Simon Kennedy
Cook · Liberal Party · Australia
“Can you guess how long it took Cory to have his injuries accepted? Eight years—eight years of forms, reports, appointments, assessments, delays and uncertainty. Cory, as I mentioned, is president of the Cronulla RSL Sub-Branch.”
“This Albanese government must accept its obligation in return, must explain why veterans are being pushed through repeated reassessments, must explain why veterans are paying out-of-pocket costs for 400 days while waiting for approval and must explain why doctors are being driven away from DVA work.”
“This has to change. I don't want to continue with political point scoring. I want this to flip. If the members across here today and the members watching in their offices right now can take this back to their party room: we want to stop. Let's make this right.”
“A veteran should not be forced through repeated assessments just to keep receiving care. A veteran should not be paying out of pocket while waiting for a government approval.”
“We've announced it and passed it in a budget, and now we're doing the consultation. How backwards is that? We're raising revenue and giving billions of dollars to hydrogen and billions of dollars to billionaires. We're giving $15 billion to the NRF.”
“Luckily, he had a home which he could borrow against, but for those 17 months he had to borrow against his home and he was under constant psychiatric treatment, with no promise that it would ever be reimbursed. This isn't how a grateful country should treat a veteran.”
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“They did what generation after generation of Australians were told to do: work—work harder than your peers—save, be careful, don't go on holidays, and leave yourself secure. Now Labor looks at that lifetime of sacrifice and sees a money pot to be raided. It's a moral failure at the centre of this bill. Labor is turning Australians against one another. They hurt retirees who planned under one set of rules and are now being punished under another. You don't fix a housing crisis by building fewer homes—35,000 fewer, from Labor's own budget papers. You don't help renters by driving investors out of the rental market. Your own budget papers' analysis shows rents will go up. You don't help first home buyers by increasing rents on one side and taxing their invested deposits with new CGT on the other.”
“More importantly, we made many sacrifices in our life to now be forced to give our hard earned money away to the government to supposedly help young people. Why can't we choose which young people we would like to help i.e. family and friends. Why is it being taken from us? I am just writing to you to ask does anyone in politics or in the media champion us? Thank you for reading this email. Hope you can do something to help us in this situation. This letter wasn't from a wealthy caricature. It's not from some political stereotype or a political hack; it's from Australians who worked hard, lived modestly, saved carefully and tried to provide for themselves. They didn't want to live off the government. They didn't want handouts. They're not asking for someone else to pay their way.”
“Will "baby boomers" be blamed when the public hospital system implodes because we can no longer afford to pay for private health insurance? Does anyone in politics or the media champion us? 2.Optional Hotel and Enhanced Living Fees (HELF), charged by Australian aged care providers became subject to 10% GST on November 1, 2025. This was done very quietly by the government. Shame on you. I don't know how Labour ministers sleep at night. Does anyone in politics or the media champion us? I do not want our names or emails identified, we want to remain anonymous. We do not want to be further vilified or considered selfish or the cause of all of Australia's problems. We just want to live out the rest of our life as we envisioned, not a burden on anyone else and self-sufficient.”
“Retirees are being targeted as well as the young….There seems to be so much emphasis on negative gearing but what about capital gains tax changes and the 30% minimum tax on the net capital gain? These are affecting cash-poor retirees, retirees in general and people still working who may be close to retirement. Does anyone in politics or the media champion us? In addition to capital gains tax changes, the government's ageist agenda has also included: 1.A reduction in the higher rebate for seniors which has been justified on intergenerational equity grounds. How ridiculous! My husband and I paid more for private health insurance all our adult life, knowing that we were funding our parents, grandparents and older Australians and one day it would be our turn.”
“We have been trying to sell our land for sometime now but due to escalating building costs, labour shortages etc, it's not selling anytime soon. We have never received any income on this land. We are now in a situation where we must sell by the end of June 2027 June otherwise we may as well give it away. Why does this government keep lying and changing the goal posts and not be held accountable for its despicable decisions? They are ruining people's lives. This government is causing a cataclysmic divide between races, younger and older Australians, rich and poor, workers and retirees, overseas investors and Australian investors, "mum & dad" investors with large portfolios. We used to be a unified country. … Who Is Championing Retirees? There is very much an ageist agenda occurring.”
