After close to two decades of rewarding public service to the people of Western Sydney, I have decided to not contest the next NSW State Election in March 2027.
Serving my local community as an elected councillor on Penrith City Council and later as a Member and Minister of the NSW State Parliament has been an extraordinary honour and deep privilege which I have never taken for granted. The trust and support from my local community to endorse me at 5 consecutive elections has been an astonishing and humbling experience. I believe my community has continued to back me over these years despite political winds of change sweeping across our region because I have demonstrated that my commitment is to my electorate first, beyond politics and sometimes even at personal cost.
When I first entered politics in 2008 I did so with the sole purpose of making my community better after 16 years of neglect by the former NSW Labor Government. When I reflect on all that I have personally achieved as well as what has been achieved as part of a successful NSW Liberals and Nationals Coalition Government, I am delighted to see the physical transformation of my community. I have always been proud of the hundreds of volunteers and hard-working people across the electorate that I have had the joy of working alongside to provide opportunities for young people, support the vulnerable and make a difference in our world.
When elected to council in 2008 I dedicated my time to door knocking to find the problems people didn’t know how to solve. After raising hundreds of issues with Council the one issue that we couldn’t solve was the St Marys Methadone Clinic and its disastrous impact on my community as it was a State Government responsibility. This was the catalyst for me to contest the State Election in 2011.
In 2011, I was a part of the Liberal blue wave that swept across our State that saw a landslide victory for the NSW Liberals and Nationals. What followed was a tremendous 12 years of transformation of our State from infrastructure including new hospitals at Nepean, Blacktown, Campbelltown and more; new Glenmore Park schools ‘Fernhill’ and ‘Nangamay’ and Glenmore Park High School Performing Arts Centre; billions poured into road upgrades and bridges; a business and consumer confidence explosion; better government services; business and personal tax relief; entertainment opportunities; cost of living relief; and so much more. The value that has been injected into my community under the former NSW Liberals and Nationals Government has been breathtaking.
In 2017 I was honoured to become the Minister for Mental Health, Women and Ageing. During this period I initiated the Baby Bundle for all new mums, the $700m Mental Health Infrastructure Plan including NSW’s first Mother and Baby Unit allowing mum and newborn to stay together during severe perinatal mental health treatment; and the commencement of the annual NSW’s Women Week in 2019. I am also proud of the detailed work and outcomes that emerged following two NSW Government reviews into the mental health system on seclusion and restraint and the forensic patient review. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve NSW as a Minister to deliver tangible and meaningful improvement across many areas for our citizens.
I am especially proud of my personal advocacy on local projects such as the transformation at St Clair High School after a devastating fire that saw a modern innovation centre built from the ruins. The Mulgoa Public School COLA, two brand new sports amenity buildings in St Clair and Glenmore Park and the financial support I secured for the Western Sydney Wanderers FC that enabled them to ultimately win the AFC Champions League in 2014.
In 2019 I initiated the ‘City Kids for Country Kids’ project with the Member for Cootamundra, to identify remote, small schools in regional NSW that were heavily impacted by drought. I gathered letters, drawings and gifts from students across my electorate which were then personally distributed to the most affected students across rural NSW.
But my most meaningful achievement in Parliament was working with a small team of MPs from all political backgrounds and their staff to strip away the most extreme and inhumane elements of the abortion bill in 2019. It initiated a nation-wide movement to legislate medical care for babies born alive following termination procedures. I am also extremely proud and never apologetic for my fierce and very public opposition to my own Liberal Party’s MANDATORY COVID jab policy during the COVID experience. Despite calling for a full nation-wide Royal Commission or Commission of Inquiry into how governments responded to COVID, no government or opposition has announced any such commitment to learn from this experience. “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it”, said Winston Churchill.
No one succeeds in politics alone and it takes a huge team of supporters and volunteers to win elections. I am deeply grateful to the Liberal Party members and many other volunteers who have supported me over these 5 elections. To my staff who have assisted me and served the community I say a massive thank you. Your dedication and spirit of service has been deeply valued by the community and myself.
Finally, to my husband Mark and children Laura and Harry, I am especially grateful for your support and understanding especially when my roles took me away from you. I thank you for your endurance over these years, and I look forward to being around you a whole lot more and for the many amazing adventures we can now experience.