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.”
The complete record
Every one of 433 lines we hold for Simon Kennedy, in date order, each linked to its source. Free to read, in full, without an account. Page 5 of 9.
“In this cost-of-living crunch, a future superannuation tax offset does not relieve everyday Australians struggling to make ends meet, struggling to pay school fees and struggling to pay electricity bills. Renters don't benefit from the home battery program or this long-term superannuation tax offset. They need relief here and now. If the government is serious about households, it must tackle inflation at its source—tackle excessive government spending that's increasing demand, increasing inflation, increasing interest rates and crushing Australians. The experience Australians have had over recent years has been sobering. We were told inflation was under control. It wasn't. We were told relief was around the corner. It wasn't. We were told life would be easier.”
“Similarly, Australians receiving total and permanent disability benefits rely on superannuation not as an abstract investment vehicle but as a lifeline. Changes that increase volatility or reduce the predictability carry human consequences. These are disabled Australians and mourning spouses who are struggling to continue on with their lives. The government points to adjustments to the low-income superannuation tax offset as evidence of balance, and we welcome that. Any measure that supports low-income Australians building retirement savings is welcome, particularly in this cost-of-living crisis, but these adjustments do not fix the cost-of-living crisis. They don't lower mortgage repayments. They don't ease electricity prices.”
“They accepted the GST when we took it to an election. We debated it out in the open. We had the to-and-fro. It's been a very big success when it's principled, predictable and properly consulted on, but what Australians won't accept is retrospective tinkering, ad hoc structural shifts and ideological experimentation dressed up as some modest adjustment. These bills raise additional structural concerns that deserve further scrutiny. The removal of the longstanding protections around the death benefit taxation introduces new uncertainty for families at precisely the moment they are at the most vulnerable, when they lose a loved one. When a mourning spouse is adjusting to loss, the last thing they need to confront is added tax complexity or instability on their retirement income base.”
“Rather than restoring fiscal discipline, rather than making tough choices on prioritising programs, attacking rorting or waste in the NDIS or attacking large grant programs, like the HAFF program—the housing fund building 900 houses with $11 billion—rather than actually going after these big buckets of money, we are instead attacking Australians' retirement savings income. Spend first, tax later. This is pattern behaviour, not reform. Taxation trust is central. You have Australians, you have businesses and you have international investors making decisions based on trust. When they are allocating capital to superannuation, which is often over many decades, they are doing this believing that it will not be taxed differently retrospectively. This initial piece of legislation was violating that trust. Australians will accept change.”
“This abstract figure is the highest percentage of federal government spending in 40 years outside of the pandemic. In 40 years, outside of the pandemic, spending has never been higher than today. The only day at risk of being higher than today is tomorrow, because it is not forecast to come down. This structural spending growth is running far ahead of our sustainable economic growth. When governments expand their spending commitments without corresponding reform, we get inflation—persistent inflation. When we get inflation, we get higher interest rates. When we get higher interest rates, Australians get poorer. That is the cycle we are living through right now—increased government spending, increased inflation, increased interest rates, Australians getting poorer—and we are rinsing and repeating that cycle.”
“Instead of attacking Ken Henry's reforms—of which there are many—we've got this cash grab. This isn't a fringe concern. Industry analysis suggested the impact could expand well beyond the narrow cohort initially described. People were projecting that, in 30 years, up to 50 per cent of the population could be captured by it. We know many small-business owners legitimately hold assets within superannuation structures. For them, it wasn't theoretical. This was about real questions. It was about valuation, volatility, liquidity and compliance risk. Beyond the design flaws, there is a deeper flaw at play. Australia doesn't have a revenue crisis that we need to fix with more taxation; it has a spending discipline crisis. Right now spending as a percentage of GDP is 26.9 per cent. What does this abstract figure mean?”
“These are nest eggs built over decades, through overtime shifts, small-business people taking risks, delayed holidays and disciplined saving. The bar for legitimacy in retirement income policy must be higher. Prominent Labor figures criticised this proposal. Paul Keating—Labor royalty—was critical of this. Graham Richardson was critical of this. And it was not just him. Ken Henry was critical of this. Ken Henry has done thorough work on taxation. It sits on the shelf, gathering dust—actual, real taxation reform that could make this economy more competitive and that could see the speed limit lifted on this economy. Right now, this economy is unable to grow any faster than two per cent per annum, and, when it does, you get poorer through inflation because we don't have that structural reform.”
