Labor continued its reform agenda during last week’s parliamentary sittings, introducing industrial relations legislation that will promote job security, help close the gender pay gap, modernise the workplace bargaining system and get wages moving.

My week started with moving a motion to debate closing the gender pay gap. The gap currently sits at 14.1% - meaning the average Australian man now earns $263.90 more per week than the average Australian women.

Women should not be paid less than men and we must close this gap. You can watch my speech here.

The centrepiece legislation for the sitting week was Labor’s Secure Jobs Better Pay Bill which fundamentally makes Australia’s workplace relations laws fairer.

Australia’s current workplace relations framework is not delivering a fair go for workers – or productivity gains for employers. If the economy is being managed properly, wages rise. But we’ve seen stagnant wages for the past decade. It’s time workers got a wage rise to keep up with inflation and this legislation deliberately focuses on the needs of lower-paid and female dominated workforces – who have been left to fall behind.

You can watch my speech in support of this legislation here.

I also spoke in Parliament this week about endometriosis and the war in Ukraine. You can watch those speeches here and here.

It was a busy week outside the chamber too with book launches, press conferences, media appearances, and other events.

I was honoured to host the Parliamentary launch of Amy’s Balancing Act, a children’s book about the transition to clean energy by Dr Bjorn Sturmberg - a research leader in the Australian National University’s battery storage and grid integration program.

Australian National University vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt performed a reading of the book and Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen spoke at the event.

I was pleased to join Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek for a visit to the Soft Landing Mattress recycling facility to announce manufacturers of mattresses, tyres and health plastics will need to consider and improve the sustainability of the lifecycle of their products.

These products were placed on the Ministers Priority List – requiring the industry to act to reduce their environmental impact or face regulatory measures.

I had the great privilege of meeting superstars Bluey and Bingo at the ABC’s Parliamentary Showcase last week.

For almost a century, the ABC has entertained us, fostered home grown talent, and informed us of important local, national and world events. It’s where Australians turn in times of crisis for accurate and up-to-date information.

I spoke in Parliament about the importance of the ABC’s work and how Labor is delivering on our election commitment to better fund our public broadcasters.

You can watch that speech here.

Speaking of the ABC, I also appeared on ABC Canberra local radio and the ABC’s Capital Hill program, where I spoke about industrial relations, COP27, and territory rights.

You can watch my Capital Hill appearance here.

The final sitting fortnight of the year starts next week, with territory rights expected to go to a vote in the Senate. I am optimistic we can repeal the Andrews Bill and return full democratic rights to the people of the ACT and Northern Territory.

Finally, thank you to everyone who has taken the opportunity to tell me what matters most to you by filling out my 2022 community survey.  I have received an overwhelming response to this community survey, with over 1500 responses so far. I’m looking forward to share what Canberrans have had to say in the coming weeks.

Engaging with my constituents is very important to me and is central to my representation of Canberra in the federal parliament. If you didn’t receive the survey in the post, you can fill it out online here.

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