Hi Allegra,

People often ask me what a week in the life of an MP looks like. No two weeks are ever the same, and often that is the joy of the job. I wanted to give you a bit of a taster of my last week.

Last week Parliament wasn’t sitting but Wentworth was buzzing. Lifeline Bondi gave me an update on how much they have grown since they started 2 years ago, and how they managed the Bondi Junction tragedy.

I listened to inspiring locals from groups participating in the Community Refugee Integration Settlement Pilot (CRISP) who talked about how they have supported refugees that have come to Australia to put down new roots. I am very proud that Wentworth has the highest number of CRISP groups in the country.

As an independent MP, I cover lots of ground and policy issues. Last week I spoke on six panels across a range of different topics:

• The Corporate Tax Association’s National ‘Heads of Tax’ Forum with Danielle Wood, head of the Productivity Commission.
• The Australian newspaper's Energy Nation Forum alongside David Littleproud MP and Senator Jenny McAllister.
• McBride: ‘Where to from here?’, an online panel discussion with the Whistleblower Justice Fund and Human Rights Law Centre.
• ACF Eastern Suburbs Nature Forum with Matt Thistlethwaite MP, and Australian Youth Climate Coalition.
• Policy in the Pub at the Potts Point Hotel with Jon Owen from Wayside Chapel.
• The Community Independents Project Conference, alongside representatives and advocates from well over 100 electorates.

Pop-up offices are the best way for me to hear what is on people's minds. Last week I was out in Paddington, hearing about the rising cost of childcare, people’s concerns about taxing unrealised gains in Super and how we are going to get to Net Zero. I will take these issues back to the Parliament. You can see future Pop-Up office dates here.

We are back in Parliament this week and the debate remains centred on energy policy, with the Coalition unveiling proposed sites for nuclear power stations last week. Whilst I am open-minded to all clean energy options for Australia, the truth is that Peter Dutton’s plan doesn’t stack-up economically or scientifically. It has been consistently shown to be more expensive than other options, and it does not address the urgent need to reduce climate pollution this decade. See my Instagram explainer video here.

Fill out my Survey on Social Media and Youth Mental Health

So many of us are concerned about the impact of social media and online content on young people.

There are lots of issues you talk to me about – things like social media addiction, negative role models and influencers, online bullying, harmful comparison with others, gambling and alcohol ads, exposure to violent and extreme content, and online echo chambers and misinformation.

I have been pushing to address these issues since I was elected, and we are finally seeing some movement in the Parliament to consider how to best address this and keep our kids safe online.

There’s a Parliamentary Inquiry into social media and I want your help in informing the debate we have in Canberra.

Please tell me your biggest concerns and what tools you want us to consider by filling out my 2-minute survey below.

Policy in the Pub with Jon Owen

Last week we held our first Policy in the Pub in the Potts Point area. It was a great evening of discussion between Jon Owen CEO of Wayside Chapel and me, as well as an audience Q&A. Topics that were raised include:

• Urban density and planning of the local Potts Points area.
• How to overcome the challenges of getting to a net zero future.
• Nuclear policy.
• Mental health and togetherness during difficult times.

It was so fantastic that over 250 of you RSVP’d, and we ended up hitting capacity for our venue.

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us, and I am sorry for those of you who were unable to. Please stay tuned as we will be hosting similar events in the future.

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

Thanks for your support,

Allegra Spender MP