“We've got a government addicted to spending and, like all addicts, they keep this poor pattern behaviour going. What is next? Is it CGT discounts that aren't being taken to the Australian people and are being snuck in? Is it carbon taxes? Is it cash flow taxes? What is coming next? Every Australian should worry, because we're going through a cost-of-living crisis where disposable income is getting stripped away. The average family is paying $21,000 more on a mortgage since Labor came to office. On top of that, the money you have left over—that increasingly small bundle of money you have left over that's being eroded away by inflation—is the target of further taxes. Australians are, rightly, protective of their retirement savings.”
“The Henry tax review has a lot of fantastic ideas that have never been implemented. This government reached into its bag of tricks and pulled this out because what this really is is a revenue measure—how do we get more money?—and it collapsed under scrutiny. At the last election, Australians were not told that our longstanding superannuation tax settings would be fundamentally redesigned and disrupted. They were not told unrealised gains could be brought into the taxation system. They were not told indexation would be stripped away from superannuation balances. Major structural taxation changes such as this should be transparently taken to the Australian people so they can make informed decisions. They should be debated openly, and they should be consulted on thoroughly. My worry is that this is pattern behaviour.”
“It's a government addicted to bracket creep. We had it in superannuation and we have it in income tax. That is the reason 42 per cent of Australia's taxation revenue comes from income tax. The OECD average is just 23 per cent. We have a tax on Australian aspiration. When Australians work more, this government taxes more. On this side of the House, when Australians work more, we want them to get more. You should be rewarded. The more effort you put in, the more you take out. This wasn't accidental. This flawed policy design was a deliberate attempt to expand the tax base over time. But this government's backdown demonstrates something important. This wasn't settled policy grounded in principle or grounded in the Henry tax review. This didn't even mention the Henry tax review.”
“There may be some, but I've looked high and far and I can't find one. More concerning than that was the refusal to index the $3 million limit. Inflation has been above the band for this government's entire time in office. The Reserve Bank is forecasting it to be above the band for this entire term, which will make it six years above the inflationary band. In an inflationary environment, failing to index thresholds is not neutral; it's a silent tax increase every single year. That's what they were doing. They were baking in an annual tax increase that was a little bit sneaky. Over time, more and more Australians would have been captured, not because they were wealthier but because inflation devalued that threshold. This is bracket creep by design. That's another thing we have with this Treasurer and this government.”
“Treasurer Chalmers wanted to upend this principle and our entire taxation system. The government's initial plan was to tax unrealised gains—paper increases in asset values. This would have torn at the very foundation of our taxation system, particularly in very volatile asset classes such as venture capital, farms or, in the right environment, even housing. Taxing paper gains is a complete structural shift. It creates liquidity pressures where people have to keep a certain amount of the fund in cash and it introduces artificial volatility. Once that precedent is set in one part of the system, there's a danger and a risk that every Australian should be alive to: what unrealised gain are they going to come after next? It's a very dangerous path. I don't know of another Western nation that does it.”
“What began as a somewhat bold attempt to fundamentally rewrite longstanding tax principles has been scaled back and has collapsed under pressure—pressure from the coalition, pressure from the superannuation sector, pressure from small-business owners and pressure from everyday Australians, who instinctively understood that something stunk about this proposal. The government has retreated, and this retreat tells its own story. The original design of this proposal was anything but modest. It was not incremental. It represented a fundamental break with how Australia has approached taxation over the last 100 years. For 100 years or more, Australians understood a simple principle: you pay tax when you recognise income. When a gain is crystallised, when you actually have that cash in your hand, you pay tax on it.”
“Let's be clear on what this debate on the Treasury Laws Amendment (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Bill 2026 and the Superannuation (Building a Stronger and Fairer Super System) Imposition Bill 2026 is really about. This isn't a narrow, technical adjustment to superannuation settings. This is not a small tweak of superannuation. This is a question of trust with the Australian people. It's a test of principle. It's a test of whether this government really believes retirement savings belong to Australians, everyday Australians, or whether it believes they're simply another revenue source to be mined and to be taxed. Over recent months, Australians have watched this piece of legislation and this proposal unravel.”
