Dear Bugle Reader, 

Parliament has been sitting the last two weeks and I’ve been flat out from sun-up to sun-down! 

I’ve moved a motion standing with the people of Israel and condemning violence and vilification. 

Having had the good fortune to travel to the Middle East on two occasions, I’ve visited both Israel and Palestine. I’ve met ordinary people, both Israeli and Palestinian, who simply want to raise their families and live their lives free of war and terror. 

The vile and disgusting actions of Hamas must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. I was sickened to see behaviour at Lakemba and the Opera House which celebrated the attacks on Israel, encouraged vilification and incited violence towards people of Jewish faith and antecedents. 

It is my strong view that any person who is a non-citizen or dual citizen found to be inciting violence or racial hatred, in any form, should be deported from our country. The Federal Government has the power to deport people in breach of the law and they should do so. 

This week, I’ll be giving notice of a private members bill to require defibrillators to be mandated in public buildings and public transport and to require the mandatory registration and details of a defibrillator to be made publicly available through the Service NSW App. 

Whilst Service NSW has a voluntary option to register an AEC, there is no mandatory requirement for locations. I have received many requests from my electorate for AEDs in certain locations, and this bill reflects the wants and needs of the community and academics. 

This bill will ensure certain buildings, (e.g. large commercial), facilities and public transport have AEDs installed, signed, and maintained by way of a public register. It will also include a training scheme for certain persons. 

Also knows as PADs (Public Access Defibrillators), researchers argue a widespread rollout of these could at least double survival rates from out of hospital cardiac arrests. 

I’ve also introduced a Private Members Bill to implement recommendations from the Independent Commission Against Corruption as part of Operation Eclipse to legislate the publication of meetings with lobbyists and other influences with Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries. 

Improving transparency and accountability in government goes to the heart of trust and confidence in government decision-making, avoiding undue influence and highlighting corruption risks. 

If this Labor Government doesn’t want to make the mistakes of the last Labor Government, they’ll support this bill.