Other Policies

I believe that women need to be able to access abortion safely and equitably. 

In one of my first speeches as a newly sworn-in member of Parliament I spoke about the need for equal access to abortion for all women: Harmonisation of abortion laws across Australia is overdue.

Western Australia used to have the most draconian approach to abortion, with abortion remaining in the WA Criminal Code until 2023

Following public consultation on reforming abortion laws the WA government introduced  the Abortion Legislation Reform Act 2023 (WA) which came into effect in March 2024. This Act repeals all provisions related to abortion within the Health (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1911 (WA) and creates a new framework relating to abortion in Western Australia.

At a Federal level, I support harmonisation across the States on the approach to abortion.  We need to remain vigilant and ensure there is equal and free access, with abortion incorporated into normal healthcare systems.. 

Having a separate MBS item number for surgical abortion enables accurate data to be gathered, and a new MBS item number for medical abortion will enable better access to safer, earlier abortions and ensure that GPs are appropriately remunerated to support women through a medical abortion.

I continue to seeking opportunities to support progress on this issue

Like all Australians, I am horrified by the terrorist attack at Bondi Beach, that targeted Jewish Australians gathering in peaceful celebration of the first night of Chanukah.       

This was an attack not only on Jewish Australians, but on all Australians and our way of life.  

I know that the Curtin community cares deeply about the democratic values and principles that underpin our national identity.   We are a culturally diverse nation. Almost half of us were born overseas or have a parent who was born overseas.    

The rise in antisemitism in Australia is unacceptable.   

Clearer leadership from the Government is required, to set the expectation that Australia is a country of tolerance and peace.   It is then up to all of us to deliver on that promise. 

I have written to the Prime Minister with some of my colleagues (read the letter here), urging a federal Royal Commission into the attack, some improvements to laws combatting hate speech and increased funding for the security of Jewish organisations. We all have a role to play in the necessary healing after this devastating tragedy.

I support addressing aggravated hate speech laws, better education, consistent national firearms laws and the cancellation or rejection of visas for people who spread hate and division.  I will consider any other suggested actions to protect Jewish Australians in good faith as well.  

As a civil and tolerant nation, we must hold tightly to the democratic values that enable diverse communities.

I am fully supportive of the Federal Revive policy and a clear plan to encourage the Australian arts, entertainment and cultural sector to grow and thrive. In June 2024 Parliament further debated the establishment of two new parts of Creative Australia: First Nations First and Writing Australia.  

It is very important that we amplify First Nations stories. For millennia, First Nations’ history, stories of country, creation and tradition have been passed down through the generations. Today, the practice of storytelling sustains communities, validates experiences and represents a vital cultural continuation for Indigenous peoples. 

My community is proud to have Australia’s biggest Aboriginal-led theatre company Yirra Yaakin Theatre Company in the Curtin electorate in Subiaco, a respected cultural leader and artistic hub for Aboriginal people from all over WA, Australia, and around the world. 

I have urged the Minister to ensure Western Australian representation on the First Nations Creative Australia Board as well as regional arts funding that recognises the additional burden and cost of touring born by all Western Australian creatives compared to those of the east coast

Listen to my speech

I commend the Federal Government on its announcement in 2023 of a pathway to permanency for around 19,000 refugees living on Temporary Protection Visas and Safe Haven Enterprise Visas across Australia.  

The week prior to this announcement, I shared the story of one such refugee, Jan Ali Haidari, in Parliament.  Click here to listen to this speech in the Federation Chamber.  

Many community groups in Curtin and all over the country refused to accept our treatment of refugees in Australia and kept advocating for those living in limbo.  I am proud that I, and other crossbenchers, have kept this issue front and centre for the Government and will continue to hold the Government to account in implementing this announcement. 

There is still much more work to be done in relation to offshore and onshore detention and our humanitarian intake.  Despite the Government’s 2023 announcement many of those19000 refugees living on temporary visas shave not been processed and cannot make long-term plans and fully commit to their lives in Australia.