“Childcare costs have gone up 11 per cent in the past year. Energy prices have gone up 32 per cent alone in the last year and over 40 per cent since Labor came to office. Groceries remain elevated. Insurance remains going up as well. Even still, this treasurer is spending more and more and more. Government spending is not predicted to go down next year; it will continue to increase. So, if Australians are tightening their belts, if the mother in Sans Souci is tightening her belt, the Treasurer must do the same and start reducing government spending.”
“She got a bargain basement loan in COVID, but after 13 interest rate rises, an average of $21,000 a year more, she's had to give it up in tears thinking about that money she's worked for and put away in the bank that is now evaporating away. When fiscal policy is expansionary while the economy is operating at near capacity, monetary policy—interest rates—must tighten further. The Reserve Bank recently said two per cent economic growth is the speed limit for our economy. Any economic growth above that just pushes inflation. Well, we are growing at two per cent, so every time this government increases government spending, you pay more at home. Your money becomes worth less. The prices of everything go up, and you get left footing the bill. And haven't the prices of everything gone up?”
“Inflation was 3.8 per cent in January, but guess what? Domestic inflation, the homegrown inflation, is running at 4.9 per cent. This is the highest of any developed economy in the world. Why is Australia so different? Why are we different from the USA? Why are we different from the EU? Why are we different from Japan and all these other advanced economies? It's because of the government spending. It's because of Jim, 'Jimflation' and the government spending. Recently I sat down with a single mother in Sans Souci. After 13 interest rates, she could no longer afford to pay the mortgage in her unit in Sans Souci. She has lost the deposit. It's eaten away.”
“He likes to talk about private and public demand and saying private demand has been stronger than public demand. But what do these weasel words obscure? He does not talk about government spending, because in private demand it contains mountains of government spending—NDIS payments, health payments, social security transfers, energy rebates and battery payments. All this government spending shows up in private demand. This is why we have the Treasurer obscuring the fact, talking about private demand, because he thinks he's fooling the Australian people that it is not about government spending. There are mountains of government spending in that private demand. That presentation of the facts obscures the fact we have the highest government spending in 40 years today, outside of the pandemic.”
“KPMG's chief economist recently said: Government spending, which has been adding to aggregate demand … needs to … be reined in to help better balance the demand and supply pressures driving the current push up in inflation. EY's chief economist has warned that elevated government spending could contribute to more rate rises this year. The RBA's own forecasts are banking in at least another two rate rises. We've had 13 rate rises under this Labor government, and recently the Reserve Bank's own governor, Michele Bullock, acknowledged that government spending is adding to inflationary pressure and, when this inflationary pressure persists, the Reserve Bank must push up interest rates. The Treasurer tries to hide and obscure this fact with weasel words.”
“Those on the other side want to talk about reckless spending. Right now, under this Treasurer, public spending as a percentage of GDP is the highest it's been in 40 years outside the pandemic. It's easy to talk in abstractions—percentages of GDP, aggregate demand, fiscal settings. But what does it all mean? It means $21,000 a year more in interest to the average household on their mortgage. It means we're paying $50,000 a minute—every single minute. In the time I will take to do this speech, that's $250,000 to the government debt just on interest alone. The Treasurer's own budget papers show around $50 billion in additional discretionary spending this financial year alone. Economists are clear about what this means.”
“We need this Labor government to copy the former Liberal government's black spot program and start filling the black spots in Kirrawee, Cronulla and that line. Reform must be grounded in technical realism, economic responsibility and rigorous oversight. I support the intention of this bill. It is good legislation, and we do need to close these mobile blackspots, but the devil will be in the detail and in the implementation. Australians and residents of the Sutherland Shire should not have to put up with blackspots as they go from their train to their work in the middle of downtown Sydney.”
“We're drawing the line in the sand now and we will say, 'No more.' The coalition believes in expanding connectivity and embracing these new technologies that can close these longstanding service gaps for the residents of Lilli Pilli, the residents of Kirrawee and the commuters of those train lines. The coalition have an enviable record of investing in regional connectivity because we've led it. Labor cannot hold a candle to our record on investing in regional connectivity. We've backed programs that deliver practical improvements on the ground in regions and in the metros. This is why the coalition spearheaded the Mobile Black Spot Program, a program that worked across all the electorates in Australia, laser focused on improving mobile black spots. We need to resuscitate that program. We need another program.”
