What a week!

My first parliamentary sitting week in the ACT Legislative Assembly is now officially done and dusted. It certainly didn't disappoint.

Inaugural Speech in the Assembly

It was lovely having my wife and our newborn daughter there (who surprisingly managed to make it through the full address in silence), as well as my parents, to listen to my Inaugural Speech yesterday. I was humbled by the army of supporters who came along to watch on from the gallery - thank you! I will work hard to try to do you all proud over the next four years.

You can watch the full speech here.

Chairing the Social Policy Committee

Committees are responsible for examining and inquiring into policy matters in all different areas. In the ACT Legislative Assembly, the composition of almost all committees is decided at the start of each term. It’s not all that common for new MLAs to chair a committee in their first term but I spoke with all sides about doing so and was glad to get their unanimous support to chair the Social Policy Committee. This will consider issues in areas including health, education, disability, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander issues, youth affairs, and the prevention of family and domestic violence. I also successfully moved an amendment to add social housing and Intergenerational fairness to the terms of reference for this committee. These as vital social policy issues worthy of specific attention.

I’m also sitting on the Economics, Industry and Recreation Committee, which will offer opportunities to pursue important small business and sport and wellbeing policy initiatives.

I’ll be providing updates on the work of the committee over the course of the term.

Motions and Amendments

Several motions were passed by the Assembly this week. I worked with parties to expand the terms of a review of the 2024 ACT Election to capture concerns I’d heard around public election funding and voter disenfranchisement in Oaks Estate.

I successfully moved amendments to the MyWay+ inquiry, expanding its scope to include data security concerns, public communications about the rollout and the timing of the transition.

The Liberals put forward a motion on family and domestic violence, which I successfully amended to include a focus on culturally safe service provision for First Nations people, and on the provision of suitable ongoing housing options for victim-survivors. Too many vulnerable women in our community are being asked to wait it out away at home because we don’t have a safe place for them to sleep. It’s time for that to change.

I was disappointed that my amendment to include independents on the standing committee responsible for administrative and procedural issues including arranging parliamentary business and assessing instances of member misconduct was voted down by the two major parties, despite unanimous support from the cross bench.

I was also on the losing side of a vote relating to a motion that was initially drafted by the Greens to push Labor to deliver more frequent buses. I voted against a Labor amendment that watered down the motion - essentially to what Labor had already promised during the election campaign, along with requiring them to provide regular updates on those promises. I wanted to see the original unamended Greens motion pass in full, which would have committed the government to 30 minute weekend buses rather than Labor’s promised hourly frequency. But ultimately Labor’s amendment got up, and the amended motion passed on the voices with my support. 

Tiegate

The story that, in my opinion, shouldn't have been one. The Speaker, for whom I have a lot of respect, let me know what he thought of my lack of a necktie. The reaction online was overwhelmingly supportive and reflected my view; there are more important things to focus on in the Assembly than Members’ attire. I will always dress professionally in the Chamber, and will use my time in this role to focus on the issues that matter most to everyday Canberrans. 

While the first sitting period is at an end, there's really no sign of things slowing down. Over the coming weeks, I'll be meeting with dozens of community members and organisations about their issues and the policy commitments I’ve made.

We’re also working on finalising a chunk of our planned recruitment and office systems set-up, and building a plan for 2025 which will involve loads more direct community engagement to help inform my policy and parliamentary priorities.