I am keenly aware of the need and the challenges of the current crisis in global refugees now worsening with conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. I was heartened by the ALP’s pre-election promise of increasing the government funded humanitarian program to 27,000 places over four years and increasing the community sponsored refugee program to 5,000 places.

The 2024-25 Budget indicated that the refugee and humanitarian program will remain at 20,000 places however refugee settlement support services will receive additional funding of $120.9 million over five years $2.9 million will be allocated to support for people who have fled the crisis in Gaza and Israel and $1.9 million to extend access to Medicare for Ukrainians on bridging visas. 

I meet regularly with refugee groups and have worked closely with the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre as well as local refugee advocates in Curtin,. I also meet regularly with Minister for Immigration to raise refugee and asylum seeker issues.

I will continue to advocate for the humane treatment of refugee and asylum seekers. I will keep this issue front and centre for the Government

I believe that early educators are under paid. 

I supported the Fair Work Australia Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill, which passed both House of Parliament in December 2022, and included the potential for an increase to wages for low paid workers in the supported bargaining stream. 

I am also acutely aware of the staff shortages in this industry and supports policies to increase early education jobs.  

I will continue to advocate for better conditions for those working in this vital area of our children’s education

I continue to advocate for a strong and effective Safeguard Mechanism that will reduce industry emissions and contribute to our pathway to net zero.

You can listen to my speech here : Safeguard Mechanism Amendment Bill - 9 March 2023

I supported amendments to the Bill to tighten the definition and regulation of new entrants; creating a hierarchy of crediting that doesn’t rely on unlimited ACCUs; and to improve transparency and accountability.

It’s important that any existingfacilities that are planning expansions or extensions to their current operations aretreated as new entrants if their expansion will create a significant new level of emissions. We cannot allow current coal and gas projects to continue to expand and explore and emit without regulation. I will continue to support any amendment requiring new entrants to meet their baselines and targets without the use of ACCUs.

I supported amendments that create a hierarchy of crediting which requires facilities to first show they have taken steps to achieve genuine on-site emissions reduction before they can gain access to the purchase of SMCs or ACCUs to acquit their emissions reduction obligationsI would like to see reporting required to explain why abatement is not feasible. 

The review in 2026 will need to take an honest look at whether the mechanism is delivering on our targets.”

The intensity of emissions from methane is very significant. , I also seconded the member for Warringah’s Private Members Motion on 6 March 2023 implementing the Global Methane Pledge.

The Safeguard Mechanism proposal is at risk of missing the opportunity for actual methane abatement – it would allow companies to buy offsets of carbon dioxide in place of cutting methane emissions. Offsets are not the solution  -  we need actual, rapid abatement and methane capture

Listen to my speech here: Global Methane Pledge - 6 March 2023

It’s hard to find a family in my electorate that hasn’t had a connection to our resources industry.  

Gas continues to play a significant role in Western Australia’s economy and will be important as part of the transition to cleaner energy.  

Gas is likely to remain in the energy mix up until 2050 because it will continue to play a role in peaking/back up in a decarbonised economy until we find alternatives.  However, gas is not the fuel of our future. 

Whilst gas is a better option than coal, it is still a fossil fuel and Western Australia must look to renewables to remain globally competitive in the industries of the future. 

About 90% of WA’s offshore gas is exported to trading partners such as Japan and South Korea. 

A balanced approach 

In terms of expansion of existing gas projects, we need to make good long-term decisions. We owe it to future generations to ensure that any approvals are based on facts, science, and a vision for WA’s economic future. Approving 50-year expansions make it much harder for the rest of the economy to transition. 

I am not opposed to the North-West Shelf project going ahead, provided it still stacks up, once some key conditions are met:

• The Safeguard Mechanism must work effectively;

• The full social and environmental cost of carbon must be considered;

• The offset system must be more robust; and

• Environmental and Aboriginal heritage issues must be satisfactorily addressed. 

There have been recent false and alarmist claims circulating in the media that I would use the approval of the North-West Shelf gas project in any potential minority government negotiations. 

