This week, The Bugle sat down with Member for Gilmore Fiona Phillips to gauge what her priorities are for the community.

Much like her state politics counterpart Gareth Ward, Fiona says the No.1 topic she’s asked about is the ongoing cost of living crisis and how the lack of affordable housing plays into those issues. 

Despite representing an electorate spanning 6342 square kilometres from Kiama in the North to Moruya in the south the topic keeps repeating. However, Fiona is proud of the measures the Labor Government has already begun rolling out to help address the crisis, particularly around housing affordability. One of the key pieces of legislation Fiona is proud to have helped pass is the Housing Australia Future Fund that will provide $10 billion to create a pipeline of social and affordable housing across the country.

“The last ten years, we just haven’t seen that growth in affordable and social housing, and when you have ten years like that, you get to the stage we’re at now which is a crisis point,” Fiona told The Bugle.

“How [the Housing Australia Future Fund] it works is it’s basically a fund where the dividends are reinvested back into affordable and social housing. So what happens is you’ve got other investors, like a superannuation fund, and they partner with community housing providers or local councils to actually get those projects going. But they have to be affordable and rental housing. So it’s designed specifically to boost that.”

Fiona says she particularly feels for young people who are priced out of areas they grow up in like the Kiama LGA but says more legislation like the New Homes Bonus is slowly easing the pressure.

One of the other general cost of living measures is the introduction of 60-day dispensing for selected medicines, which allows patients with chronic conditions to buy a two month supply of drugs for the price of one, which the Labor Government estimates will save six million Australians up to $180 per year. Despite the legislation being recommended by the Independent Pharmaceutical Benefit Advisory Committee in 2018, there was still significant pushback on the legislation, particularly from the Pharmacy Guild of Australia, which has since suspended its protest of 60-day dispensing.

“I was bombarded 24/7 from pharmacists, mainly around NSW, Victoria and Queensland. There was a lot of pressure but this was about good health policy and standing up for people in Kiama and Gerringong and right across Australia,” said Fiona. 

“If it means it makes it cheaper for them to have their medicine, if it means going to their GP less often, if it means freeing up GP appointments for those that need them the most, it means people don’t have to go to the emergency department, that’s a good thing.”

Turning back to the Kiama LGA, Fiona mentioned two projects she has delivered for Gilmore. The first is a dedicated headspace for Kiama, which provides much-needed mental health services and support for young people in the region. Fiona was extremely proud to finally announce funding for the Kiama headspace, which is scheduled to open early next year. She revealed that she had to fight back objections that Kiama didn’t need a headspace because there was already a centre in Shellharbour.

“I really fought to get that headspace in Kiama and I can say that was a commitment I made before the last election, my opponent at the time did not make that commitment and I can say that there was a push for not having one in Kiama, and I fought really hard to make sure that that headspace came to Kiama,” says Fiona.

“I can say that categorically, it has not been easy on any stage of the way, so to actually have that lease signed and a dedicated service opening up by early next year, it’s really exciting.

Another highlight for Fiona was the announcement of a $5.5 million grant to build a new Gerringong Surf Life Saving clubhouse. 

“That has all been signed off in terms of the funding deed, so that’s about to start. It’s massive, and that’s further support for young people in our community as well.” 

One of Fiona’s passions is promoting healthy living in the community, so she hopes the next thing for Gerringong will be more sports facilities. “If we look at Gerringong, we really need a new sports facility, but particularly more facilities for women. It’s a place that covers many different sports, but there’s no women’s change rooms. I’m excited about being able to provide some funding but we need even more funding for that.”