September 24, 2026

August/September 2026

Helping our Northern Beaches essential workers • supporting our neurodivergent students • NSW Sitting Week Summary • wins for our local environment

Hey Wakehurst!

With the winter months finally at an end, here’s a rundown of what’s been going on across Wakehurst and in NSW Parliament this month.

In this newsletter, you will find:

Sign & help our essential workers live and work locally!
September NSW Sitting Week Summary
Fighting for our neurodivergent students
Patyegarang (Lizard Rock) proposal withdrawn
A win for biodiversity in our Manly Dam!
Cromer Campus’ new courts starting development!
Mobile Offices: Come say hi!

Cheers,

Help our essential workers live and work on the Northern Beaches!

Recently, I had a conversation with Sheridan Brady, President of the Northern Beaches Hospital branch of the Nurses and Midwives’ Association on her petition to Parliament that I’m sponsoring. The petition calls on the Government to maximise affordable homes for essential workers at the former Forest High School site.

Increasingly essential workers can’t afford to live here. Long commutes or subpar living conditions are not only bad for our nurses, but bad for our community who rely on the services they provide. We can fix this.

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

The redevelopment of the government owned land is a once in a generation opportunity to shift the dial on affordable housing for our essential workers. I’m doing everything I can to make sure we don’t let it pass us by.

Together, by signing and sharing this petition we can make our voice heard and have the site handed to key workers so that they can live and work in our awesome community. If we don’t, we will continue to lose our key workers- The last thing we want on the old high school site is more multi-million dollar apartments that very few people can afford.

September Sitting Week Updates

These past two weeks have been action packed in parliament. From meetings with Ministers to debates in the chamber- some highlights from this fortnight included:

Joining Members from all sides of politics in solidarity with the victims and communities affected by the recent floods in Nepal and Tibet. Attending a bake-sale by the Allambie Scouts to fundraise for disaster relief, it was a beautiful reminder that our community really does come together with care and support in times of crisis. Really warming to see a similar attitude in the chamber.

Welcoming students from Northern Beaches Christian School to Parliament House last week, where they presented their open letter "We The Students" to Minister for Education, the Hon. Prue Car. These young people have done remarkable work making the case for AI literacy in the curriculum, better-equipped teachers, and assessments fit for an AI-enabled future. I was truly proud to stand alongside them.
Asking the Health Minister when the long-term private services model for Northern Beaches Hospital will be announced in Question Time, keeping the pressure on the Government to deliver what our community wants. I also raised key concerns with the Minister for Roads about the state of the A8 corridor on the Northern Beaches.
Joining fellow crossbenchers Phil Donato MP, Jacqui Scruby MP and Judy Hannan MP for a panel discussion with university students on the role and impact of the crossbench in NSW. Always enjoy these conversations, the questions from students were sharp, and it's encouraging to see the next generation genuinely curious about how democracy works, especially outside of a major party.

Fighting for increased supports for neurodivergent students at our schools

At the end of last year, I hosted a community forum on the gaps in our school system that let neurodivergent students fall behind their peers. That got the ball rolling. Since December, I've set up a local Neurodivergent Supports in Schools working group, been speaking with families, teachers and students about what's working, and what urgently needs to change.

This sitting week, I spoke on the Education Amendment (School Community Safety) Bill, pushing to make sure new powers to manage difficult school behaviour don't end up punishing parents of neurodivergent kids and kids with disability for advocating hard for their children. I asked the Government to ensure that persistent disability advocacy isn't considered "unreasonable conduct," and raised a statewide parent-teacher subcommittee on neurodivergence in public schools. This is a very welcome and very meaningful win.

The Working Group's advocacy has also informed discussions with the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education on teacher training, school-based support workers, transition planning, and schools operating more consistently as support hubs. I thank every member for their insight, persistence and commitment.

Our working group's Supportive Schools Checklist sets out what strong, practical support looks like, from school culture and inclusive classrooms to safety, engagement, leadership and staffing. You can find the checklist on my website.

Patyegarang (Lizard Rock) proposal withdrawn!

The Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council has withdrawn its proposal to rezone Patyegarang (formerly Lizard Rock) bushland for 450 homes, a major win for our community after years of advocacy. I want to thank all of our concerned residents and those in the community who made a submission or spoke out against this reckless proposal. Thanks to Bushland Guardians, Northern Beaches Council and all local experts. All these efforts helped create the conditions for the outcome we see today, including a 12,000-signature petition. It truly makes me so proud to serve and represent such an engaged community in NSW Parliament.

While welcome, withdrawal doesn't permanently protect the site, and questions remain about the Department of Planning's willingness to override RFS bushfire advice. I'll be sure to keep pushing for transparency and stay vigilant on this.

A win for biodiversity at our Manly Dam!

Some great news to share here!

After the pollution events at Manly Dam, we didn't know whether the 90-million-year-old climbing galaxias had survived. Thanks to the Save Manly Dam Catchment Committee's advocacy, the EPA carried out a survey, and the results are in: this remarkable "dinosaur fish" is still calling Manly Dam home!

Coming so close to losing this ancient species is a powerful reminder of why we need to protect the Manly Dam catchment, for the galaxias, and for everyone who loves swimming and picnicking there- Great news for Manly Dam's ancient residents!

A huge thank you to the Save Manly Dam Catchment Committee for their endless work preserving biodiversity in Manly Dam.

Cromer Campus' new hall is moving forward!

Great news! The NBSC Cromer Campus multipurpose hall and basketball courts project has moved into the design phase, with construction on track to start early next year and finish in 2028. It'll include indoor sports courts and a stage, open for community use outside school hours. I’ve pushed behind the scenes to get three courts instead of two, which are now locked in.

Keep up to date with this project's progress via the online portal.

I can’t wait to see this excellent local public high school go from strength to strength with this brand-new facility!

MOBILE OFFICES

These past few months, I've been out and about doing mobile offices across the electorate, with great conversations at Killarney Heights, Narraweena, and Collaroy Plateau shops. Come say hello at an upcoming stop, I'd love to chat!

Catch me at these upcoming mobile offices, excited to chat with you.

8 October: 160X bus stop corner Forest Way and Rabbett St
24 October: Long Reef / Griffith Park, 10:00 – 11:30am
27 October: Brookvale B-Line Stop, 4:30pm-5:30pm.
5 November: Forestville 160X Stop (at Warringah Rd + Ferguson St), 4:00 – 5:00pm

I'll be posting updates on mobile offices on my website and social media as well!