February 04, 2026

February 2026

Shark Safety • NBH Surgery Hub • Narrabeen Sports Track upgrades • Road Works & Improvements • Red Hill Petition • Manly Dam Survey •

February 2026 Updates

Hi Wakehurst!

2025 was an incredible year for our community, and it’s exciting to look ahead at what this year could bring. Together, we secured major wins, including our hospital’s transition back into public hands alongside strong budget outcomes that delivered real investment for Wakehurst, particularly in schools and public transport

As we head into the first sitting weeks of Parliament, there’s plenty to stay engaged with. This includes my Bushfire Protection Amendment Bill, the future of the Frenchs Forest Town Centre development and continuing the push for better infrastructure and facilities for our local schools. As always, I’m looking forward to working with you to keep delivering for our awesome community.

In this e-newsletter, you will find:

$4.2 million committed towards shark safety in NSW
My statement on the Northern Beaches Hospital Surgery Hub
Narrabeen Sports Track upgrades finally begun (Finally!)
Road improvements and works
Upgrades for our local school infrastructure
Out and About in Wakehurst
My petition for Red Hill’s mountain bike jumps’ formalisation and restoration
Survey on Manly Dam’s endangered species to go ahead!

Cheers,

$4.2 MILLION COMMITTED TO SHARK SAFETY IN NSW

After a spike in shark sightings (and sadly, attacks), there was some much needed positive news last week. $4.2 million has been committed towards improving shark safety on our beaches. As part of this 4.2m package, the NSW Government will:

Expand drone patrols at more beaches
Carry out focused research on bull sharks in Sydney Harbour and other estuaries
Install shark listening stations in Sydney Harbour
And strengthen community education and awareness

These measures sit alongside the 2025/25 Shark Management Program already operating, which includes:

305 SMART drumlines in 19 LGAs for year-round coverage
Shark nets at 51 beaches across 8 LGAs between Newcastle and Wollongong deployed 1 September to 1 March
Tracking the movements of tagged sharks via 37 shark listening stations

New drone locations in the Northern Beaches include:

I’m pleased the advocacy I’ve been doing alongside neighbouring MP Jacqui Scruby is continuing to pay off. A massive thank you to Surf Life Saving NSW, Surfing NSW, Long Reef Board Riders, and the Psilakis family for your hard work and dedication towards shark safety here in NSW. Together we have made a big difference.

STATEMENT: THE NORTHERN BEACHES HOSPITAL SURGERY HUB

The efficiency and excellence of the surgical teams at Northern Beaches Hospital has been widely recognised. The new surgery hub at Northern Beaches Hospital, announced last week, builds on and showcases this strength as the hospital comes back into the NSW public health network.

The surgical hub will use surplus surgical capacity and also bring further investment to our local hospital. The hub will focus on day only operations, meaning minimal pressure on in-patient beds.

I have sought and received assurances from the Minister for Heath that Northern Beaches residents will continue to have priority access and will retain first access to surgery services. This is our local hospital and will continue to serve us and prioritise local residents as all public hospitals do across the state.

Northern Beaches Hospital going public means better integration into the broader public NSW health network. This new surgery hub is part of that. This network integration has so many benefits and is good for our community - better staffing, better patient record management and better patient treatment pathways.

Clinicians and patients still urgently need clarity on the future of co-located private services at the Northern Beaches Hospital site. I am pushing the government to resolve this uncertainty as soon as possible, with no loss of access to services for our community.

NARRABEEN SPORTS TRACK UPGRADES NOW ON TRACK

This month I had the honour of participating in the sod-turning ceremony to symbolise the beginning of construction on Narrabeen Athletics Track. After much advocacy from the community and athletes from far and wide, we finally received funding in the 2025/26 budget to future-proof and upgrade the track. An additional 5 million dollars on top of the insurance to fix it.

I’ll be closely following the construction until it is finished and giving updates here and on my socials.

