Kate Chaney (Curtin, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

On the last scheduled sitting day of the parliamentary year, I couldn't be prouder of the constructive, positive and accountable way my community and the crossbench have contributed since the start of the 48th parliament. After eight weeks of parliament, the crossbench is already showing its impact. We've had some good wins this year already.

The crossbench rigorously interrogated the EPBC bill, collectively proposing 119 amendments. The House knocked back 118, but I was pleased that one of my amendments was accepted—to improve the transparency of the offsets fund. Tomorrow morning we're expecting the bill to come back from the Senate with additional amendments, originally proposed by the crossbench in the House, to protect forests and prevent fossil fuel projects from using the national interest process.

Additionally, after fighting for the huge number of older Australians who are waiting, we saw 20,000 home-care packages brought forward ahead of the delayed implementation dates. After repeated demands by the crossbench in the last parliament, the Treasurer agreed not to tax unrealised gains in the new superannuation laws. After I'd tried to split the education bill to ensure the integrity of the higher education system without an international student cap, the government saw sense and did the same thing. After advocating for tax reform in the last term, it's now finally on the agenda, and, after its inclusion in the Economic Reform Roundtable, momentum is building. After I called for the establishment of an Australian AI safety institute to identify risks and support policymakers and regulators, the government announced a similar body would be established. As the government tried to undermine our freedom-of-information laws, it was the crossbench that proposed and debated amendments, drawing attention to the dangerous signs of increasing secrecy. It's now languishing in the Senate.

Part of being a constructive crossbench is finding ways to improve or refine legislation. In the last eight sitting weeks, the crossbench has introduced 160 amendments to 10 pieces of legislation, drafted in consultation with experts and stakeholders. As a comparison, the opposition has introduced only 18 amendments to five pieces of legislation. The crossbench has introduced 10 private members' bills, ranging in topic from climate to gambling to ebike regulation to responding to robodebt. These put pressure on the government, showing that change is possible.

My private members' bills were to ban AI tools designed to generate child sexual abuse material, and to clean-up data harvesting in the postal voting process. Both demonstrate issues with clear solutions that the government needs to implement, but, of course, the most important thing to me is ensuring that the voice of our community is heard in Canberra and that the people of Curtin feel informed and engaged in our democracy.

Since May, I've made eight Curtin submissions to committee inquiries, including recommendations on economic reform, productivity, aged care, Thriving Kids, net zero, the FOI Bill and electoral laws. We've held community events with Saul Griffith on electrification and Ken Henry on tax reform, a grants-writing workshop and an innovative online event using a new AI powered tool to all together community views on negative-gearing and CGT reforms. My community liaison team, Joe and Felicity, continue to go above and beyond for the constituents of Curtin, and, in the last five months, they have helped more than 250 people with their concerns with aged care, Centrelink, immigration and child support, as well as responded to nearly 2,000 emails. I'm so grateful that our team Chaney volunteers keep showing up—from a river clean-up to doorknocking and public pop-ups.

On this last day of parliament, I want to particularly thank some team members. This year I farewelled Tony Fairweather and Louise Jones, who were foundational members of Curtin Independent and followed up with operational roles in my first term. Their integrity, vision, strategic insight and willingness to turn their hand to whatever was needed made the last three years and two campaigns possible. Thank you, Tony and Louise.

My senior policy adviser Katherine Parkinson has been by my side since day one, making significant personal sacrifices, leaving her young children to travel with me across the country for every sitting week for 3½ years. I could not have survived these years without her humour, her intellect and her loyalty, and I will miss her terribly as she moves into her next, less travel-intensive, role.

I'm hugely grateful to my whole team, my husband, my three kids, my extended family and the nearly 1,000 volunteers who gave up their time this year to keep Curtin independent. I'm also very grateful to the people of Curtin for the opportunity to represent them. Thank you for showing we can do politics differently in 2025. I look forward to 2026.

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