“We actually have declining productivity in housing. It's going backwards despite all the technology. Despite AI, automation and robots, somehow our construction industry is going backwards. Well, let's learn from the telecommunications industry now. Sadly, we have had this construction malaise starting to reinfect the telecommunications industry. I wrote to the telecommunications minister asking for help for my constituents in urban Sydney trying to get to work while trying to use their mobile phones and being unable to do so in Australia's most populous city. In one of the biggest, busiest and most advanced cities in the world, they cannot access mobile phone reception in metro Sydney. It's disgraceful and we've had enough.”
“It's essential that any new telecommunications obligation strengthens market competition rather than inadvertently consolidating power in the hands of a few. Telecommunications deregulation has been one of the successes of this country. Taking Telstra and telecommunications services out of government hands and putting them into the private sector has meant they can innovate. They can innovate new technologies like Starlink and the iPhone. We should take the example of the telecommunications industry and apply it to other areas of essential infrastructure, such as housing and transport. We have seen numerous advances in telecommunications and what you can do on a mobile phone today. But when we look at these other industries dominated by government regulation, be it housing, roads or public transport, we have little innovation.”
“There have been 13 interest rate repayment rises for her household, and it's putting pressure on her telecommunications bill. It's putting pressure on her trying to own the latest device. It's not just constituents in Sans Souci and my electorate who are facing this. Regional Australians already also face higher service costs and fewer competitive options. A universal service obligation must not translate into higher bills for those it's intended to support and never more so than in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis where mortgages are going through the roof, energy prices are going through the roof and, as inflation ravages the household budget, the cost of everything is going up, while wages remain stagnant.”
“The recent history of triple zero outages, where there were deaths, sadly, and emerging device compatibility issues have shaken public confidence in this government and in this system. There should be no tolerance for error when it comes to emergency services connectivity. Australians expect that much, and it is just that they do. Telecommunications affordability continues to remain critical. In a cost-of-living crisis, as people are struggling to make ends meet, we've had an interest rate rise and we're facing many more. We know the RBA is planning in their modelling for at least two or three more interest rate rises, heaping pressure on households in my electorate. Just recently I met a mother in Sans Souci who had to give up her house because she could not keep up with the interest rate repayments.”
“Australians will continue to pay higher interest rates; they will continue to lose money to inflation as prices of goods go higher than their wages; and, importantly, they will continue to have a slower than needed rollout of telecommunications infrastructure. The outdoor coverage obligation is only meaningful if Australia's devices can connect to the promised service. A reform that functions for only the latest high-end smartphones would undermine the very principle of equitable access it claims to provide. We saw what happened with the 3G shutdown. Hundreds of devices were incompatible. Australians discovered these problems only after the services stopped working. Businesses were disrupted. Consumers faced unplanned upgrades. Emergency access must never depend on owning a new device, and it must never catch consumers by surprise.”
“If we're serious about improving coverage, we must address not only technology but also the regulatory barriers that slow down infrastructure. We must deregulate this economy. We must deregulate infrastructure, housing and telecommunications and improve the productivity of this country. Right now we have a GDP cap of about two per cent. For any growth over two per cent, we will see inflation. This is why homeowners right across Australia, right across the Sutherland Shire, are facing inflation and facing interest rate rises—because we have this productivity cap. Unless we go on a red tape and deregulation busting mission, we will continue to have this cap on our economy.”
“Direct-to-satellite services offer enormous potential to reduce coverage gaps across the country in regional areas and cities, but much of this technology remains emerging or remains costly. Domestic carriers may bear the primary regulatory burden, but they're going to depend heavily on international satellite providers whose pricing models and deployment schedules are outside of Australia's direct control and often our regulatory reach. Legislating an outcome does not guarantee delivery. It also does not guarantee affordability. And it does not remove the domestic regulatory bottlenecks that slow down tower builds and infrastructure deployment that the minister said is plaguing the Sutherland Shire and the Cronulla-to-city line.”