ROAD UPGRADES

We are starting this year off strong with the first of (hopefully many) road improvements.

Pittwater Road: is currently being resurfaced along the bend from South Creek Rd to Anzac Avenue.
Government Road: The intersection of Government Rd and Warringah Rd is also getting new asphalt and traffic light upgrades.
Wakehurst Parkway: The contract to deliver the road improvements and upgrades along Wakehurst Parkway is set to be awarded soon, with major construction to commence shortly after.

Thank you for helping raise awareness of these issues and for taking the time to report potholes. Make no mistake: according to correspondence from Connect Sydney, who manage our roads, our area was allegedly considered to have the best roads in Sydney, simply because no one was complaining. That’s why your reports matter. So again, thank you for your help.

BACK TO SCHOOL

With the school year starting up again, it's looking like a great year for our students!

Pedestrian safety upgrades are finally coming to Frenchs Forest around Wakehurst Public School. This includes widened footpaths and pedestrian fencing drastically lowering the safety risks for pedestrians.
The new Forest High School campus is officially starting operations which is hard to believe after so many years of talk. Looking forward to seeing how our local students enjoy the new space (with seaside views!) with the sports field set to open for use in term 2.
And stay tuned for more news on the Cromer Campus multipurpose school hall which we got funding for in the 2025/26 Budget. This will be a great community asset.

OUT AND ABOUT

It was great to be out and about across Wakehurst this month, with lots of exciting events keeping me busy across the electorate. These included:

The Australia Day Citizenship Ceremony, celebrating the 188 New Australians from across 37 nations here in the Northern Beaches. A great way to spend Australia Day
The Manly Warringah T20 Charity cricket match was insane, who knew the Sea Eagles could play cricket. It was nice to spend the arvo watching cricket and supporting a great local charity, Burdekin which helps to house youth in crisis locally.
Bush to Beach kicked off again! From Brewarrina to South Narrabeen Surf Club, thanks to everyone who made this happen.
2026 Fusion Pride Picnic, kicking off this year’s pride season with some great music, performances, and company.
Collaroy Tennis Club’s AO Pride Night, which was hosted in collaboration with the Glam Slam in Melbourne, the world’s largest queer tennis tournament.
1st grade Semi Finals, where I got to see my mates at the Warringah Cricket club win against some mob from over the bridge- Bring on the final!

RESTORE & FORMALISE THE REDHILL BIKE JUMPS

To rebuild and protect the Red Hill Mountain Biking Dirt Jumps, we need YOUR voice.

Please sign and share my Red Hill Mountain Bike Jumps petition.

The Red Hill Mountain Biking Dirt Jumps have long been a valued recreational space for our community. With the unexpected demolition of the jumps, a much loved local recreational outlet has been destroyed. This has pushed a thriving community of riders away from a safe, established location and undermined the positive work that went into it. I’ve raised this in parliament, but now I need your help by signing the petition.

This petition calls on the NSW Government to:

Reopen and restore the Red Hill mountain biking dirt jumps
Work collaboratively with the community, local riders and experts to ensure the trails are safe, sustainable and environmentally recognisable
Recognise mountain biking as a legitimate, healthy and positive community activity on public land.

Together we can send a clear message: Red Hill belongs to the community and it’s time to restore it.

SIGN THE PETITION TODAY

For more information, check out the videos I posted on Instagram and Facebook, where I met with local riders to hear about the first-hand impacts the demolishment had on our community.

MANLY DAM ENDANGERED SPECIES TO BE SURVEYED

In great environmental news, I can confirm that the EPA will conduct a survey into the Climbing Galaxias fish at Manly Dam. This comes after increased concerns and advocacy about the sediment pollution from the new Forest High development, especially surrounding the endangered Climbing Galaxias.

The survey is vital in informing and influencing our next steps in protecting Manly Dam and helping ensure real environmental outcomes locally. Thanks to the Environment Minister for allocating the fines from local builders to pay for this.