Integrity & Stage 3 Tax Cuts

Posted by 5sc on February 23, 2024

23 February 2024

It was great to hit the ground running in our first sitting fortnight for the year, with a number of important pieces of legislation being debated, including the lower house passing the Treasury Laws Amendment (Cost of Living Tax Cuts) Bill 2024.

My team and I will be back in Parliament next week and top of the agenda will be reintroducing my private members bill to Stop PEP11 forever. The NSW government has introduced legislation to effectively ban offshore oil and gas from NSW coastal waters, but unfortunately that does not stop PEP11 going ahead in commonwealth waters. Watch out for my next newsletter to learn more.

Zali in Parli

Government must do more to stop domestic violence

Last week I introduced a motion which called for more urgent and effective action against domestic violence. We are in the midst of a national crisis, with one Australian woman a week dying on average. Here in Warringah, local shelters are turning women away as they are at capacity. There is simply not enough urgency from any level of government to deal with this ongoing catastrophe.

I called on the government to urgently do more, including better support for specialist services to help women fleeing domestic violence, reviewing all state criminal sentencing provisions and fully funding proven programs that save lives, such as ‘Staying Home Leaving Violence’.

Stage 3 tax cuts

While there was no shortage of debate on this legislation, I supported the government's revised stage three tax cuts following strong community backing. I want to thank all the people in Warringah who have reached out and provided me with their feedback, more than 80 per cent were in support of the changes. Ultimately these changes will help many people at a time when cost of living is hitting Australians hard. However, I do have concerns over the government’s abrupt policy shift and had hoped they would be more transparent and open in their consultation about this amendment. Transparency and an openness to work collaboratively on key policy decisions is what drives trust in our political system and our national leaders.

Integrity in politics

On the second anniversary of the Set the Standard Report and as a member of the Parliamentary Leadership Taskforce, I was pleased to be able to speak of the progress that has been made with 13 of the 28 recommendations having now been implemented, (six have also been partially implemented and eight are in progress). However, it is important to not be complacent in improving the standards, so I also urged greater urgency in implementing each measure.

Unfortunately, we were reminded of the dire need for this parliamentary workplace reform the very next week when issues of alcohol consumption in parliament became headline news. In response I asked the PM in Question time if he would introduce random alcohol and drug testing for parliamentarians and staff to help deter apparent ongoing issues with too much alcohol.

Other parliamentary activity

In support of small business, I asked the Treasurer if he would extend the instant asset write off and small business energy incentive from June 30 2024, to June 30 2025. Given the financial year is fast coming to an end and the measures proposed in the amended legislation have not yet come into effect, this would give small businesses more time to benefit from these incentives.

In response to Annual Climate Change Statement I urged the government to get braver and more ambitious in tackling climate change.

I was also happy to speak in support of the Australian Research Council Amendment, which will remove political interference from the decisions made about who and what the council funds.

And I welcomed amendments to the Modern Slavery Act which will see the establishment of an Antislavery Commissioner.

To view these speeches and others I gave, go to my Parliament Updates.

Warringah Matters

Seniors Webinar

You’re invited to join us for a special webinar to support Seniors and their families on Tuesday, March 5th, from 1pm to 2pm. Hosted by Zali, and a panel of experts, this event aims to assist seniors and their families in navigating the complexities of ageing support. From aged care to financial planning and health & wellbeing resources, our panel will provide valuable insights and guidance.

Register now to secure your spot and submit your questions in advance.

Can't attend live? No problem! Register anyway to receive a recording of the webinar for future reference. We warmly welcome all family members to join in this informative event.

Grants

Local Sporting Champions - Round 4, 2023-24 (closes 30 April 2024)

The Local Sporting Champions grant provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-18 participating in state, national or international championships. Children can represent their sporting club or their school either individually or in team sports. If successful, individual applicants will receive $500-$750 towards the associated costs of attending their championships, covering travel, accommodation, meals, registration fees, uniforms and other expenses incurred while attending the event. For grant guidelines and an application form, please click here.

Local Para Champions - Round 4, 2023-24 (closes 30 April 2024)

The Local Para Champions program provides financial assistance for coaches, officials and competitors aged 12-24 participating in state, national or international championships for athletes with a disability. If successful, applicants will receive $750-$1000 towards the cost of attending their championships. Guidelines are similar to that of the Local Sporting Champions program and can be found here.

Call for public submissions on proposed Middle Head Development

Do you know there is a proposal by the NSW Education Department to build a new structure to establish an Environmental Education Centre (EEC) at Middle Head?

An EEC is a great idea for our schoolchildren, but the proposal has the centre and associated construction located at the historic Soldiers Institute building. The Soldiers Institute building is in the state-managed Sydney Harbour National Park. This proposal would require clearing of bush and impact the historic nature of the precinct. There are rooms available and needing to be leased in the Sydney Harbour Trust managed properties at 10 Terminal.

The closing date for submissions is Friday 15 March 2024. You can submit your feedback to the NSW Education Department. Please make your voice heard by making a submission here.