Dear Resident of the Berowra Electorate,
I want to update you on some of the work I have been doing locally and nationally. This newsletter includes:
- Christmas Card Photography Competition
- Telecommunications Update
- Fighting for Better Infrastructure for our Community
- Happy Diwali
- Certificates of Appreciation for Veterans
- Will Labor Abolish Stage Three Tax Cuts?
- National Anti-Corruption Commission
- Recent Media
Please feel welcome to share this newsletter with others who may be
interested. Anyone who wants to be added to the newsletter distribution
list should email julian.leeser.mp@aph.gov.au. As always, please reach
out to my office if you require assistance. You can email me or call
9980 1822.
In order for me to continue representing our community to the best of my
ability, please take a moment of your time to fill in my survey. Simply
click the link, https://bit.ly/3AWPxht
Finally, if you are a regular correspondent with my office, we are about
to start trailing a new out of office message for the emails we
receive. The volume of correspondence coming into my office has
substantially increased since becoming a Shadow Minister and I wanted to
let local residents know that I will always prioritise getting back to
them. However our limited resources mean I can’t provide the exact same
service to all those who write to me from around Australia.
Yours sincerely,
Julian Leeser
Christmas Card Photography Competition
Every year I hold my annual Christmas card photography competition, I invite you to make your submission.
The theme of this year’s competition is ‘Things to be grateful for in our community this Christmas’.
The winning entry will be used as the front cover of my Christmas card
with credit to the photographer. I will also publish a selection of the
entries on my Facebook and Instagram pages.
You can enter by emailing the photo to julian.leeser.mp@aph.gov.au
The competition closes 31st of October.
Photo credit: Kevin Batchelor (2017 Winner)
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Telecommunications Update
As you know I have been campaigning for better telecommunications
services for our community for years most recently securing new mobile
phone towers under the Coalition Government’s Peri Urban Mobile Program
which will help service Hornsby Heights and parts of Galston and Mt
Colah and Annangrove Rd. I want to see more towers in more of our
communities where the mobile phone coverage remains inadequate.
Although we are now in opposition I will continue to fight for better service for our community.
I have written to Labor’s new Minister for Communications, the Hon
Michelle Rowland MP, to bring to her attention the poor state of
telecommunications in our community.
When in Government, the Coalition set aside some $1.3 billion to respond
to our Government's Regional Telecommunications Review. This review
encouraged place-based solutions to telecommunications upgrades. It
should benefit our community as a peri-urban area encountering poor
quality NBN and poor-quality mobile reception.
I asked Minister Rowland to commit to upgrades under the place-based
solutions fund that would change fixed wireless to fixed line NBN at
Knights Rd Galston, at Fuggles Rd/Orana Rd Kenthurst and at Dural East,
where residents have either campaigned for telecommunications
improvements or have experienced a lack of connectivity, even in cases
where the infrastructure is actually sited on their land.
I have invited Minister Rowland to visit our community and try to use
her mobile phone to make a call at spots around Dural – only a 35-minute
drive to the Sydney CBD – so that she can experience first-hand the
challenges faced by so many in our community.
I have also invited Shadow Minister for Communications Senator the Hon
Sarah Henderson to visit our community next month so she too can see the
parlous telecommunications situation in our electorate. Senator
Henderson is a telco reformer who was one of the supporters of my
private members bill in the last parliament.
I will continue to do everything I can to improve mobile and NBN coverage and service to our community.
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Fighting for Better Infrastructure for our Community
I also have written to the new Minister for Infrastructure, the Hon
Catherine King MP, to ask her to help the community organisations and
Hornsby Council whose infrastructure upgrades the Coalition Government
had committed to fund.
Hornsby Council needs an injection of $2.5 million for the upgrade of
the playing surface and amenities block for the sporting hub at Campbell
Park West Pennant Hills. These facilities are used by the West-Pennant
Hills-Cherrybrook Football Club, one of Australia's largest amateur
football clubs, with over 1,3000 players and 250 staff, volunteers and
coaches.
Hornsby Council also needs funding to complete the full vision for the
upgrade of Hunt Reserve. This upgrade would see better facilities,
better lighting, and better parking, which would enable greater
enjoyment of this facility for the families in the area.
The San Giorgio Association is looking to complete the renovations of
their community hall at Kenthurst. The San Giorgio Association has been
holding annual festivals there for nearly 50 years. Their premises are
used by local SES and RFS for training purposes and they wanted to
complete this community hall renovations so that they are able to
provide greater use of their facility for other community organisations
in the area. The Coalition Government had agreed to a grant of $150,000
to complete these renovations.
I wait to hear from Minister King, but it would be very sad if these
much-needed community projects were not funded in this month’s budget.
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Happy Diwali
Diwali is coming up next week and I want to extend my best wishes to everyone in the Indian community who will be celebrating.
Diwali is an occasion where we celebrate the victory of light over darkness.
It’s also an occasion for us to reflect on the 700,000 strong Indian
community in Australia, and the growing partnership between our two
nations that was crystallised under the Coalition government through the
Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, our work together in the Quad, the
recent trade agreement and increasing defence cooperation.
Happy Diwali to all!!