“As I said previously we worked hard and saved our money and ended up being able to afford a deposit on a house in Sydney and we eventually paid off our block of land. Around 15 years ago we bought a one bedroom unit in Sydney and eventually and paid that off. We recently retired and were so proud of ourselves and happy that our parents would also be proud of us as we felt confident that we would be secure in our "senior" phase of life. Our plan was to sell our land so we could travel, buy a newer car (still second hand of course), help our families and ensure that we could afford to be self-sufficient and look after ourselves in our old age. This dream and feeling of security came to a bitter end when the budget was released.”
“We were encouraged by our parents to work hard, be frugal with our lifestyle, save wages and buy property in order to secure your retirement. We followed that advice and worked six days a week. Sunday was for church, grocery shopping, housework and gardening. We didn't travel overseas, we rarely went out for dinner or had takeaway except on special occasions, we don't do social media or streaming, we don't have gym memberships. Our two cars today are still 1990 models. When we got married we couldn't afford to buy a house in Sydney so we lived with my parents and saved our money. We ended up buying a block of land in Queensland and thought we would build a home there when we could afford it.”
“It's not art. It's not reform. It's dishonest economic vandalism. I want to read a letter from a constituent in my electorate. They asked to remain anonymous when we reached out to them, and I will respect that. But their words deserve to be heard in this parliament because behind this bill are real Australians who have real anxiety and are in real distress. They wrote: We are writing to you in a state of hopelessness and extreme distress. It's a feeling where you feel so trapped and overwhelmed because your future has been turned upside down. My husband and I are "baby boomers". We are part of the group that is now hated, vilified and considered the cause of all of Australia's problems. We didn't have superannuation until it became law on 1st July 1992.”
“It's more at the supermarket, more on your power bills, $32,000 more in mortgages and now up to $80 billion more in tax. This was when the Prime Minister created what he thought would be his great masterpiece and what he would be celebrated for: the CGT backflip and the broken promise on bracket creep. He thought Australia would stand back, clap and admire his pieces. He thought they'd applaud his CGT hike. But art, of course, is in the eye of the beholder, and the Australian public can spot a fake. They can spot a fake in this Prime Minister and his 50 broken promises. They can spot a fake masterpiece. The Prime Minister is out there selling it, carpet bagging from electorate to electorate to electorate. Where the Prime Minister sees a masterpiece with this CGT backflip, Australians see it for what it really is: vomit on a page.”
“Anthony Albanese had some interesting periods of his own. There was the early Sydney Uni period—the young artist flirting with Marxist ideas at Sydney Uni, trying to paint Gough Whitlam as anything other than an economic vandal. Then came his opposition period: broad brushstrokes, soft colours, very little detail and a fair amount of finger painting. He promised that mortgages would come down, power bills would be lower by $275 and life would be easier. Australians were invited to admire the picture long before they were asked to look at the fine print in the paint. Then came his government period. Across this period the colours became a lot darker, the lines harsher and the artistry a little less truthful. Australians started paying more and getting less.”
“It's more tax on people who worked, saved and sacrificed and more tax on the very people who did exactly what governments told them to do: take responsibility, work hard, provide for themselves and their families and then not be a burden on others. At the very heart of this is an untruth said 50 times. I'm not sure how the Prime Minister can have the gall now to look the Australian public in the eyes knowing the heart of that untruth. It's almost artistry by which he does it. And I admire great artists. Picasso was a great painter. Henry Moore was a great sculptor. But Anthony Albanese is a different kind of artist, if you know what I mean. He's an artist of untruths. Picasso had his blue period, his rose period and his Cubist period; Henry returned again and again to his reclining figures through his periods.”
“Then, after the election, the Prime Minister has pulled the rug out from under the feet of Australians and their businesses while breaking a promise he made no fewer than 50 times. If this was such a good idea, why was the Prime Minister not honest about it twelve months ago, on one of those 50 occasions? Why not even give us a hint that there may have been doubt there? I suppose he may have been worried about an election. Well, that's weak, and it's not truthful. The Prime Minister might try and dress this up as fairness, but Australians are starting to understand and see it for what it really is: more tax on incomes, more tax on the next generation than there was on the last, more tax on housing, more tax on savings and more tax on investments.”
