Following Lord Mayor Clover Moore’s ‘Covid-19 Recovery Listening Roundtable’, I’ve signed the joint request to the Premier calling for ongoing support for COVID recovery, including grants for affected small businesses, a CBD consumer voucher program, separate quarantine and promotion campaign for international students, return of government staff to working in CBD offices, a campaign to get people back to the CBD on Fridays including free public transport, a CBD COVID Recovery Taskforce and ongoing strong cross-government coordination. 

In Parliament I put on record the extra help provided to international students through the new International Student Hub supported by the City of Sydney, Sydney Alliance and Redfern Legal Centre: > HERE.

I also asked the Minister for Health and Medical Research in Question Time to make sure that vaccines get to vulnerable communities. He committed to ensuring everyone is included and outlined programs for people who are homeless, mental health patients, drug users and refugees, with the state government often picking up the pieces from the federal rollout fiasco. My question: >  HERE.

NSW government funding for OzHarvest food relief programs runs out on 23 June, leaving many vulnerable people impacted by the pandemic without access to safe and nutritious food. With Lord Mayor Clover Moore, I’ve asked the Premier for a further grant of $4 million to OzHarvest to continue to provide food relief. Our joint letter: > HERE.  

Commonwealth income support payments must be increased to a level that allows people to pay the rent and eat! The Raise the Rate campaign calls for the base rate of JobSeeker to go up to at least $65 a day, indexation of payments in line with wage movements at least twice per year and a Social Security Commission to advise on the adequacy of income support payments. Support the national campaign: > HERE.