Stories

Helping deliver 80,000 new secure rental homes

Last year, the Build To Rent Bill – a plan to provide tax incentives for companies that built more rental properties – was stalled in the Senate.
With the Greens and Coalition refusing to negotiate, it looked like party politics would get in the way of addressing the housing crisis. A compromise needed to be found.
Working alongside David Pocock, I backed a joint proposal by the Property Council and National Shelter to find a way through.
This proposal amended the Bill to provide more security for renters by giving them longer-term leases, in exchange for help to get the properties built in the first place.
In November 2024, Labor, Greens and crossbench Senators finally agreed to this compromise deal. I was proud to stand alongside the Housing Minister to announce it.

Delivering fuel efficiency standards for new vehicles

Under the last government, Australia was alongside Russia as one of the only advanced economies in the world that didn’t have fuel efficiency standards in place.
This meant we were the dumping ground for older, dirtier, and costlier cars. At the 2022 election, I committed to changing that.
In contrast, Labor said practically nothing – too afraid of the ‘end the weekend’ scare campaigns that the Coalition had run in 2019.
I raised the need for fuel efficiency standards in my very first meeting with the Minister for Climate Change. I made submissions, lobbied ministers - and the public got behind our campaign.
We won! Parliament passed laws to introduce New Vehicle Efficiency Standards and they came into effect on January 1.
The impact? Lower fuel costs and less pollution. By 2030, emissions from new cars will drop by 60%, and motorists will save up to $1,000 a year on fuel.

Stopping sexual assault on university campuses

A year ago, a group of brave young women came to see me. They included some of the 275 people who are sexually assaulted on university campuses every single week.
These young women didn’t come for sympathy, but for action. So along with other independents, I took the issue directly to the Education Minister.
After a year of advocating and campaigning, the parliament finally passed legislation in September 2024 to establish a National Student Ombudsmen.
The Ombudsmen offers a trauma-informed, impartial process for students, ensuring complaints are handled respectfully and effectively.
As an Independent MP, I am proud to work with everyday people to create solutions that make our society more safe and secure.

Making big polluters pull their weight

The government’s Safeguard Mechanism was designed to tackle emissions from our biggest polluters – like coal and gas mines, steelworks, and cement factories.
But Labor’s first version was riddled with loopholes and meant emissions could actually increase if new projects were approved. This was a dangerous flaw.
So, I joined forces with Zali Steggall MP and Senator David Pocock to push for a series of amendments, including a “hard cap” on emissions.
This cap legally binds our biggest polluters to cut their emissions over time, ensuring that pollution must decline year after year.
After relentless advocacy, the amendments passed parliament and we now have a stronger Safeguard Mechanism – that will help create a safer climate for all.

Stopping taxation of unrealised gains

Last year, Labor announced they would tax unrealised gains on large super balances, forcing people to pay tax on ‘paper profits’ they hadn’t received yet
This was really bad news for Wentworth start-ups, many of which rely on self-managed super funds for the early-stage capital they need to grow
To understand the impact on our community, I ran an online survey and held in-person roundtables with investors, start-ups, and the responsible Minister
I put forward amendments in the House to try and fix the flaws in the legislation, and then worked with Senate crossbenchers to ensure the Bill could not pass the parliament.
And we won – the Senate didn’t support the proposed laws and people now won’t have to pay tax on unrealised gains

Wiping $3 billion in student debt relief

HECS debt has exploded. In 2006, the average HECS debt for young Australians was around $12,000 - today, it's over $31,000. What was once a fair price has become a financial trap.
Until recently, HECS debts rose with inflation. This meant that when inflation soared, so did student debt. In 2023, indexation hit 7.1% - a crushing burden for graduates just starting out, already struggling with rent and the cost of living.
It was unfair and unsustainable, and the government was dragging its feet on reform. So, alongside fellow Independents like Monique Ryan and over 288,000 people in the community, I fought to fix it.
Now, thanks to relentless advocacy, HECS debts will increase at the lower rate of inflation or wage growth - cutting student debt by $3 billion for over 3 million Australians. That’s real change.