Hi Vicky,

It must be exam time again because the jacarandas are turning our streets purple and making the east even more beautiful than usual. I’m pretty glad I don’t have exams anymore – instead, I’ve been able to simply enjoy the spring colours here in Wentworth after another incredibly busy two weeks in Canberra.

Cathedral Street in Woolloomooloo

There’s been a lot happening. We’ve had a major update for our national environmental laws, a big win for Australian stories on screen and the crossbench has continued to push the government on integrity.

Meanwhile, the Coalition remains consumed by an internal debate on whether to abandon net zero – a reminder of why an independent, forward-looking crossbench is so important to keep Australia focused on a clean energy future.

You can read more about why Australia needs a rational, long-term climate policy that actually brings people together in my joint OpEd with Kate Chaney in the AFR here.

Otherwise, I wanted to share a quick update on what’s been happening in Parliament and around the community.

Parliamentary Update

A step in the right direction for Australian stories

We all love our Australian TV shows and movies – I personally love Colin from Accounts and my kids really love Little Lunch and the InBESTigators. So I am delighted that after nearly three years of advocacy, the government has finally agreed to introduce legislation requiring streaming services to invest in Australian content.

While this is a positive step, I know the government’s announcement isn’t everything we asked for and still does not go far enough to protect Australian stories. I understand there are significant concerns about the current proposal, so I will continue to consult with industry members about how we can improve this legislation. We need to get this right – not only to protect our screen community, but also to keep seeing our Australian stories reflected on screen.

This was a massive effort - thank you to all the members of the screen industry who I spoke to over the last few years and also to our community who got behind the campaign. This shows how community voices and independents can deliver change.

At a press conference in Canberra, calling for local content quotas with members of our screen industry

Reforming Australia’s environmental laws

One of the big pieces of legislation that passed the House last week was the Government’s proposed reforms to Australia’s national environmental laws – the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation (EPBC) Act.

It was a really tough bill to vote on. At nearly 1,500 pages, MPs were given just seven days to review it – nowhere near enough time for proper scrutiny. I made that clear to the Government.

To better understand our community’s views, I hosted a Politics on Zoom with Lyndon Schneiders, the executive director at the Australian Climate and Biodiversity Foundation. It was great to hear Lyndon’s insights and your feedback – if you missed it, you can watch the recording here.

After consulting with environmental experts, business groups and our community, I put forward amendments to strengthen the bill – but, like others on the crossbench, I was disappointed that the Government refused to accept them.

In the end, I voted in support of the reforms because, while far from perfect, they are an improvement on our current laws.

The good

✅ Clear national standards for protecting nature

✅ A new independent Environmental Protection Agency

✅ Stronger rules to stop projects that harm threatened species

✅ Better environmental data and transparency

✅ Faster, clearer approvals for clean energy and other low-impact projects

The concerns

❌ A vague “national interest” test that gives too much power to the Minister

❌ A new offset fund that could become a “pay to destroy” loophole

❌Ongoing exemptions for native forest logging and land clearing

So what happens next?

To get the bill through the Senate, the government will need the support of either the Coalition or the Greens so we are likely to have another opportunity to vote on an amended version of the Bill. Throughout this process, I will urge the government to engage seriously and in good faith with all sides of Parliament to improve these laws.

Australians have been waiting years to fix our broken environmental laws and the government finally has a real opportunity to get it right. Let’s keep the pressure up.

With Konrad from @punterspolitics - displaying his lobbying pass which has been transparently disclosed on Senator Pocock's new Pass Register

Continuing to call for more integrity in politics

Recently, the Government was handed a fail grade by the Centre for Public Integrity in five out of six measures on its integrity report card – and it shows.

A few weeks ago the Government proposed their Freedom of Information Bill to make it harder for the public to access government documents. When it became clear the Bill was friendless across Parliament, they quietly shifted debate to a small secondary chamber while our major environmental reforms were being debated in the main chamber – limiting scrutiny on both. Australians deserve better.