“If phrases such as 'reasonably available' or 'equitable access' are left vague, enforcement becomes difficult, if not impossible, for these regulators; and, if enforcement are weak or approvals are slow and mired in red tape, delivery will stall and we'll continue to face outages like we do on the Cronulla-to-Central line. The experience on the Cronulla line demonstrates that complexity and delay in infrastructure approvals deter investment. This cannot become the model for a nationwide obligation. Australians deserve clarity, timeliness and mobile phone connection in bushfire-prone areas and in critical areas like a train line, where you have many safety risks, whether they be accidents at stations, potential problems with the train or potential problems with the track.”
“The credibility of any reform rests not on the aspiration it proclaims but on the detail it contains and the realism of its implementation. But this obligation must be clearly defined. Carriers must understand precisely what is required, precisely the dead spots they are fixing and precisely how to do it. Consumers must understand what they are entitled to expect—and they should expect. They should not have to deal with dead spots in the heart of the Sutherland Shire, a community that is inhabited by over 250,000 residents. Regulators must have measurable standards to assess the compliance of these infrastructure providers and telecommunications companies.”
“It's about contacting your neighbours, contacting your loved ones, contacting your insurers. It's about calling for help if evacuation routes are cut off. If coverage drops during a fast-moving fire front, this isn't an inconvenience, it's a serious safety vulnerability. In inner city suburbs, a dropped call is frustrating. In bushfire prone communities like Kirrawee or Lilli Pilli, it can be dangerous and it can be life threatening. This is why communications policy must be treated as essential infrastructure policy. The coalition supports the goal of extending voice and text coverage outdoors and across more of the country. This is because improved connectivity for Australians is simply the fair thing to do. We need it in our cities and we need it in our regions.”
“And while bureaucratic processes grind slowly forward, ordinary Australians in Kirrawee, in Lilli Pilli, in Sutherland and in Miranda are missing out. If red tape and delayed approvals are discouraging investment in suburban Sydney, I can only begin to imagine the challenges my colleagues are facing in regional Australia. And this doesn't stop at the rail corridor in my electorate. Residents in Kirrawee and Lilli Pilli continue to report persistent mobile black spots. This isn't remote farmland. This isn't remote regional Australia. These are established suburban communities in the heart of Sydney. These suburbs also face significant bushfire risks. Residents have previously had homes burn down in bushfires. In Kirrawee, in Lilli Pilli and in other bushfire prone areas, connectivity is not about convenience. It's about emergency alerts.”
“Well, for one of the busiest railway lines in Australia, this is simply not good enough. It's not good enough from the government, it's not good enough from Telstra, it's not good enough from Optus and it's not good enough from Vodafone. The minister noted these obstacles can deter and are deterring mobile network operators and infrastructure providers from focusing on the train line from Cronulla to the city. This response tells us something important: red tape and slow approval processes are crippling this country. It's hurting our economy and it's hurting our telecommunications infrastructure. Infrastructure providers face layers of regulatory complexity before they can even begin to start improving service.”
“She said the lack of mobile phone coverage on the Cronulla-to-city line is terrible, and getting worse daily. It's not only Woolooware and Kirrawee with no service, but also Sutherland. This is one of Sydney's and one of Australia's busiest rail corridors. Thousands of Australians travel this line every single day to work, to study, to run businesses and to support their families. And yet, connectivity is deteriorating. I reached out to the Minister for Communications regarding mobile coverage connectivity affecting the commuters travelling between Cronulla and the city. The minister's response was that providing in-carriage coverage presents challenges, partly due to the complexities involved in obtaining approvals and building new mobile base station infrastructure within a rail corridor.”
“In modern Australia, reliable mobile phone coverage is not a luxury, it's not an optional extra and it's not a lifestyle perk. It's foundational national infrastructure. Just as our roads connect our communities physically, telecommunications connect them digitally. In 2026, these digital connections underpin our economy, they underpin our social cohesion and, critically, they underpin our safety. Australians don't measure connectivity in legislative clauses—surprise, surprise. They measure it when their call connects, they measure it when the EFTPOS machine works, they measure it when they can check emergency warnings and they measure it when triple zero answers when they dial. Recently, Rayna, a constituent in my electorate, wrote to me expressing her frustration.”