“Not only did they not vote for them; the Prime Minister himself promised on more than 50 separate occasions, actually looking at reporters with disdain and distaste when asked if he would touch CGT or negative gearing—condescendingly looking at reporters through the election campaign—saying, 'I could not be any clearer.' This is not just a white untruth; this is a bald-faced untruth. Australians made their decisions in good faith. Families planned retirements in good faith. Young families planned saving for a deposit, buying a house and investing in ETFs in good faith. Small-business owners built their businesses in good faith. Property owners provided rentals in good faith.”
“At the heart of the Liberal Party, we believe not only is that $77 billion more; we believe in putting another $22½ billion more in your pocket through giving you a tax cut every year for the rest of your life, because fundamentally we believe that that money is better decided and used by families, by working individuals and by businesses because you have earnt it. The government is not doing a good enough job with what it's already taking to warrant being given more. Now, what's almost even worse is that no-one voted for these new taxes.”
“In the Labor Party they believe in taxing and taking more of what you earn and redistributing it. Fundamentally, their party believe that that money is better in the government's pocket and not yours, and they know where to put it better than you do. And they're looking for increasing amounts. How much? There has been $77 billion of extra taxpayer revenue taken from households across Australia—ripped out of your bank accounts, ripped off your kitchen tables, ripped out of your small businesses and thrown here in Canberra, for the people in this parliament to decide where that money goes, not where you think it should go.”
“This bill, the Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Bill 2026, goes to the heart of what kind of country Australia wants to be. It also goes to the heart of who these two political parties are. From the Labor Party, what we have heard is that this is a bill to allow workers to keep more of what they earn. Nothing could be further from the truth. The next generation will be taxed far more than my generation ever has been. Every year, there is a tax increase under this Labor government through bracket creep tax. Every single year, inflation takes an increasing amount of taxes from Australian workers. They get poorer every single year, by design—through a built-in tax hike. Under the coalition, by abolishing Labor's bracket creep tax, we will give every taxpayer a tax cut every year for the rest of their lives.”
“The hard part in the Labor government, without asking its citizens, has decided to change the capital gains tax discount, which means the investments we've worked so hard to build and risked so much money on will now only give us half the profit we would have, and is now dragging us further away from having a home to call our own. Please, please, please rectify this … He is begging.”
“I'd just like to take this opportunity to let some of the members across the aisle understand the human face of some of the people this budget is hurting. Recently I heard from Andrew. Andrew is a young family man in my seat of Cook. This is what he wrote: My name's Andrew and I'm writing to you for help … … … … My wife's a nurse and I'm a teacher … He says: Life has been hard for someone in his late 20s to try and build a future for my family, as with many other Australians. Inflation has made it difficult to keep up saving for a house, and my wife and I have been saving, investing, working hard to try and buy a home to call out own.”
“Andrew, a young Australian in his late 20s, trying to build a future for his family, wrote this to me: My name's Andrew and I'm Writing to you as help as an Australian citizen, Tax payer and Public servant. Life has been hard for someone in his late 20s to try and build a future for my family as with many other Australians. Inflation has made it difficult to keep up with saving for a house and my wife and I have been saving, investing, working hard to try and build a home and call our own. Do you have a message for Andrew?”
“This is about people like Lyn, who worked hard, saved, renovated, took risks, dealt with the damage, dealt with the debt and tried to build a retirement that would keep them off the government pension. Labor is punishing aspiration. It's punishing people who provide homes for renters, and, worst of all, it's doing so after promising to not do exactly this thing just 12 months ago. If it was such a good idea, why would you purposefully mislead the public about it just 12 months ago? You don't fix a housing crisis by attacking people who provide rental homes. You don't fix a housing crisis when your very own budget papers say that this policy will lead to 35,000 fewer homes.”
“It hasn't been a walk in the park with savings, renovating, managing, putting up with good tenants turning bad causing thousands of dollars of damage which we could not have endured if it wasn't for negative gearing. Now we have retired our plan was to sell something to help while retaining a couple which would help us from requiring the pension and provide much needed homes for renters. Our portfolio is not a multimillion dollar empire that was achieved without blood sweat and tears. The banks still own a major portion too. We worked hard for this and believe that Labor is going to ruin us. This is the human impact of Labor's housing tax. This is not about some caricature of wealthy property barons.”
