renewable energy superpower and lead the way on climate action. We need the right targets in place, so that businesses, consumers and investors to have the confidence and incentives they need to move more quickly towards a zero-emissions future.

Renewable energy not only benefits the climate — it can also help households and businesses save money, and improve air quality in our homes and streets in the long term. Electrification can and will help bring down costs of living. To that end, my team has developed the Powering to Net Zero Energy online guide, to make it simpler and more affordable for North Sydney homes and businesses to take steps toward electrification.

Finally, it was a pleasure to welcome our newest citizens this morning and to see many of you marking Australia Day at the Lane Cove Canopy and Chatswood Concourse. For me, today is a time to reflect on who we are as a nation and, importantly, who we want to be. I look forward to working with you towards the future we want to see.

- KT

WHAT'S ON IN NORTH SYDNEY

POWERING TO NET ZERO ENERGY

AUSTRALIA DAY HONORS

Congratulations to Professor Georgina Long AO and Professor Richard Scolyer AO, who have been jointly named Australians of the Year for their pioneering work at Melonoma Institute Australia in Wollstonecraft!

And a huge congratulations to the following North Sydneysiders who were recognised on the 2024 Australia Day Honours list for their exceptional achievements. Thank you for your contributions to our nation. We are so proud to have you in our community.

IN THE NEWS

Teals demand 75 percent emissions reduction target by 2035 - The Australian, 17 January. “Australia needs to rise to the very real challenges presented by climate change and accept responsibility for the changes we can affect – not just aligning with international benchmarks but helping to drive them further with a bold ambition," Kylea says.

Teal MPs push for 75 per cent emissions cut by 2035 - Sky News, 17 January. Kylea is calling for the government to implement a more ambitious climate target, asserting that it is based on science, Sky News reports. “In Australia we now have a net zero target by 2050, but to be able to achieve that we need to have very clear milestone targets between 2030 and 2050," she says.

Rowdy House: Most-ejected MPs in parliament make no apology - Sydney Morning Herald, 4 January. Media coverage of bad behaviour in Parliament House, including Kylea's view that an independent commission with teeth is needed to enforce standards and impose consequences.

Labor ends year with broken promise as EV policy faces delays - News.com.au, 31 December. “Up until now, at least the government’s been prepared to say: ‘Yes, [fuel efficiency standards] are definitely coming and here’s the timeline’,” Kylea says. “Now there’s no timeline — that really concerns me.”

Opinion: Labor’s broken promise on fuel efficiency - The Saturday Paper, 20 December. Australia’s transport emissions are rising and the chances of the federal government introducing fuel efficiency standards by the end of the year are shrinking by the day, Kylea writes in The Saturday Paper.

More media mentions here.