,

It has been another difficult week.

The situation in Israel and Gaza is tragic, and has directly touched the lives of many in the community in an awful way. My thoughts remain with everyone affected, and my office is here to support in any way we can.

Saturday was also a heartbreaking result for reconciliation in Australia.

I am proud of the Wentworth community that delivered a resounding YES vote and saw the opportunity it was to bring this country together. It was an effort of our incredible 800 + volunteers who got out there and made it happen.

Despite everything, my team and I are continuing to work hard to respond to your feedback and requests, as well as working with local community groups, organisations and businesses

Over the past month, we have:

• Proposed a tax incentive program that could save renters up to $1500 on their power bills a year.
• Continued to advocate to save Parsley Bay, and have secured a meeting with NSW Water Minister Rose Jackson.
• Welcomed new citizens into our community at two citizenship ceremonies.
• Met with Wentworth organisations that are doing so much great work, including Kids Giving Back, JEMS, The Terraces and more.
• Visited the incredible students at Bellevue Hill Primary, Galilee Catholic Primary School, Bondi Beach Public School and Rose Bay Secondary.
• Hosted two Pop-Up Politics out in the community. Click here for future dates.

I would love to see you at one of our exciting upcoming events. In November we will be hosting a Forum focused on Body Image and how to support young people, as well as Politics in the Pub with a very special guest!

Understanding body image and how to support young people

More than 90% of young people have a concern about their body image.

I've been hearing from the young people of Wentworth and their families that youth mental health and specifically body image is one of the biggest concerns facing their generation.

On November 1st, 6pm at Church in the Marketplace, I will be hosting a panel discussion with:

• Helen Bird, Manager of Education Services at the Butterfly Foundation.
• Dr Helen Rydge, a Clinical Psychologist who has worked with clients with eating disorders and body image concerns for over 20 years.
• Isabella Griggs - youth advocate and counsellor in training.
• Jaimee Krawitz - a local counsellor who is releasing an e-book about the importance of language surrounding body image and eating disorders.

This is an event aimed at anyone who wants to understand more about body image and how to support young people - especially parents, carers and educators!

If this is you - please register and come along!

Come along to our next Politics in the Pub

Join us for another fun and informative night of Politics in the Pub!

You will be hosted by Allegra Spender MP and Kath Ebbs, queer actor, presenter, writer and content creator.

Kath stars in their own Tik Tok web series called ‘Self Care’, where we follow the fictional character of Grace on their journey of self discovery after dealing with a sudden break up. In 2022 they featured as Asher on Neighbours, making them the first non-binary character to be on an Aussie soap.

Kath produced and hosted their own online talk show called “Conversations with Kath”, where they sit down to have hard, soft and sometimes silly conversations with diverse guests on a variety of topics.

It will be a fun and relaxed evening, with a chance to ask your hosts questions about what is going on in Canberra and in the community of Wentworth.

We would love to see you there! Register here.

Stay up to Date with Parliament

It was also another busy week in Canberra. Here is a brief update on what we achieved:

• Pushed for necessary cost of living relief. I called on the government to act on reducing power bills by supporting electrification, especially for renters. See here.
• Listened to Small Business and hosted a breakfast to hear directly from them about the challenges they are facing and how policies can better support them. See here.
• Continued to support those caught up in the Israel-Hamas conflict, including through discussions with the Foreign Minister and Minister for Home Affairs, to obtain critical information on what is happening overseas and advocating for our community.
• Spoke up in strong support of actions on vapes, particularly in how they affect our young people. See my speech.
• Put forward amendments to a gambling bill that would help address the systemic problem with gambling we have in our society. See my speech.
• Spoke out about the urgent need to legislate for truth in political advertising and real transparency on donations. Read more.
• Supported important environmental legislation to improve the Murray Darling Basin.

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

Thanks for your support,

Allegra Spender MP