“This government doesn't want to hear these stories because these stories expose the truth. Labor's budget is not about hitting a political stereotype. It's about hurting real people in real households around real kitchen tables. Their stories say more about this budget than any speech from the Treasurer ever could. I recently heard from Lyn in my electorate. I want to read her words on the record. She wrote: I'm wondering if you have any ideas how we can object to the Labor Party's new budget regarding property investment? It's totally unfair to bring these changes in against their election promises and to punish us for our hard work to buy and retain these investments.”
“Behind every so-called reform is someone who made decisions in good faith, built a plan for themselves and often for their families. They tried to get ahead and are now being told by the government 'we're going to tax future wealth'. Labor wants to talk about fairness. Well, let's talk about fairness. Is it fair to tell a young nurse or teacher that the taxes on the investments they built for their first home deposit are now being doubled? Is it fair to tell a retiree who spent decades saving and renovating their plan to stay off pensions that it's now under threat? Is it fair to tell Australians before the election that there would be no new taxes, and then, after the election, hit them with taxes on housing, savings and small business, and income taxes through bracket creep?”
“Unfortunately, this budget is an assault on aspiration, and the Prime Minister has never seen an aspiration he didn't want to crush. I wonder whether the Prime Minister and the Treasurer actually want to hear from the Australians affected by the budget—not the spin, not the slogans, not the carefully chosen lines from a Treasurer's presser but the real stories from people who are paying the price, who did everything right, who played by the rules, who worked incredibly hard to get ahead and who are having the rug pulled out from under them. Many of them are younger Australians who will be taxed far more than my generation and far more than generations that came before them. Behind every one of these Labor tax changes is an Australian who worked, who saved, who sacrificed and who invested.”
“I'm sick of these complaints and emails coming into my inbox and having nothing to show for it. Well, this stops now. We've got a petition to get the Sutherland shire the infrastructure they deserve, and I won't stop fighting until we deliver that outcome.”
“Most importantly, we want to see how this will be physically delivered, developed, scrutinised and put into action—so we are calling for more scrutiny on this bill. Given the government's record on 3G and triple zero, due diligence on this isn't optional; it's essential. The coalition has a proud track record on telecommunications. We've invested in regional connectivity and backing programs that deliver practical improvements on the ground, but we realise some of these issues have existed for a long time. So let's work together bipartisanly; I offer that, and I'm willing to do that in the Sutherland shire, but I need to see a plan for how we're going to give the people of the Sutherland shire the infrastructure they deserve. They're sick of being screwed over, and I'm sick of them being screwed over.”
“Why is it that Western Sydney gets light rail? Why is it that Western Sydney gets school after school? Why is it getting WestConnex? Where's 'SouthConnex'? Why are we cut off from the rest of the city? There might be passports on the bridge when you get down there. We might not always like everyone coming to visit, but I'll tell you what: we're building enough houses for them. And if we're building the houses for them, we should be getting the infrastructure for them too. There is some structural reform in this bill, and structural reform of this scale warrants comprehensive parliamentary examination before it's locked into law. We want to make sure the definitions, the enforcement mechanisms, the spectrum allocation, the pricing implications and the device compatibility all get the detailed interrogation they deserve.”
“You can't find a park anywhere around Sutherland shire hospital. We're doing the heavy lifting. We are the unsung heroes of Sydney. We don't complain. We don't kick up a fuss but we are sick of being taken for granted. I'm sick of receiving these emails and having nothing to show for it. I'm going to fight for the people in my electorate. I'm going to fight the federal Labor government, I'm going to fight the state Labor government and I'm going to fight the Labor aligned local council to see us get the infrastructure we deserve. It starts with mobile phone towers, but it doesn't end there; we'll look to schools, we'll look to roads and we'll look to parking. We can't just keep having endless amounts of population growth with no infrastructure to show for it. Why is it that Western Sydney gets a metro?”
“Senate inquiries have exposed troubling governance and shortcomings and highlighted the gaps in oversight and governance. We had the tragic loss of two Australians following device incompatibility issues. This underscores the seriousness of communication failures. This is even more serious than device incompatibility. It doesn't matter if you have a device if you can't get access at all. Australians can't afford another botched rollout, and people in the Sutherland shire can't either. We need assurances from this government that systems will be put in place that won't leave Australians with older handsets left behind and won't leave residents in the Sutherland shire behind. We're doing the heavy lifting on population. We met our targets. We're densifying. You can't find a park anywhere around Cronulla.”
