22nd October, 2025. 5:00 pm.
Public Interest Debate - INDEPENDENT MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT
I move:
That this House:
(1) Recognises the significant benefits of independent political representation in enhancing democracy, fostering community-focused advocacy, and ensuring accountability without the constraints of party loyalty.
(2) Congratulates the independent Members of Parliament, including the Speaker, the Member for Lake Macquarie, and the Members for Sydney, Wakehurst, Barwon, Murray, Orange, Wagga Wagga, Pittwater, and Wollondilly, for their dedicated service to their electorates
(3) Notes the key achievements of independents, such as securing the new high school at Wilton, advocating for regional road transfers like Remembrance Driveway, and pushing for balanced planning reforms that protect local communities and environments.
(4) Acknowledges the role of the crossbench in standing up for reform, acting as the conscience of Parliament, and collaborating with government to improve legislation on issues like workers' compensation, health workforce shortages, and energy efficiency.
(5) Welcomes the diversity of the crossbench, which brings varied perspectives from urban and rural areas, leading to constructive outcomes as highlighted in recent media coverage on topics such as lobbying regulations, gambling reforms, and electoral fairness.
(6) Calls on the Government to support and expand opportunities for independent representation, including through fair electoral funding and preferential voting reforms that level the playing field for community-driven candidates.
As the Independent member for Wollondilly, I have witnessed firsthand how Independents bring a unique vitality to our democracy. We bring a focus on community needs over partisan games, collaboration across divides and a steadfast commitment to reform. Independent representation is not about upending the system; it is about enhancing it, ensuring that every voice in this House is free to advocate for their electorate without the constraints of party loyalty. Independence fosters accountability, innovation and better governance as Independents like me work alongside the Government and the Opposition to deliver tangible outcomes. In New South Wales, our growth proves that we get results. We come together as a diverse force to stand up for reform and serve as the conscience of Parliament. Getting elected is an extraordinary achievement for anyone. The efforts of all members of this House are the same, but our pathways are different. Party MPs are in this place after first securing the approval of only a few dozen other party members to stand in elections. They get party backing, and they get to use the party brand. They stand protected by their parties but at the cost of individual voting rights, aside from rare occasions of a conscience vote. I believe only one member has crossed the floor of the House during this term. The alternative to that is to stand as an Independent like me, like the Speaker, who is also the member for Lake Macquarie, and the member for Sydney, the member for Wakehurst, the member for Barwon, the member for Murray, the member for Orange, the member for Wagga Wagga and the member for Pittwater. We got elected to this place not to form government. Our interests are only for our own electorate, and we are laser focused on what is best for our community. We do not need to worry about breaking ranks and, because of that, we keep political parties honest. We are needed just as much as party MPs. I would argue that in today's world, we are needed more than ever. Since being elected to this place, I have been able to advocate relentlessly, crossing aisles to secure wins that matter to my community. Take the new high school at Wilton, a project that stalled for decades under previous party governments. Wilton is exploding with growth and set to house 15,000 residents, yet families were busing their kids hours away and straining their resources. In my inaugural speech I vowed to fight for it. By May 2025 I was able to stand in this House to welcome the Government's commitment to build it. It will be the first high school built in my area since 1958. That was not party favouritism. It was persistent, community-driven advocacy—meetings with Ministers, petitions from locals and holding both sides of politics accountable. Previous local members, bound by party lines, could not push as hard without risking anger from the party or the Whip. They achieved incremental pork-barrelled funding but not the transformative wins we now see. This week I opened an amazing performing arts building at Bowral High School. At Picton High School, classroom walls were installed in the rebuild and the hall that was out of action for four years was re-opened. I have been vocal in my support of balanced growth, critiquing rushed bills that centralise power, like the environmental planning and assessment bill. I highlighted how it could sideline communities and drew attention to Wollondilly's flood scars and bushfire risks. As an Independent, I supported amendments to it and held firm for locals, achieving clarifications on bushfire protections that party MPs could not. I also highlighted the lack of infrastructure to match development. That led to many amendments, such as the one for the special