I wholeheartedly rejects that claim and would not use any single project, industry, or issue as a bargaining chip if I became part of any minority government discussions. 

The choice isn’t between gas and nothing.  The real question is whether we’re thinking ahead and setting WA and Australia up for future success and prosperity

The genocide in Gaza continues to be a devastating humanitarian catastrophe.  

I support Australia’s recognition of Palestine as an independent and sovereign state.  

Australia must build on the current momentum and its longstanding commitment to support a two-state solution, to protect the lives and livelihoods of Israelis and Palestinians.  

I supported the calls made by the Australian Government in a joint statement with 29 other countries on 21 July 2025, stating, “a simple, urgent message: the war in Gaza must end now.”   

During the first sitting week of the 48th Parliament I spoke publicly on the situation in Gaza and stood with Medecins Sans Frontieres, supporting the petition to the Australian Government, to demand action to protect lives, stop weaponising aid and lift the siege in Gaza.  

It’s clear that international humanitarian law is being breached, and Australia must do everything in its power to stop Israel from using starvation as a tool of war.   

As I have done since first addressing this conflict, I also call on the terrorist organisation, Hamas, to immediately release all remaining hostages, who have endured unimaginable suffering.    

I have spoken and met with many constituents, advocates and concerned community groups and have passed on their messages to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Penny Wong, including our distress and anxiety over the continued blockage of aid into Gaza, the escalating humanitarian crisis, and the lack of viable medical facilities or functioning hospitals.   

As a country, we must play our part in upholding international law and hold tightly to the democratic values that underpin our national identity and enable diverse communities to live peacefully together as Australians.   

Keeping women safe in our community is a huge problem which requires a co-ordinated solution and huge effort from Federal and State Governments and the community. 

We need to see significant changes in: 

• the supports we provide

• how we manage and measure risk identification

• justice system

• our societal culture

Tragic circumstances unfolded in our electorate in May this year.  Two women in Floreat, Jennifer and Gretl Petelczyc in Floreat, were shot and killed by their friend’s ex-husband, Mark Bombara.  

The shooter was trying to find his ex-wife who had escaped the family home weeks earlier, fearing for her life. 

This event has torn apart two families and rocked our community.  I have received so many messages from constituents who have been devastated by this tragedy. 

Following the Floreat attack the Attorney General referred an enquiry to the Social Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee, of which I am a member, to consider how we can provide better access, for victim-survivors, to Family Violence Orders (FVO) and the effective enforcement of those orders.  

Our inquiry is currently considering: 

• the current barriers for litigants in the family law system to obtain and enforce FVOs,  

• how FVOs could be more accessible for victims of violence going through the family law system, and 

• the legal and non-legal support services required to promote early identification of and response to family violence. 

In Western Australia I am working for further reforms for gender based violence issues with the police, justice and communities portfolios. 

Listen to my speeches

I recently voted in favour of strengthening the hate crimes legislation because I believe there should be serious penalties for antisemitism and any hate crime based on a person’s race, religion, ethnicity, political opinion, sexual orientation or gender identity.   No one should be subjected to this type of public attack and I understand the fear felt by members of the Jewish community.

I did not support the inclusion of mandatory minimum sentencing in the legislation because there is no evidence that it works as a deterrent to reduce crime.  I believe it is important to let judges do their job - to consider all the circumstances of each case and determine an appropriate sentence and I trust in that process. Research shows that when shown all the circumstances of cases, 90% of the public agree with judges about appropriate sentences.

I note that both the Law Council of Australia and the Australian Law Reform Commission have consistently opposed mandatory minimum sentencing on the basis that it imposes restrictions on judicial discretion and undermines one of the fundamental principles of the rule of law – that the judiciary should be independent from the executive and legislative branches of government. 

I completely understand the community’s desire for greater consequences for hate crimes - they are abhorrent - but I feel it is important to act in accordance with fundamental legal principles when it comes to criminal law and not to be driven by kneejerk political forces

The quality of our democracy depends on us having robust institutions, including diverse and fearless media. Media concentration in Australia is second only to Egypt and China.