“Let's start with fixing these mobile phone towers and black spots on one of the busiest lines in the busiest city in one of the best countries in the world. Let's fix them in Kirrawee, Miranda and Lilli Pilli, and let's invest in the infrastructure my people deserve. If we look at the full bill itself, there are some good things. But we need to start thinking about the triple zero consequences and failure. This communications policy isn't theoretical. We've already seen what happens when people try to call triple zero and it doesn't connect. If you've got no phone reception, it can't connect. The recent history of triple zero is showing that newly emerging device compatibility issues have shaken public confidence in the system.”
“We can't even get phone reception, and we just want to chuck in 4,300 apartments without any new infrastructure, new roads or new schools? They don't even plan to build a school. Well, Cronulla High School and Kurnell Public School have fallen demountables already. Where are these people going to go? Stop screwing the Sutherland Shire. I've had enough of it. The citizens of the Sutherland Shire have had enough of it, and we're going to stand up. We can't have all of this development if we don't get the infrastructure. The Sutherland Shire has been overlooked for far too long. We've got a Labor federal government, a Labor state government and a Labor aligned council. We need these people to stick up. These should be bipartisan issues. I'm willing to work with them. I'm willing to put the partisan attacks away if we can see a plan.”
“Why are we getting screwed with mobile phone black spots and insufficient school infrastructure? The roads are a disaster. They're building the M4 and stopping it before it hits the Sutherland Shire. It's got a sinkhole. They're not extending that. There are no new road upgrades. I see Premier Minns is now looking at putting 4,300 apartments in Kurnell. It's got one road in and one road out—no public transport—and the phone reception there can be terrible. You drive to Kurnell, and you lose the signal every single time. This isn't some far-flung back heap of Australia. This is the place where the meeting of two cultures first occurred. It's where Captain Cook landed. This should be as important as the Opera House and as Bennelong and should be celebrated as much.”
“We're one of the few local councils that increases our housing targets. We're taking all these extra people, in part because of these reckless immigration policies. But we're getting screwed on the infrastructure while Western Sydney is getting train lines, metros, light rails, new schools and budgets. I walk around my electorate. I go and visit all the schools. I'm watching kids using demountable toilets without toilet rolls. I can't find a primary school where they can fit the whole school in any of the halls. There are still school rooms without air conditioning in the Sutherland Shire. There's mould in some of these primary schools that I'm seeing. There are demountable buildings everywhere, and we're overshooting our housing targets. Why are we getting screwed on infrastructure?”
“I hope it's fine and safe, but you shudder to think of what would happen if there were serious injuries or a serious incident there. It doesn't even have to be that. It could be someone experiencing a heart attack or heart difficulty. It could be some random occurrence. What could happen on these train lines where people are left flailing without assistance is limitless. This is a First World country, and it's the biggest city in the country. It's one of the premier cities in the world, and we don't have phone reception? It beggars belief. I'm sick of the Sutherland Shire being screwed by governments—the Labor federal government, the Labor state government and the Labor aligned Sutherland Shire Council. We've had enough. We overshot our housing targets last term. The Sutherland Shire has increased the amount of housing.”
“We have residents there who have completely no phone reception. Again, I have written to Telstra, and Telstra has been found wanting, so it's time for government to step up. My message is to both Telstra and the Labor government. Telstra, you must fix these black spots. We will not stop until you fix the black spots along the T4 line, around Kirrawee station, around Miranda station and down at Lilli Pilli near the national park. If you don't, I will fight for this Labor government to force you to fix these areas, because this isn't a fringe concern. You can't tell me there's a cost-benefit analysis that doesn't make sense when up to 400,000 people are using that line. That's four times the size of Accor Stadium. They're on that train every single day.”
“Even worse, it's a train line. Let's think about this from a safety perspective. It's in the middle of Sydney. How can Telstra, Vodafone and the other providers allow this to happen in Australia's largest city? It's meant to be one of the premier cities in the world, and we have a black spot for one of our busiest train lines in the country. This has to stop. We've written to Telstra and we've written to Vodafone, and I will keep fighting for my constituents. We will not stop until we get services on this T4 line and we fix the black spots in Kirrawee and Miranda. I also have constituents in Lilli Pilli, where it faces the national park, writing to me. This is a high bushfire danger zone in Sydney where they don't have mobile phone reception. This area has been subject to bushfires in the past.”
