2017-10-26
Senator Rachel Siewert
As always its been a very busy few months. With Scotts resignation I have taken on the position of acting co-deputy, as well as remaining as Whip for the Greens and chair of the Community Affairs references committee. Heres a little of what I've been up to.
I've been campaigning against the Cashless Welfare Card and the Government's proposal to drug test people applying for Newstart and Youth Allowance. Mandurah has been chosen as a site for drug testing and Kalgoorlie has been chosen as another trial site for the Cashless Welfare Card.
In September, I held a public meeting in Wide Bay Queensland, in the seat of Hinkler which has also been chosen as a new site for the card. I also met with community groups and individuals. Over 80 concerned constituents came to talk about their personal experiences and what affect the card would have on their life. It was wonderful to see how the community had organised its own campaign to represent their views, which were being ignored by their local Liberal member. We will continue to fight an extended rollout of the trials, which will do more harm than good.
As always weve had some ongoing Inquiries, and many hearings recently. Amongst others, Ive travelled to Kalgoorlie to hear from community about the Cashless Welfare Card, to hear about Trans-Vaginal Mesh implants around Australia and a number of places to hear about the Community development program. Somewhere in there we also fitted in three weeks of sitting!
It was fantastic to be invited to speak at the Australian Islamic Colleges multi-faith dinner to fundraise for the plight of the persecuted Rohingyan people in Myanmar. Religious, activist and political leaders united to try to help relieve the suffering of the Rohingya people of Myanmar, and together, as well as achieving the fundraising target, there was also a sense of unity across all faiths and backgrounds. I returned to the Australian Islamic College only a few weeks later to run workshops with their year 9 and 10 classes, on how to be politically engaged in our democratic systems. This was the fourth round of workshops Ive held on their campus in WA, and I certainly get as much as out of it each time as the students do.
I have also had the honour of leading a Parliamentary delegation on Mental Health and got to study what approaches and programs other countries are taking on mental health. It was a wonderful opportunity to look at community mental health, Government programs, support for young people, Indigenous peoples, eating disorders and veterans. I learnt a lot and I was really interested in how much local government is doing delivering community social programs and health support.
Almost 500 of you joined the WA Greens to farewell Scott with an evening looking at how we will take back our future. From Pine Gap to Fukushima, the Beeliar wetlands to the United Nations, we traversed nine years of Scotts campaign wins and frustrations, before pivoting to what the road to a more peaceful and just planet looks like now. We also heard from Jo Vallentine and Sophie Greer, who spoke about Scotts journey as an MP and how he truly helped to change our world for the better. We love and miss you already Scott.
Photo: Cashless Welfare Card community consultation in Hervey Bay, Queensland. Nadine Walker