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Berowra Community Honours the Service of Her Majesty the Queen
Nearly 400 people from our community came together on 18 September 2022
to celebrate the life and legacy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at
the Berowra Community, Civic and Interfaith Memorial Service at the
Hornsby RSL.
I wish to thank the following people who made the service so memorable:
Rev Tim St Quintin, Most Rev Anthony Randazzo, Rabbi Zalman Kastel AM,
Father Andrew Joannou, Minister James McFarlane, Rev Sangharakkitha
Thero, Rev Sasanarathi Thero, Pastor Joseph Talipuan, the Hornsby RSL
Memorial Pipe Band, Marilena Manna of Cheltenham Girls' High School, 1st
Asquith Scouts Zoe Starling and Will Bury, the Pacific Hills Christian
School Choir, Mayor Dr Peter Gangemi, the Hornsby RSL Sub Branch and
their President George Main.
Queen Elizabeth’s life of service inspired so many people and I want to
thank the hundreds of people in our community who took the time to send a
message of condolence to the Royal Family.
My speech from the Memorial Service can be accessed by clicking here, and a copy of the programme can be found by clicking here.
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In addition, a special sitting day of
Parliament was held at which I had the great honour of paying tribute to
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and her lasting legacy.
I was pleased to be able to share the reflections of some members of our community whose lives were touched by Her Majesty.
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Certificates of Appreciation for Veterans
If you're a veteran or a veteran's family member, you may be able to apply for a Certificate of Appreciation.
These certificates express the nation's gratitude to those who have
served overseas in Australia's Defence Force during World War II, in
those overseas wars, conflicts and peace operations since, and on the
home front in World War II.
You are eligible to apply for a certificate if you are a veteran, or if
you are a family member acting on behalf of a deceased eligible
person.
For more information, guidelines, and to apply, click here.
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Will Labor Abolish Stage-Three Tax Cuts?
Labor is waging a war on aspiration. They are abandoning their
unequivocal promise to implement the Coalition’s legislated Stage Three
tax cuts, which will hurt many in our Berowra community.
Labor’s failure will impact hard-working and aspirational Australians,
who are working so hard to pay off their homes, raise their families,
and contribute to the common good of the economy.
The Coalition believes in rewarding hard work, which is why we lowered
income tax. The tax relief we provided last year meant a person earning
$90,000 paid more than $3,000 less tax than they did under Labor. (It
was $18,217 in 2021-22, compared to $21,247 in 2013-14). I will continue
to put pressure on Labor to deliver the Stage Three tax cuts as
promised.
National Anti-Corruption Commission
The Coalition supports a National Anti-Corruption Commission because
corruption is wrong, and the Commonwealth is the only jurisdiction in
Australia not to have a corruption commission. It is worth noting that
the Coalition established Australia's first corruption commission, ICAC
in New South Wales in 1988.
However, given the 30 years of experience of corruption commissions
around Australia we must take great care to ensure that adequate
safeguards are in place because of the extraordinary powers we are being
asked to hand to this Commission. The very broad powers the Albanese
Government is going to give this Commission will see the National
Anti-Corruption act as police, jury, judge and executioner.
The Commission has very broad reach well beyond parliamentarians and
Canberra public servants – it extends to NDIS workers, aged care nurses
and pharmacists – indeed almost anyone exercising powers under a
Commonwealth law.
We believe that the gardener, cook or cleaner at Parliament House should
at least have the same rights as a terrorist or murder suspect when
under investigation by the Commission. The Commission Bill has been
referred to a Parliamentary Committee. The Committee has only four days
of public hearings. I think it is important that the Committee examining
this bill hear the experiences of corruption commissions from every
state and territory, and from those who have been subjected to them,
either as lawyers, parties, or witnesses, to ensure that we get the
balance right.
I have outlined further concerns in an interview with Rosie Lewis of the Australian, to read the interview click here and in an interview with Kieran Gilbert of Sky News.
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My Recent Media
If you are interested in reading more about what I am doing as the
Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Indigenous Australians,
here is just some of my recent media appearances.
At a press conference with the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, I discussed the National Anti-Corruption Commission.
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I also spoke to Matt Doran on ABC Afternoon
Briefing about the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Labor
Government's shambolic decision-making process in reversing the decision
made under the Coalition Government to recognise West Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel.
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I
spoke to Phillip Coorey from the Australian Financial Review on the
value of the National Anti-Corruption Commission Bill considering the
record of state-based commissions over the past 30 years, all of which
had demonstrated the need for additional safeguards to protect innocent
people from being publicly besmirched without a conviction. Click here to read.
In the wake of Andrew Thorburn being forced to resign from Essendon due
to his religious beliefs, I spoke to the Australian about the need for
the Labor party to keep to their election promise that they would bring
forward a religious discrimination bill. Click here to read.
I also raised my concerns about people of faith facing discrimination in
the workplace with Janet Albrechtsen of the Australian. Click here to read.
I also spoke to Patricia Karvelas on RN Breakfast about the need for the
National Anti-Corruption Commission to have additional safeguards, such
as a superior court judge acting independently to have the final say
over whether hearings should be in public if exceptional circumstances
are present.
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