A more equal economy and inclusive society makes our communities fairer, safer and healthier.
Economists and business leaders agree we need tax reform to lift productivity, to ensure that we can fund essential social services and infrastructure, and to reduce intergenerational inequality.
I look at every piece of legislation and policy area to identify inequities for women, for people with disabilities and people of diverse cultural and gendered experiences. I look for opportunities to improve women’s health, economic participation, and safety.
Economic management
We need a strong, productive economy with a fair tax system to improve intergenerational inequality. With a generation of young Australians losing hope of ever owning their own homes, that means putting an end to tinkering around the edges of tax reform.
In the last parliament, my crossbench colleagues and I put tax reform back on the agenda, advocated for indexing tax brackets, presented legislation aimed at ending pork barrelling, and suggested ways to reduce red tape and regulatory burden for small businesses.
Evidence-based, sensible tax reform helps future-proof our economy while providing certainty to older Australians. It should:
- Decrease our dependence on income tax, to increase workforce participation and long-term economic sustainability.
- Ensure fair returns for our fossil fuel and mineral resources, and support the shift to a clean economy.
- Increase housing affordability and availability.
- Creative Incentives for investment and innovation, to increase productivity and economic growth.
Consumer protections
In response to constituent feedback, I’ve advocated for better consumer protections in several areas.
In a cost-of-living crisis, grocery price hikes by Coles and Woolworths have been excessive for too many people. I’ve supported independent reviews of the supermarket industry, advocated for greater transparency around pricing, and pushed for a mandatory Food and Grocery Code of Conduct.
I’ve also advocated for the government to hold our two biggest airlines, Qantas and Virgin, to account for airport slot hoarding and selling seats on cancelled flights. We now have a dedicated Aviation Ombuds Scheme and an Aviation Customer Rights Charter, to ensure faster refunds and complaint resolution.
Together with the Consumer Action Law Centre, I’ve worked for better legal protections for scams victims. I founded the Parliamentary Friends of Scams Protection and successfully pushed for an improved national Scams Protection Framework.
My record on equity and inclusion:
Since being elected to Federal Parliament in 2022:
- I supported legislation to increase access to cheaper early childhood education and childcare.
- Successfully advocated for better access to single parenting payments.
- Successfully pushed for superannuation payments on paid parental leave.
- Repeatedly called for increased Jobseeker and other support payments.
- Advocated for increased Commonwealth Rental Assistance payments, and for a review to ensure that they meet the needs of low-income renters.
- Push for housing reforms to increase the supply and affordability of public housing for those most at risk of homelessness.
- Secured a Senate enquiry into the ‘Respect at Work’ legislation which supported my amendment to better address legal cost issues for sexual violence survivors. The amended legislation passed in 2024.
- Successfully pushed for appointment of a national student ombudsman to ensure safety of women on university campuses.
- Repeatedly drew the government’s attention to deficiencies in reproductive and menopause healthcare for women in Australia.
- Successfully advocated for more funding for family violence and women’s legal services.
- Proposed a Productivity Commission review of the cost of poverty, on the basis of evidence that keeping unemployed and underemployed Australians in poverty is counterproductive.
- Advocated for humane treatment of asylum seekers and speedy processing of refugee claims.
- Supported an ongoing process of reconciliation with Australia’s First Nations peoples.
My parliamentary speeches on equality and inclusion:
Fairer access to representation in workplace harassment claims
Constituent statement: domestic violence
Early childhood education and care
Terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023