I support Zoe Daniel’s call for a judicial inquiry into media diversity in Australia.  

In this context, an inquiry should look at the level of concentration and the effectiveness of the self-regulation approach currently taken in Australia, including determining whether the Australian Press Council and the Australian Communications and Media Authority are fit for purpose.

Here is the link to my full speech in support of the call for a judicial inquiry: Media Diversity

The Government’s response has been ‘we know what is needed so we don’t require another inquiry’.  I will continue to advocate for action in this area and urge you to continue to hold government to account on delivering reform on media diversity.

I believe significant public support will be required to get any tangible change from the Government

People must be able to work in conditions that are free from exploitation and degradation. Modern Slavery hides in plain sight in business practices and supply chains in Australia and elsewhere. It refers to criminal and some slavery-like business practices that deny employees their self-determination and agency including the better-known human trafficking and forced labour – but also debt bondage, child labour and domestic servitude.  

In Australia, new migrants, workers who are temporary visa holders, and students are especially vulnerable to modern slavery practices. 

In Western Australia we are fortunate to have the expertise of the international human rights group Walk Free focused on the eradication of modern slavery.  Walk Free produces the Global Slavery Index, the most comprehensive data on modern slavery in the world.   

I have supported the Government’s establishment of an Anti-Slavery Commissioner, but there remain significant shortcomings in relation to the standard and substance of reporting modern slavery and a lack of enforceability. I have reservations about the effectiveness of the powers of the Commissioner without more badly needed reforms such as: 

• requiring entities to receive more guidance in relation to their assessment and measurement of their business vulnerability and risk to different types of modern slavery.   

• creating a duty to cooperate with the Commissioner. 

• creating a mechanism to refer complaints and protection of victims and whistleblowers 

I will continue to urge the Government to amend legislation to enhance the scope of this role so that an Anti- Slavery Commissioner can drive real change.

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I understand the frustration people in Curtin feel that they have been fighting the system for the past 10 years as the NDIS has been implemented.  My electorate office hears from people who have trouble accessing the NDIS, experience long delays in getting plans reviewed and cannot speak to a person about their plan. 

In June this year the Government introduced new legislation to address the sustainability of the NDIS. 

I take all concerns from constituents very seriously and have passed them on to the Minister.

People are rightfully concerned that the NDIS rate of growth will negatively impact upon the support they and their families will receive. Despite this, the NDIS is a positive scheme 

• it empowers people with disability 

• It enables them to purchase services that meet their unique needs and reflect their aspirations. 

• It benefits 600,000 Australians with 6000 new people added every month. 

The cost blowout of the past ten years was not anticipated, and it is going to take time to make the required cultural and system changes. 

I have raised my concerns in Parliament about shortcomings in the new legislation including: 

• the need for co-design and consultation in the development of delegated legislation 

• the lack of foundational supports and capacity, particularly from the States 

• the need for consistent mechanisms for needs assessment 

• a lack of merits-based review pathways 

• limits to the support available 

I will continue to urge the Minister to implement new NDIS reforms to make it sustainable but also to put people at the centre of the decision making.

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I back science, economics and private industry when it comes to Australia's energy transition.

This means supporting the continued rollout of renewable energy with storage as the backbone of our lowest-cost pathway as set out in the independent Roadmap by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

Evidence-based approach

We are successfully utilising our natural advantages in sun and wind to drive the energy transition revolution. Renewables already accounts for almost 40% of our electricity delivery in Australia.

Private industry is taking the opportunity and leading the transition including storage technologies to enable reliability.

Nuclear energy in Australia will be too slow to deliver with a 15+ year timeframe from the time of a decision to proceed and is too expensive as it is the most expensive form of new energy (CSIRO GenCost 2023-24 Report). It will deliver too little of our energy needs unless the growth of renewables is constrained, including switching off existing and future rooftop solar.     