“… … … I moved to a villa in May 2022 and immediately noticed that I had very limited mobile service with Telstra. One bar if I am lucky. I raised my concerns with Telstra and the ombudsman, with no remedy unless I want to install an expensive antenna, as it is a strata complex this would be extra difficult to get approval for. I had to upgrade my mobile phone to one that I could get calls through WI FI. This has solved the problem as long as there is no outage with the NBN or power. I work at home 3 days a week, when there is a power outage I am completely cut off from my colleagues. A number of my neighbours are elderly and they are very concerned that in an emergency, it could be difficult to call someone. This is a line in an area with over 400,000 passengers per day. Think about the lost productivity of these people.”
“Here is another email from a constituent who wrote to me about what it was like in Cronulla: I am not sure if this is in your remit, however train passengers from Cronulla to Sutherland suffer phone and internet blackspots at Woolooware tunnel, Kirrawee station (complete lack of any connectivity) and, if they go further, the Jannali cutting and of course, the complete technology blackout underground from Sydenham. That's before they leave home at Cronulla where calls go straight to voicemail and you can't get decent internet connection especially around 3pm in the afternoon. Is there any pressure that can be put on providers to upgrade their technology to a first world offering? Any support or suggestions you can provide would be appreciated. Here is another one in Kirrawee: I raised my concerns about the phone reception at my home.”
“I am sure we have all personally experienced what happens when a residential person calls a telco— So the solution needs to be from government. The constituent goes on to say: Hopefully there is a near future state where we can all work together to solve problems rather than ignore them—or put the work back onto the customer to drive a solution. As a suggestion, perhaps you can engage with the telcos yourself to apply pressure for the changes required; a regulatory solution on minimum standards could also be the answer.”
“For further enquiries about your cellular connectivity, it is best that you reach out directly to your service provider and ask what changes may be made in the area to their infrastructure. We reached out to both Telstra and Vodafone, and here is what the constituent had to say to me in response to both this and their responses: What a disappointing non-response; I really did expect to hear that someone in your organisation would care about the connectivity concerns and productivity of the customers of the T4 line—and would have plans to remediate the issue. Please escalate this further up your management chain as a matter of high importance to your customers. I have copied in my local federal and state member so that they are aware of your response as I had previously asked the question of both of them.”
“Here is an email to Transport NSW that I was copied in on by a constituent, and this is what Transport NSW had to say: Thank you for your feedback regarding the internet and phone connectivity along the T4 line from Cronulla to Martin Place. I understand how important it is for many to have Wi-Fi access while travelling, and I am sorry for the frustration it may cause As you can appreciate, Wi-Fi relies on mobile reception to provide a consistent connection. There are currently a number of blackspots along the Blue Mountains and South Coast lines. Please also be advised that there are no immediate plans to introduce Wi-Fi on trains, however your feedback has been forwarded to our service planning area for future consideration.”
“Again, this is not some far-flung, regional line. This is a line that services 410,000 customers per day, or one-third of Sydney Trains' customers. Rail patronage on the T4 line grew by 17 per cent, meaning they were operating at or above capacity. The T4 line is the most crowded line on the rail network during the morning peak, with passenger loads averaging 144 per cent of seated capacity and 75 per cent of services operating above target capacity. Here we have a line that is flat-chat full. Let me read you some of the correspondence I have had about this line. Starting in Cronulla, it is also the line at Sutherland, going all the way into the city.”
“In the 21st century in Australia, reliable phone coverage is not a lifestyle extra. It's not a consumer perk. It's foundational national infrastructure. It underpins our relationships, our families, our businesses and even our safety. Phone coverage isn't just an issue in far-out regional areas. In Sydney, in the seat of Cook, we face this all the time. Constituents are continually raising concerns about persistent mobile black spots and poor reception, including in the Miranda region, which includes one of the largest Westfields in Sydney. We're not talking about an area in some remote, far-flung part of Australia, which also should demand good coverage. We are talking about Sydney. It's not a minor inconvenience. I'd like to read some of the feedback I am getting from constituents about this, particularly about the T4 line.”
