Multiculturalism
One of my enjoyable duties as a federal MP is regularly attending citizenship ceremonies. It’s always a thrill to see our multiculturalism grow from strength to strength, and in particular to witness the happiness and optimism on the faces of the children becoming Australian citizens.
Of course, for tens of thousands of years, hundreds of aboriginal languages have been spoken across the continent, representing an enormous diversity of nations and cultures. And since the First Fleet millions of migrants from every corner of the globe, speaking between them just about every language on earth, have settled here, genuinely making Australia one of the most multicultural nations on earth.
All of which has helped create an open, creative, dynamic, diverse and mature nation. Our economy is stronger, our cultural life is richer and more interesting, our outlook has become broader, and we are more engaged in our region. In other words, Australia has always been home to a rich and diverse multicultural society. Politicians who choose to peddle a politically expedient dream of some sort of “monoculture” utopia wilfully ignore Australia’s real story.
Government gambling changes
After taking more than one thousand days to respond to the cross-party, unanimous recommendations of the Murphy Report, You win some, you lose more, the Federal Government is finally set to try and legislate its half-baked response in law. I say half-baked, because the Government’s proposals will do little to protect vulnerable Australians and children from gambling harm.
The Government’s policy still allows for three gambling ads per hour between 6am and 8.30pm, with ads unrestricted after 8.30pm. It does nothing to ban inducements and it also fails to establish a national regulator.
I cannot support the Government’s plan because they do virtually nothing to implement the effective reforms detailed in the Murphy Report. Clearly the Government continues to be more concerned with protecting the interests of gambling companies, media companies and major sporting codes, rather than the interests and wellbeing of Australians.
I encourage members of the community to contact Tasmanian Senators to express their disgust with the Government by visiting www.stopgamblingads.com.au
Electoral redistribution
The boundaries of the federal electorates in southern Tasmania are set to be changed and will be in place for the next federal election. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) reviews boundaries every seven years to ensure that electorates contain about the same number of voters.
The electorate of Clark will lose the Glenorchy City Council area but will absorb all of the Huon Valley Council and Kingborough Council areas. The electorate of Franklin will now include much of the East Coast. Lyons will take in the Glenorchy City Council area. It remains to be seen if the federal changes are applied to state electoral boundaries.
Such a major redistribution has been made necessary by the significant imbalance in the number of voters between federal electorates. For instance, at the 2025 federal election there were 74,304 enrolled voters in Clark, which is about 6,000-12,000 fewer than needed by 2030 to ensure that the electorate meets the AEC’s required standard for parity with the other electorates.
Yours sincerely