“I truly appreciate your time and attention. Because of Harper and many others like her, the New South Wales government has now announced a major crackdown on illegal e-bikes. But unfortunately for Harper and Harper's associate, it is far too late. Countless people have been horrendously injured. Countless families have spent tens of thousands of dollars on illegal bikes all because the New South Wales government failed to act. It wasn't just their failure to act. Catherine King here in federal parliament has allowed the importation of these bikes. I've written to Catherine twice about this and never received a response.”
“Since then, I have been doing my best to support my friend as she grieves, and it has shown me how devastating these accidents can be for families and communities. These incidents are not isolated. Many riders do not fully understand how powerful e-bikes are or how easily control can be lost when accelerating, turning suddenly, or facing unexpected obstacles. Some riders also fail to follow traffic rules, increasing the danger to everyone around them. For these reasons, I believe we need clearer and stricter safety measures, such as mandatory helmets for all riders, appropriate age limits for high-powered e-bikes, and better education on traffic laws. Stronger rules would help prevent tragedies like the one my friend is going through and create a safer environment for everyone. Thank you again, Mr. Kennedy, for listening to my concerns.”
“At a recent listening post in my community, I met Harper, who read me a letter I would like to read here today: Good morning, Mr. Kennedy. My name is Harper, and I am 11 years old. Thank you for taking the time to speak with me. I would like to briefly share my concerns about the dangers of e-bikes and why I believe stronger safety rules are urgently needed. Although e-bikes may look like regular bicycles, they can reach high speeds very quickly. This creates a much higher risk of serious accidents, especially for younger or inexperienced drivers. One tragic example has affected me personally: a close friend of mine recently lost one of her friends in an e-bike crash. The rider was thrown from the bike at a very high speed—around 80 kilometres per hour—and collided with a pole. The rider didn't survive.”
“Again, I am so sorry for your recent loss. They've got compassion, commitment and they help families and children in need. Each of these organisations and the individuals behind them represent something profoundly important. They remind us that strong communities are not built by governments; they are built by volunteers, faith leaders, parents, coaches, fundraisers and everyday Australians who choose to make a part of their life the doing for others. I place on record my sincere thanks to every individual organisation I have named tonight. Their work strengthens our local community, helps the vulnerable and embodies the very best of the Sutherland Shire.”
“The St Luke's Anglican Church Miranda parish organised by Philip moss and the Catholic parish of St Aloysius led by Father James McCarthy—both are great people who do great things for people of faith in our community. I'd like to thank Marine Rescue Botany Port Hacking, organised by Greg Spencer, whose volunteers give their time and keep people safe on our waterways. I'd also like to acknowledge the Morris Children Fund, founded by Garry Morris. They do fantastic work visiting the local schools in my electorate where there are disabled children to equip beautiful sensory rooms and all types of great programs so they can participate like every other child in our electorate. I'd also like to acknowledge the Nicole Fitzsimons Foundation led by Kate, Vince and Matt Fitzsimons. Congratulations on the work you do.”
“I'd like to acknowledge the extraordinary work of Dandelion Support Network led by Gabrielle Humphreys and operation coordinator Kaylene Pring. They support families in need and women with children with prams, strollers, car seats—beautifully arranged—and often domestic violence victims as well. Thank you for what you do for our community. I want to recognise Skillz4Me founder and CEO Sarah Costello and program director Sarah Diener for their work supporting young people and families. I've been there and seen what they do with disabled children in our community, often some of the highest needs disabled children, providing a safe space and a network for all these families. Ladies, thank you for what you do.”
“I'd like to acknowledge 1st Caringbah Scout Group, organised by Sharon Abbott, for their commitment to youth development and leadership in the local area. At Southside Church, I'd like to recognise Pastor Phil Macarthur for his leadership and service in my community. I'd like to acknowledge Kingsway Community Care. Under the stewardship of Brook Stewart, they provide an essential role in my community with housing, and they also help a number of domestic violence victims and their families. I commend Swim Coffee Chat and the Cronulla Gropers, founded by Jason Dorahy and Lee Murphy. They do amazing work, and I enjoy participating with them, swimming out to Shark Island. Every day, they're out there looking after men and men's mental health and doing a great job. Thank you gentlemen for what you do for our local community.”
