Warringah, History is Calling!
11 October 2023
This weekend Australians will vote on whether they support Indigenous Constitutional Recognition, through a Voice to Parliament. And no matter the result, come Sunday morning, Australians will wake up to a new chapter in our history. I’m hoping we will awaken proudly to a country that has united to support a better future for First Nations Australians, and therefore us all.
Warringah for the Voice
We have had such a positive response to the YES23 campaign in Warringah. As we head towards the polls this Saturday, I want to acknowledge and thank the amazing 830+ volunteers who signed-up to support the campaign.
Through this movement, the Warringah Community has again banded together and shown such positivity, respect and care. I am so proud to be your local Member.
Every vote counts!
A record 97.7 per cent of eligible voters are now on the electoral roll, which means that more than 17.5 million people can have their say in this Referendum. If you can’t make it to a booth on Saturday, you can get in early at the below spots in Warringah:
Westfield Warringah Mall Community Room, Level 2 (above the library)
St Matthews Church, 1 Darley Rd, Manly
Mosman Village Church, 144 Raglan St Mosman (St. Clement's)
To vote with the rest of Australia on Saturday, simply head down to your local school, church or community hall as you would on election day. For a full list of voting locations visit: where can I vote.
If in doubt, find out
For a Referendum to be successful, a double majority is required. That is, both a majority of Australians, and four of the six states, must vote in favour of the proposed amendment.
I’m voting Yes because I want to see the First Australians recognised in our Constitution. And by doing this through the Voice to Parliament, we are providing meaningful recognition that will provide practical feedback to the government about policies impacting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
It's a modest, yet powerful proposal that has the potential for real positive change for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and closing the gap. It’s too important to simply dismiss if you are not sure. If you are still in doubt, I encourage you to find out.
Here are some quick links to the Referendum question and the proposed amendment, as well as the design principles of the Voice. And for those who would like to look into the legal implications here are some fact sheets from the Law Council of Australia.
My team have also pulled together some of the common FAQs on my website.
Zali in Parli
Fair Work Legislation
I’ll be back in Canberra next week and the major piece of Legislation scheduled for debate is the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Closing Loopholes). It will touch on four key areas: Addressing the gig economy, making it easier for casual employees to convert to permanent, addressing labour hire and criminalising wage theft. I have sought feedback from a broad cross section of stakeholder groups and would like to hear your feedback as well, you can email me at: [email protected].
Truth in Political Advertising
Like many of you, I have been alarmed by the amount of hateful and harmful misinformation and disinformation that has been shared during the Referendum campaign. But it didn’t have to be that way.
In November last year I re-introduced my "Stop the Lies" Bill (First introduced in 2021), to prohibit misleading or deceptive political advertising in both elections and Referendums. While the Albanese Government agreed my Bill would promote greater integrity by legislating against misleading and deceptive content in political and Referendum advertising, unfortunately, the Government did not act to protect the Referendum. I will retable and keep pushing my Stop the Lies Bill as misinformation and disinformation has run riot during the Referendum.
View all of my Parliament Updates.
I seek to represent the views of Warringah and welcome feedback. My approach to legislation is on my website as is my voting record. Voting Record.
Out & About in Warringah
Green Steel
It was great to meet John Mellowes and Kannappar Mukunthan from Biocarbon and learn about their technology that enables the production of green steel.
Biocarbon, which is based right here in the Northern Beaches, has developed technology that enables the production of zero-emission “green steel” by converting waste into biochar which is then formed into carbon bricks that can be used in steelmaking instead of coking coal.
This means the carbon required for steelmaking is coming from a closed loop source rather than digging it out of the ground. All we need now is the political will to get these projects up and running!
Climate Changers
There was a great turnout for a special screening of Climate Changers at the Orpheum last month, followed by a jammed packed Q&A session with myself, Kylea Tink and the star of the documentary himself, Tim Flannery.
The importance of climate leadership, whether that be on the world stage or closer to home at the community level, was a key theme: when people step-up, change happens. So too was the importance of staying positive, setting goals and keeping up the good fight for change. There is still time to act and keeping up this momentum will ensure that climate action accelerates and grows.
Manly Jazz Festival
It was lovely to see so many people out and about enjoying the Manly Jazz Festival. It’s a huge event on the local calendar and brings a significant number of visitors to the area who then support our local businesses.
I also had the pleasure of meeting with many of you to talk about the Referendum, joined by a great bunch of Warringah for Yes Volunteers as well as the Minister for Indigenous Australians, Linda Burney MP.
Manly House
I recently had the pleasure of visiting and meeting some of the residents and carers at Manly House in North Balgowlah.
Long time Warringah resident, Tom Oates, along with manager Piotr Kulicki, have developed a wonderful model of disability support accommodation, that prioritises people’s need for community and connection. This development allows people with complex disability to remain in the community, close to their friends, family and support.
The findings from the recently released Disability Royal Commission highlight the need for more services like this.
Grants Watch
Individual Capacity Building (ICB) grant opportunity
- Funding of up to $90 million will be available to deliver one-off, time-limited activities for up to three years from July 2024 to June 2027.
- Funding is for activities to support systemic, nationwide access to peer support, mentoring, self-advocacy and other skills building for people with disability, their family and carers. This grant opportunity will assist providers and community groups to deliver tailored information, resources and supports, addressing the needs of all people with disability, their family and carers.
The ICB grant opportunity has opened and closes on 30 November 2023.
To find out more please visit: Current Grant Opportunity View - GO6407: GrantConnect
National Australia Day Council’s (NADC) Australia Day 2024 Community Event Grants
NADC – with the support of the Federal Government – provides funding each year to community groups and councils to support local participation in Australia Day activities.
These events use the NADC’s ‘Reflect. Respect. Celebrate. We’re all part of the story’ branding and aim to be inclusive of all Australians.
In 2024, the grants are open to all councils and state government bodies. Grants are also open to not-for-profit organisations who received a 2023 Community Grant.
The maximum available grant is $15,000. Applications close at 5pm on Tuesday 31 October 2023.
For more information and to apply: Australia Day Community Grants - Australia Day
Community Building Partnership grant
The NSW Government’s Community Building Partnership grant closes on 27th October at 5pm.
It is for infrastructure projects that deliver positive social, environmental and recreational outcomes, while also promoting community participation, inclusion and cohesion. CBP will consider funding requests between $5,000 and $150,000 for projects in NSW involving:
- capital works including construction of new community infrastructure as well as refurbishment, repair and maintenance of existing community infrastructure
- the purchase of freestanding equipment
- the purchase of vehicle(s) such as cars, buses, trucks, trailers, motorised rescue vehicles including boats and any modifications to existing vehicles
- projects that can be completed by 31 August 2025
For key information and to apply, go to: Community Building Partnership 2023 round | NSW Government.
The Newsroom
Australians have a responsibility to participate in the Referendum
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