Transparency also means knowing who has access to decision-makers. Right now, the public has no visibility over which lobbyists or industry representatives are granted special passes to Parliament.

That’s why I joined Senator David Pocock’s new Parliamentary Pass Register, which lets Australians see exactly who their MPs are sponsoring for lobbying access. My passes are live – but not a single member of the major parties has voluntarily disclosed theirs.

Australians are losing trust in their elected government, and with good reason. I’ll keep pushing for the transparency and accountability Australians deserve.

With Ian Thorpe at our Parliamentary Friends Group of LGBTIQ+ Australians

Standing up for the LGBTIQ+ community

A couple of weeks ago, I hosted Ian Thorpe and Equality Australia in Parliament for the launch of our Parliamentary Friends Group of LGBTIQ+ Australians, of which I’m a co-chair. We had a strong turnout from across the Parliament.

We were lucky to hear from Thorpey about what Parliamentarians can do to help fight the ongoing discrimination that LGBTIQ+ Australians face and the importance of never forgetting each other’s humanity or using each other in political footballs. I will continue to champion equality, safety, and stronger hate speech protections for all Australians.

Progress on crisis payments for people fleeing domestic violence

Another focus of mine in the last few months has been reforming crisis payments for people escaping domestic violence. This one-off payment should be there for people when they are most vulnerable – but right now thousands of applicants are being refused due to overly strict eligibility rules.

I’ve given multiple speeches in Parliament on this and have met privately with the Minister for Social Services, who has indicated that the government is interested in the reforms I have put forward. I will keep the community updated on progress as it comes.

With Jalal, Camilla and Blaise at our CRISP Information Evening at Paddington Uniting Church.

Community news

Community Refugee Sponsorship

A few weeks ago I held an information evening about CRISP – the Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP) run by Community Refugee Sponsorship Australia.

This is a wonderful program that helps community groups support newly arrived refugee families. We were lucky to be joined by Jalal, whose family came to Australian from Afghanistan, and Camilla, one of his community supports in Wentworth.

I was really grateful to see so many faces on the night and am delighted we had a Wentworth group form at the event! If you missed it, you can learn more on the CRSA website or watch the recording here.

Solar Sharer

In great news, the federal Government has announced that by July 2026, households in NSW will have access to at least three free hours of solar power every day! I have been pushing the government to help renters and apartment dwellers access the benefits of electrification since I was elected, so I am glad to see they are finally listening.

I look forward to receiving full details on the scheme in the coming months. The government is currently holding community consultation on this program so if you would like to have your say please click here.

Childcare Update

I know that many families in Wentworth are very concerned about the recent news of abuse in our childcare centres. I share this deep concern.

That’s why in the last fortnight in Parliament, I met with Education Minister Jason Clare to share what I’ve heard from our community and better understand what the government is doing to better protect our children.

Right now, the government has introduced legislation to improve the safety in our early education and childcare centres, by:

1. Creating stronger protections – through measures such as conducting more spot checks and potentially banning private mobile phones in centres.
2. Improving the quality of the sector – by giving the Federal Government the powers to take action against providers that fail safety standards.

I’ll keep the community updated on this as we hear more from the government.

Pop-up office in Woollahra!

Come say hi

Hearing from the community is the most important part of my job – so if you have time, please come say hi and share your views with me at a pop-up office. Below are some confirmed dates but keep an eye out on our events page as we will keep this up to date.

Bondi Junction Station – Friday 21st November, 7:30–8:30 am

Edgecliff Station – Friday 28th November, 8:00–9:00am

In the Media

• Afternoon Briefing – discussing the government’s EPBC Bill and Tax Reform
• The Guardian – why we need to make sure Australians don’t miss out on the benefits of the critical minerals deal
• AFR – my OpEd with Kate Chaney on why the Coalition needs a rational climate policy

Thank you for all your support. If you have feedback or questions, please get in touch by emailing me on [email protected].

Thanks for your support,

Allegra Spender MP