“Making a significant difference across the Sutherland Shire, St Raphael's Catholic parish has parish minister coordinator Michael Fernandes, as well as Thomas Alukka and Jan Chrzczonowicz. For their service, leadership and dedication, we gave them a volunteer grant so they could continue to do great work in the community. I recognise Lilli Pilli Public School P&C and Carlie Sidey for helping organise a number of great volunteer events at Lilli Pilli and building a lovely community garden there. I'd also like to acknowledge Gymea Bay Public School P&C, coordinated by Renee Kirchner, as well as Laguna Street Public School P&C association, organised by Beaux Thompson. These parent led organisations are essential to strengthening our local school communities and supporting students.”
“Firstly, I'd like to acknowledge Mr John Nour OAM, who has been recognised for his service to the Coptic Orthodox Church and to the Egyptian community. His contribution exemplifies the vital role faith and cultural organisations play in my local electorate in fostering inclusion, providing support and strengthening cohesion in our multicultural society. Through leadership, service and quiet dedication, Mr Nour has helped build bridges across my community and ensure faith remains a source of unity and supports many local families. He is a great man. I congratulate him on this very well-deserved recognition. I also rise to acknowledge a number of outstanding local organisations that have recently received volunteer grants.”
“It was a lovely event celebrated by 20 or 30 boats. People were dressed up in all kinds of fancy dress and it was a phenomenal event. I'd also like to talk about e-bikes. E-bikes in my local community have been very dangerous and have helped create community damage. Recently at Bellingara netball courts, volunteers training hundreds of local girls playing netball have been harassed by e-bike riders coming onto these courts, vandalising the courts and abusing the volunteers and parents. We also saw similar scenes recently at Cronulla Golf Club. So I want to applaud the New South Wales state government for starting to get serious on illegal e-bike use. Yes, we want kids on bikes but we can't have vandalism and we can't have people risking their lives and health, damaging property.”
“At Lilli Pilli School, a community led garden project has been supported through a grant to help get it off the ground. These projects bring students, parents and the broader community together, teaching practical skills, environmental responsibility and teamwork while creating a shared space for the whole community can be proud of. At Marine Rescue, Botany Bay and Port Hacking, a grant has helped fund and the support the purchase of new radios. Marine Rescue brings together volunteers from right across my electorate to protect Port Hacking and Botany Bay. I want to place on record my thanks to these volunteers for the critical work they do, often in challenging circumstances. I also want to acknowledge Marine Rescue for their work on the weekend in the Port Hacking Putters launch on the weekend.”
“I'm proud to represent the people of the Sutherland Shire, and I thank those who continue to make our country such a strong and caring place to live. I also wish to acknowledge several local community organisations in my electorate that have recently benefited from grants and, more importantly, to recognise the volunteers who make these initiatives possible. At Saint Luke's, Miranda, a volunteer grant has helped support the annual youth camp. This is a longstanding community initiative that gives people a positive, safe and memorable experience, while allowing volunteers to focus on mentoring, leadership and building connection. Programs like this strengthen confidence, resilience and community spirit in our next generation.”
“It's a powerful reminder to young people in Cook and right across Australia that big goals are possible, even if the path to them is unconventional. Kirrawee High School, his teachers, coaches and family can be immensely proud of what Michael has achieved. I now know our community will be following his career with great interest. I saw that the one thing he wanted to do when he won was to celebrate with chips and chicken salt and a chicken parmy. I can't think of a more Australian way to celebrate that achievement. Whether it's local sport, community safety or international sporting success, these stories all reflect the same thing: a community that supports one another, celebrates effort and strives to do better.”
“This roundtable was not just about talk but about action. It was a first step where we set actions that we want to keep meeting on every quarter to see how we achieve them. Now that the first step is done, we need to ensure this work continues to make sure we improve domestic violence responses in the Sutherland Shire. I would also like to congratulate an outstanding local achievement on the world stage. Michael Dickson, a former student of Kirrawee High School is a proud local from my electorate, and yesterday he did something amazing. He helped win a Super Bowl for the Seattle Seahawks, becoming Australia's newest Super Bowl champion. Michael's journey from the shire to the NFL is an extraordinary one. It speaks to talent, discipline and persistence.”