Independent Roadmap vs Coalition's taxpayer-funded Nuclear Plan

AEMO has set out Australia's energy transition Roadmap (AEMO's 2024 Integrated System Plan) confirming that renewable energy firmed with storage and backed-up is our lowest-cost pathway to a net zero economy. It has the support of private industry including the National Farmers' Federation and the Australian Steel Institute.

In contrast, the Coalition has introduced a nuclear power plan. This plan is not just a nuclear plan, it is a burn coal for longer + restrain renewables + taxpayer-fund a nuclear build plan. This is the "mix" Peter Dutton is promoting while demonising experts – it is not rational and is a "lose-lose" scenario for cost and climate. 

Let's continue to apply commonsense, science and economics to follow the cheapest and cleanest pathway

Early in my time as an MP, constituents raised with me the issue of online gambling harm and since then I have been working to reduce it.  I have heard heart-breaking stories of loss and shame from the Curtin electorate. 

I am particularly concerned about children’s exposure to gambling products.  Three quarters of Australian children aged 8–16 years who watch sport think betting on sport is normal and can also name one or more sports betting companies. 

Almost 75% of Australian parents reported being ‘bothered’ by their children being exposed to gambling ads, whilst 86% of Australians agreed that gambling adverting should not be shown to children while online. 

In June 2023 the House Standing Committee on Social Policy and Legal Affairs, of which I am a member, completed its inquiry into online gambling, after 40 hours of hearings and 161 submissions.  

The committee’s report ‘You Win Some, You Lose More’ includes 31 recommendations.  These 31 recommendations urge the government to respond with a national strategy for online gambling harm reduction based on public health principles.  

A key recommendation in the report was a “comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising for online gambling”.  A gambling ad is shown every two minutes on free to air TV in Australia.  

This recommendation reflects the very broad consensus and alarming supporting data, that gambling does a great deal of harm, not just significant financial harm but psychological and social harm as well. 

The Government was meant to respond to this report within six months, but still says it is considering the recommendations. 

I have continued to speak in Parliament and in media about the impact of online gambling in Parliament and the need for Government to respond to the committee recommendations.   

I will continue to push the Government until the committee recommendations are implemented. 

Add your name to the petition to end advertising for online gambling, click here: https://www.agr.org.au/endgamblingads

I share my constituents’ deep concern relating to the online safety of children and young adults in their lives as well as the broad range of online issues that disproportionally impact women.  

A comprehensive statutory review of the Online Safety Act 2021 has commenced, (this Act must be independently reviewed a very three years with the three-month public consultation period closing in June 2024.  

I have had multiple briefings with the Office of the Online Safety Commissioner during this review period. A major challenge for the review is to examine whether existing legislation can effectively manage the emerging harms that are stemming from new technologies like generative artificial intelligence (including deepfakes and algorithms) and what further protections are required.  

We conducted a recent Online Safety Survey in the electorate to gather peoples concerns with 574 Curtin constituents responding. These responses informed our Curtin Community Submission on online safety which I have shared with the Minister. I will monitor the progress of the statutory review very closely and will continue to engage with my community and with the Minister.

Not surprisingly economists refer to the motherhood penalty – the amount of previous earnings an average mother gives up after having children. In Australia, it is huge – 55 per cent – and the average loss in earnings lasts for at least 10 years. 

New fathers are increasingly taking parental leave however, women remain the primary caregivers in Australia, taking time out from their careers. 

When people take leave because they are sick or having a holiday, they don’t return to the office with a lower superannuation balance than their colleagues.  It is important to pay superannuation on paid parental leave, so we are not disadvantaging parents in their retirement.  

I have been fortunate to experience parenthood and the challenges of my children’s early years first-hand. I took time off after each of my three children, and despite having a supportive and committed husband, I subsequently returned to work part-time instead of full-time and sought out different types of jobs, based on the need to balance my work responsibilities with the time I needed and wanted to spend with my kids. 

Women aged 60 to 65 are retiring with 25% less superannuation than men the same age, largely attributable to the caring responsibilities they take on. 

