Bushfire Help, Crimes Amendment Risks Women’s Rights, Protecting Kids in Apartments, Restricting Provocation and Airport Access Fees

The more than 100 bushfires raging in NSW are a stark reminder of how dependent we are on climate and environment, with huge areas burned, homes destroyed and people evacuated. The Red Cross has an appeal for donations HERE and the Animal Welfare League is arranging help for pets – see HERE. Fires in October herald worse to come as our region gets hotter and drier. See the Climate Council’s report HERE.

I spoke against the Crimes Amendment (Zoe’s Law) Bill (No. 2) because it will create legal uncertainties in abortion law. My speech is HERE. Violent crimes that result in a miscarriage or stillbirth are charged as grievous bodily harm against a pregnant woman, with penalties to 25 years prison. The bill would introduce a new crime against the foetus, with legal rights separate and possible at odds with the pregnant woman. The law must treat the unimaginable suffering of an expecting mother who loses a foetus from a crime as her loss, not a crime against the foetus. This private members bill has strong opposition from the Bar Association, Australian Medical Association and women’s groups yet a recent media interview suggests the Premier may support it. I encourage you to urgently email the Premier to vote against it HERE. 

Sunday was Graffiti Removal Day at the Northcott Public Housing estate in Surry Hills. It was great fun to join active Northcott residents, Rotary Down Under and the Housing NSW Community Development Worker on Sunday removing ugly graffiti tags from their homes in Surry Hills. 

Around 40 children are hospitalised every year in NSW from window falls. Many families live in apartments, and this trend will continue as high density becomes a greater part of the housing mix. I supported the Strata Schemes Management Amendment (Child Window Safety Devices) Bill to require owners corporations to fit windows above ground floor with devices that lock windows open at a width that children can’t get through and called on the Government to ensure similar requirements exist for company title and social housing. My speech is HERE. 

It makes sense to remove the station access fees at Sydney Airport if we want to encourage people to use public transport. I encourage you to provide comment to the Parliamentary Inquiry before 13 November, HERE

The Government has developed an exposure draft bill that would to reflect the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on provocation as a defence for murder that reduces the crime to manslaughter. The change would restrict defences to ‘extreme provocation’, which would include domestic violence but not non-violent homosexual advance, which I supported in my submission to the Parliamentary Inquiry that led to this reform. Read the Discussion Paper HERE and the draft bill HERE Submissions are due 14 November.

Have a great week,

Alex Greenwich MPIndependent Member for Sydney

PS.  You can still have a free swim at Prince Alfred Park pool until 12 November. Information: HERE