infrastructure contributions fund that the Government supported, and we helped fix that bill. Health is another area where Independents shine. In February I called for a committee on medical workforce shortages to amplify the plight of Wollondilly's rural doctors, who are in crisis. That led to announcements in March 2025 of targeted funding boosts for Bowral Hospital upgrades, the progress of which had stalled under prior regimes. On workers compensation, I drew on local stories and that ensured amendments to protect psychological injury claims. Those wins underscore a key benefit of Independent representation. We can get more done because our loyalty is solely to our electorates. Without party Whips telling us which door to walk through, how to vote, where to sit and whether we can cross the floor, we can get more done—as I have done for many things. This freedom allows us to be the conscience of Parliament. We can vote based on evidence, community input and ethics, not caucus diktats. In June 2025 the crossbench pushed the Government for tougher lobbying regulations, using our balance of power to demand transparency to reduce corruption perceptions. That was not opposition for opposition's sake; it was constructive pressure that led to amendments that strengthened disclosure rules. This February we braced against what The Guardian called a "stitch-up" on electoral reforms, where Independents like the member for Sydney and I advocated for donation caps that would not crowd out community voices. That resulted in fairer rules that preserved access for challengers. Diversity is our strength. We do not agree on everything. The member for Sydney moved 15 amendments to the workers compensation bill. Meanwhile, rural Independents like the member for Murray—the "member for water"—championed water rights. I share her concerns and moved a motion against harvestable reductions that resulted in policy reviews that benefited farmers. In hung Parliament scenarios crossbenchers negotiate bill by bill, extracting concessions that improve legislation, such as environmental safeguards in planning bills or health upgrades in regional areas. That is not being adversarial; it is partnership. We work with the Government on infrastructure, like the Picton bypass, and secure commitments through joint advocacy. Some things will take time, like train services. My May 2025 private member's statement on overcrowding on Wollondilly and Southern Highlands trains led to service reviews. I hope that will ultimately ensuring that policies serve all, not just party bases. The benefits are clear: more responsive representation, diverse reforms and collaborative governance. In Wollondilly, independence has delivered schools, roads and protections where parties have faltered.
Mrs JUDY HANNAN (Wollondilly) (17:38):
In reply: I thank the member for Wagga Wagga, the member for Manly, the member for Barwon, the member for Heffron, the member for Davidson and the member for Pittwater for their contributions to debate. Members do not all have to agree, and I respect the choices of all members of respective political parties and factions. I know that they truly represent their electorates, their electorates are well served by their efforts and everybody achieves great things despite any party membership. It is clear the results have spoken for themselves in the electorate of Wollondilly. My predecessor was often quite brash and a bit of a joker—he was not really my thing, but that is okay. The community looked past that and gave him a go. What lost the electorate for him in a single term was a lack of effort. He should have heeded the words of the previous member for Wollondilly, Jai Rowell, who warned in his valedictory speech: Our community is the best in the world and it does not owe you anything. You owe them everything. Put them first in all your dealings and you will continue to be re-elected. There has not been a day since that I have not put everything into my job. I have fought for my community and put them first. This fortnight I recorded the highest number of parliamentary contributions in a single term of any previous member for Wollondilly, and the election is still a year and a half away. With some hard work, I might even overtake the contributions made by former member Jai Rowell over two terms in office. My contributions are about the big things that I mentioned before, like planning and infrastructure, or the bypass and sewer. But, importantly, they are also about the little things, like putting in the effort to open my office to anyone to come in and have a cup of tea or use the photocopier. We provide a welcome mat and dog bowl outside our door. People often stop and have a chat. That openness has led to so many requests for assistance. The letters and lobbying has given my residents the chance to see the difference that an Independent member can make. We do not need to use our energy ensuring we have the numbers for preselection and other party politics. We just want to deliver for the community. Independents provide a two-way benefit: We keep this place honest and we deliver more for our community. I thank all members in this place for their kindness.
I appreciate the House's support for my motion.
TEMPORARY SPEAKER (Mr Alex Greenwich): The question is that the motion be agreed to. Motion agreed to.