The Government introduced legislation that will benefit about 180,000 families annually by providing an extra 12 per cent of their government funded paid parental leave as an annual lump sum payment of up to $3,000 to their super fund. 

I supported this bill because recognising the loss of superannuation during time taken to look after children normalises paid parental leave as a workplace entitlement.

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While I recognise that the intention of the Superannuation (Better Targeted Superannuation Concessions) Bill is to ensure that superannuation is used to save for a dignified retirement, I have serious concerns about the structure of the change, which makes it impractical and potentially unfair. 

Even if this only affects a small number of people, as a matter of principle we need to ensure that changes we make are consistent with common sense approaches and fairness. 

My concerns relate to taxing unrealised gains, not indexing the $3 million threshold and there being no transition period. 

• Taxing unrealised capital gains will create liquidity issues for taxpayers. It is unreasonable to expect taxpayers to fund a tax liability that relates to the appreciation in value of an asset when they have not sold the asset and received money with which to pay any tax liability.

  The Government’s proposal would go against longstanding principles of tax law that only realised capital gains are taxable.  It will create an undesirable and inappropriate precedent for future tax proposals.  It could also disincentivise investments in long-term assets, instead incentivising a short-term approach to reduce liquidity risk.

  It would disproportionately impact self-managed super fund holders and those with a large illiquid asset, like farmers.

• The threshold should be indexed.  $3 million seems like a lot of superannuation today, but $3 million in 2064 won’t look like it does now.

  Not indexing the $3 million threshold has the potential to embed further intergenerational inequality.  Younger people have a hard enough time as it is, without disincentivising them to save for their retirement.

• Transitional arrangements should be included.  People have made financial decisions based on the current tax treatment, which they may not have made had they known this change was coming.  Because superannuation laws lock up people’s own money, we need to be extremely cautious about making changes without permitting people to rearrange their affairs accordingly. 

The failure of this Government to listen to stakeholders and experts on this issue means we will end up with an impractical, complicated and unfair version of what could have been a perfectly acceptable policy. 

I have no problem with putting a cap on superannuation tax breaks above a certain level.  But it has to be practical and fair.

I am very concerned about the rise of vaping, especially as she I have teenage children of my own. And from the number of emails and calls received from constituents, it seems like this is a concern shared by many in the community. 

I proposed a motion in Parliament calling for stronger restrictions on the importation and distribution of vaping products. I urged the Minister to take urgent action to implement a federal ban on all unprescribed e-cigarettes regardless of nicotine content, impose stronger border control regulations on vaping products and to update federal anti-tobacco advertising laws.  You can hear my full speech here. 

I have met with a number of health and policy experts to understand the magnitude of the problem and possible solutions.

Evidence is emerging that current federal regulations do not adequately meet the aim of preventing children and adolescents from accessing vaping products, while supporting access to products of known composition and quality for smoking cessation with a doctor’s prescription. Children are accessing vaping products in high numbers, and many adults are accessing vaping supplies on the black market, rather than through lawful supply channels with a prescription from an Australian registered doctor.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), which regulates vaping products, has recently conducted a public consultation. The public submissions to this consultation will inform discussion with Government about reforming vaping regulations to reduce the ability for children and adolescents to access vaping products.

I will be following this closely to ensure your voices are heard.

I have introduced a Private Members Bill to Parliament to urge the Government to introduce a simple solution to fix an important issue related to the process of Voluntary Assisted Dying.  

VAD is an accepted part of our health system. Every state has passed legislation allowing VAD under strict conditions with Territories expected to legislate soon.  Each state has also enacted legislative safeguards and detailed processes to ensure this very serious decision is given appropriate weight.  

Telehealth is also hugely important in improving access for people in rural and remote Australia to a variety of health services. However, the Federal Criminal Code Act makes it an offence to counsel, promote, or provide instruction on suicide, using a carriage service. 