“He's truly a wonderful bloke, and he's doing some incredible things. On 31 July 2026, Simmo is helping to lead an effort to break a nationwide record by having the most blood donations in a single day by one team. This follows the Bloody Good Tour, an adventure led by Simmo, who went all the way round Australia visiting every Lifeblood donor centre in the country and donated plasma every two weeks. I'll be donating blood and plasma with Simmo as part of this effort, and I encourage every person in Australia and everyone in the Sutherland Shire who's able to donate to do so. This small action truly saves lives.”
“I want to recognise Stef Allen from Kingsway Care and the contribution being made locally, particularly around housing, but also her passion for supporting men and working on prevention. These organisations do difficult work. They deal with trauma, fear and crisis. They hear stories that most people never hear. They deal with people when they are at their most vulnerable. They carry the weight of helping others through danger and uncertainty. We're going to work together with them and at all three levels of government—local, state and federal—to do what we can do in our little patch in the Sutherland Shire to improve domestic violence services. I want to recognise Simmo Braun, a dedicated father of three and committed blood donor and wellness advocate. I recently donated blood with Simmo at the Shire donor centre.”
“I want to thank Tina Demetriou from ACOSS and the broader advocacy that helps connect local experience with policy changes for the work they're doing on prevention. I recognise Graeme O'Connor and Interrelate for their work with families in the Sutherland Shire. I'd also like to acknowledge the Sutherland Shire Police Area Command, who've participated in these roundtables; as well as the member for Miranda, Eleni Petinos, who brought great perspectives on how we can help from the state government. I want to recognise two local councillors: Jen Armstrong, who has done a great job on council in helping raise this; and Jo Nicholls, who's also doing a great job trying to find council assets so we can have a one-stop shop in the Sutherland Shire.”
“I want to thank Sheldon Korneluk and all the other local practitioners who support victims-survivors through difficult legal pathways. They do a very important job. For many people leaving violence, legal support can be critical, particularly when safety, parenting, housing and financial pressures all collide. I recognise Liza Barlow from the St Vincent de Paul Society. Vinnies has a proud tradition of meeting people with dignity, not judgement, and helping with practical pressures—especially domestic violence victims in the Sutherland Shire. I acknowledge Bernadette Hoy and Elizabeth O'Neill from Orana. Orana's work recognises that safety is not only about leaving a violent situation; it's about recovery, housing, confidence, financial security and children's wellbeing.”
“In these discussions, we prioritised four areas we want to work on improving in the Sutherland Shire: housing for domestic violence victims, prevention among school students and troubled men, gaps in local services and creating a one-stop shop. I want to acknowledge Vicki Sherry and the team at Hopefield for the care they provide to local families facing hardship and crisis, particularly domestic violence victims and survivors. It's long been part of the fabric of the community, offering compassionate support. I want to thank Mark Soper from the Salvation Army. The Salvos are often there when people have nowhere else to go, providing emergency relief and connection and helping numbers of domestic violence survivors.”
“Tonight I want to recognise the frontline domestic and family violence service workers in the seat of Cook. It's notable that domestic violence often peaks around sporting events. Tonight we have the State of Origin, and I hope the Blues get up. But we need to keep in mind that these are some of the nights that have domestic violence peaking and that have our police being called out. To the men out there, take responsibility tonight. To the women out there, we think of you and this is not acceptable. Recently in the Sutherland Shire we hosted constructive roundtables with local services, practitioners and advocates. It was co-hosted by the Family Co.'s CEO Ashley Daines; their acting CEOs, Michelle Fairweather and Michelle Long; and Belinda Harrison.”
“Right now, a participant or their support team, including the plan managers, can ask for a plan reassessment if they believe the person's needs have changed. Unfortunately, we're seeing this power misused by some bad actors who are just out to skim additional funds from participants, often for services never provided. The changes in this bill will restrict who can ask for plan reassessments to a person's plan nominee or their guardian—this is sensible—and these will only be considered where there has been a significant or ongoing change in a participant's functional capacity. This will ensure that a participant or their trusted nominees or guardians remain in control of their needs. That part of the reform Lachlan and his family will welcome. But we must not forget who the plan was intended for.”