FTTN is an absolute disaster

November 30, 2021

Well, I'd like to see some of the coalition government come and talk to businesses in the Blue Mountains, because what they'll tell you is that fibre to the node has been an absolute disaster for their businesses. Let me tell you the story of Ron. When it rains, his fibre-to-the-node connection stops. There's nothing. And what his customers get is a message telling them that his number doesn't exist. So, there's Ron, running a sound and light...

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Cystic fibrosis and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme

November 30, 2021

Throughout the electorate of Macquarie, which I represent, there are families facing the challenges of cystic fibrosis. They've joined with more than 35,000 people to urge for a speeding-up of negotiations with the maker of a drug called Trikafta so that it can be available under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. Trikafta was approved in April by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, but it's not on the PBS.

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The Hawkesbury's Agricultural Roots

November 30, 2021

The Hawkesbury is justifiably proud of its agricultural roots. The first colonial settlers planted crops along the river in 1794, saving the infant colony from starvation—and, of course, First Peoples recognised the bounty of the region long before. Hawkesbury Agricultural College, established in 1891 in Richmond, has been a key part of that agricultural history. The Hawkesbury campus of Western Sydney University has a big role now and going f...

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Hearing the voices of young people

November 29, 2021

I've had wonderful opportunities to be around young people in the last few weeks. On Friday night I joined a group of young women who are part of the EViE Project, which is aimed at ending violence and improving equality, at the Blue Mountains Women's Health and Resource Centre. Supported by Zonta Blue Mountains, there were messages of what coercive control looks like illuminated onto the windows of the Springwood hub by illuminart, as part of...

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GP shortages in the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains

November 29, 2021

GPs across the Hawkesbury and Blue Mountains have raised with me their fears about patients facing long waits to be seen and doctors and staff being stretched like never before. They call it a crisis, and it isn't caused by just COVID, although a lack of a hub in the electorate created extra work for GPs. But even before COVID some had closed their books to new patients.

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Global Polio Eradication Initiative

November 29, 2021

Like many of my generation, my first exposure to polio was reading Alan Marshall's I Can Jump Puddles. I have since met people who survived polio and I note that some of those survivors are now experiencing post-polio syndrome in their later years. But, essentially, we've worked together to completely eradicate polio in the developed world and we're close to getting rid of it everywhere. Vaccination is the only effective preventative measure a...

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