This means doctors and pharmacists are at risk of criminal prosecution if they use telehealth, email, text or phone calls in relation to any lawful voluntary assisted dying services.  People who are terminally ill and already have the right to VAD services  

• must travel for face-to-face appointments 

• are deprived of equal access to end-of-life services  

The problem is exacerbated in WA’s regions. I have heard heartbreaking stories of terminally ill people travelling long distances in agony to meet doctors for a consultation in a car park or to pick up a prescription. Pharmacists are also afraid to discuss processes with doctors over the phone.  

The solution to this problem is simple - a minor amendment to the Federal Criminal Code to establish Voluntary Assisted Dying is not suicide.  Multiple State Attorneys-General and Health Ministers have told me they are keen to see the Act amended to protect practitioners and enable greater access, particularly for regional patients. This is also supported by the medical profession, academics and patient advocate groups.   

The comprehensive support for VAD laws in every state demonstrates the value our community places on choice, dignity and compassion for people who are terminally ill and suffering. 

My bill calls on the Federal Government to fix this problem so that  all Australians, irrespective of their postcode, have equal access to this choice.

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Focus on economic growth has delivered huge increases in our material living standards since the postwar period. Gross domestic product, GDP, is almost universally used as the principal measure of economic success. But GDP has its limitations – as our resources decline and demands on our planet grow – the idea of endless material growth is misplaced. 

GDP doesn’t measure our children’s health, the quality of their education or the joy of their play; it doesn’t capture economic inequality, loneliness, climate decline and political disengagement.  COVID provided a timely reminder about what is essential for our economy – the providers: nurses, teachers, carers and supply-chain workers.  

We need to rethink the purpose of our economy, rethink what we value and how we measure. This will require community engagement and political courage. 

There's an emerging approach to public policy globally known as the wellbeing economy. Half the OECD countries have wellbeing frameworks,  

Australia was an early leader in measuring wellbeing, but progress has stalled in the last decade. We need to start a national conversation about what we value - identify the tensions and appreciate the unintended consequences and the trade-offs.  

What should we preserve? and what should we try to change?  Once we know what to measure, we can start breaking down silos and focus on outcomes. 

In my electorate UWA has been working with Aboriginal elders through its Good Spirit Good Life project to work out what Aboriginal elders value - connection with family and friends, with country and culture, health and happiness.

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I will continue to speak up for much needed youth justice reforms

• Protect detainees from self-harm

• Ensure the new facility and existing Banksia Hill facility provides targeted therapeutic support and programs

• Raise the age of criminal responsibility across Australia.

• Provide more intervention and prevention initiatives for at risk youth. 

I have been concerned about youth justice issues, particularly for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children since the 2022 election and have raised issues relating to incarcerated children in Western Australia with both the Federal Attorney General Mark Dreyfus and Minister Linda Burney.  

There is evidence-based consensus across the health, social science and legal sectors that demonstrates young children have not reached the critical stage of brain development to fully understand the impact of their choices and consequently cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions.  

We need to reduce the number of children having contact with the criminal justice system and provide more early intervention and prevention programs. A good place to start would be to raise the minimum detention age from 10 years to 14 years, which reform I have raised with the Federal Attorney General. 

By exposing children early to youth detention, we are also exponentially increasing the chances they will commit further crimes. 

There are reported to be very serious issues with the conditions of incarceration at both Banksia Hill and at Casuarina Prison child detention Unit 18 where detainees are reported to be locked up for most of the day and at serious risk of self-harm. Tragically two teenagers have died within 10 months of each other in 2023 and 2024 at those facilities and the inquest into the death of one of the teenagers in August this year exposed significant operational failures and the need for cultural change in prison staff. 

Locking up young children also makes little economic sense. Broadly it costs $300,000 to lock up one child per year in Western Australia. [For the 2023 financial year it cost $75million alone to run Banksia Hill and the child detention Unit 18 at Casuarina Prison.]  This is money that could be much better spent on prevention programs. 

The Western Australian State Government announced in late September 2024 that it is planning to build a new facility to house high risk youth detainees and replace Unit 18. The proposed new facility will be alongside existing prison facility at Banksia Hill.  

I welcome this news, but the State Government must move expediently with this project so that at risk children can be relocated.

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