Kylea Tink (North Sydney, Independent) Share this | Hansard source

Standing to give a valedictory speech after just three years as the Independent federal member for North Sydney is nothing short of surreal. No-one—well, except maybe Antony Green—could have predicted this plot twist, especially given that, when as a community we decided to take our voice and our vote back in 2022, we had plans that reached well beyond one parliamentary term. At the time we were deeply dissatisfied with what we saw as a lack of direction or ambition offered by either of the major parties. Regardless of what our MP said to our faces in our electorate, when they came here they would always cast North Sydney's vote the way the party instructed them to. The blue tie/red tie dynamic was too focused on working for itself rather than for us.

When we wanted faster action on climate change, we were witnessing prevarication and outright denial. We were literally told we were overreacting and we needed to calm down. Where we expected integrity, transparency and accountability from those in parliament, we were instead offered $10 million in regional sporting grants to fix our iconic—and not-so-regional—North Sydney Olympic Pool. It seemed the expectations for appropriate conduct set by us ordinary folks were too pedestrian, and we were told that if we had a problem with that we could take it up at the next election. Where we wanted to see a society where everyone could reach their full potential regardless of gender, racial, cultural, sexual or religious background, we were offered a government hell-bent on advocating for women only when it was not 'at the expense of anyone else' and who openly castigated those who wanted true equity as 'woke'.

So, after 115 years as a safe Liberal seat, we did the unthinkable and turned up en masse to take our parliamentary voice and vote back, rather than simply handing it over yet again to an unresponsive and disrespectful party system. As one of the first seats ever established in Australia, North Sydney has a long history of not just looking out for ourselves but doing what we can to ensure no-one is left behind. While some have decided to describe us as 'woke, latte-sipping, inner-city dwellers', my community has contributed much to our country, from innovation to leadership and economic stimulus.

As my community's champion in this place, I've done everything I could to ensure our authentic voice was heard here—not one filtered through a party backroom but one that has been raw, honest and at times controversial. That has taken courage but courage is something North Sydney has in spades, as was evidenced by the way we approached the Voice referendum in 2023. Offering my respects to the traditional custodians of the land that I am speaking on—the Ngunnawal and the Ngambri—as well as to the traditional custodians of the land on which my seat sits—the Cammeraygal and Wallumattagal—isn't something I do because it's politically correct; I do it because I was taught we should respect those who have come before us, honour the legacy they have left us and aspire to learn the lessons they pass to us.

In the case of our First Nations people, for many years our country has not listened for what we might learn, instead often choosing to pursue agendas which assume we know better than those who are living the experience firsthand. This attitude has seen what is often described as 'well-intentioned policies' pursued relentlessly, even as those impacted by them have asked us to step back and listen—and we seem determined to carry on in that fashion. I don't say this from some high horse but as someone who has been an active member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights and who, in that role, has witnessed some of the most reductive thinking I have seen from people in this place when it comes to recognising and honouring First Nations people's capacity to make decisions for themselves. In 2023, my community's courage, compassion and wisdom to vote for the Voice to Parliament reaffirmed that I was absolutely representing the right people. Ultimately, I believe we must confront our past, embrace the learnings and pursue true reconciliation with the First Peoples of this continent in a way that prioritises fairness and respect.

I want to take a step back and share a very personal truth with you—that being that, as my parents will attest, as a child I dreaded the game of musical chairs. It was such an anxiety-provoking experience for me, as I hated the thought of having to race or fight for a chair and I worried how the person who did miss out would be left feeling. Fast forward to today, and I can't help but laugh at the fact that I seem to have found myself once again in a game of musical chairs and no seat is left for me. As my seat in this place is abolished, however, rather than feeling anxious I feel really deep gratitude for the extraordinary experience serving my community has been. From the rapid learning curve through to the sheer volume of information I've had access to, the great minds I've heard speak, the people I've met and the processes I've witnessed, the learnings I take from this place will last me a lifetime. That's because, as an Independent on this House of Representatives crossbench of the 47th parliament, I have been one of just 151 people in this country who have had the opportunity to develop, discuss, debate and decide the laws that govern us, and that is a pretty bloody extraordinary thing to have done.

While the boundaries of my electorate have ebbed and flowed over time, with Warringah created in 1922 and Bradfield and Bennelong in 1949, North Sydney has always held its own until the most recent Australian Electoral Commission review of our electoral boundaries. Over 124 years, North Sydney has been a seat of many firsts. In 1900, we were one of the original 75 divisions created that contested the first federal election in 1901. In 1990 we elected Ted Mack, who was the first Independent in the modern era of politics, breaking an 89-year-old hold on the seat by conservative party politicians. In 2015 we elected Trent Zimmerman, the first openly LGBTIQA member in the House of Representatives. In 2021 we were the first new seat to announce our intention to run an Independent in the 2022 election. And in 2022 I became the first woman and only the second Independent to win the seat. In 2025 we're the first Federation seat and the first seat held by an Independent to be abolished and, to be honest, I could have done without those last two firsts. While I think ending as an Independent seat held by a woman is a great way to go out, I do want to acknowledge the members for North Sydney who came before me, all who contributed more than what they took from this place.

Moving forward, our community will be absorbed into Warringah, Bradfield and Bennelong. While it is the end of an era, I know the courage, conviction and compassion of the North Sydney community will strengthen those electorates. I've tried not to take a single minute for granted in this place, with people much wiser than me, including the interminable Cathy McGowan sitting up there in the wings, counselling me very early on that I needed to work like I had just one term—and thank goodness I took their advice! Working with my community, my team and others in this place and key stakeholders across society, I've introduced three private member's bills to parliament to drive broader discussion and legislative reform. One was to bring Australia into line with the rest of the world and give people access to cleaner cars. Another was to end indefinite detention and finally make it illegal for the Australian government to hold those fleeing for their lives and seeking our protection for more than 90 days or to detain children. The final one was to apply a human rights framework to housing and homelessness policy and bring consumer voices to the front of that debate.

Recognising the power of working across political lines and building consensus and awareness, I've also worked with parliamentary friendship groups, including establishing the Parliamentary Friends of Youth Mental Health and co-chairing the groups for cancer care and a cure, women in work, Amnesty International, the Australian Red Cross and the Hazara community. I've served on three joint parliamentary committees, including: the Joint Select Committee on Parliamentary Standards, which developed the first ever binding code of conduct for parliamentarians and everyone working in or visiting parliamentary workplaces; the joint standing committee overseeing the workings of the Parliamentary Library, which provides invaluable research and data to everyone in this place, and the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights, which not only scrutinises every bill that passes through this parliament for human rights compatibility but has also held inquiries into the potential for a national human rights act and income management in our country and is currently investigating antisemitism in our universities.

If you can believe it, I've spoken 143 times and moved 82 amendments to 19 different pieces of legislation. I can see the Leader of the House smiling as I quote those stats as many of them have been done with him. Each of those amendments were designed to improve transparency and accountability, whether that was in climate policy or for small business, to improve economic inclusion or on superannuation reform laws. In total, I have made 238 statements, including questions of government, amendments to legislation and constituency statements. But more important than numbers are the truths they reflect. I was there fighting to legislate 43 per cent emissions reductions as a floor, not a ceiling. I was there fighting for a binding code of conduct for everyone in this place and for better behaviour. I was there fighting for human rights for all. I was there fighting for HECS reform and rebates for young Australians. I was there fighting to lift the single parent payment. I was there fighting for greater protections for small and family businesses. I was there fighting for families to enable access to a home and for fairer childcare fees. I was there fighting for the best and cleanest transport for our kids, and I was there fighting for our environment. Each of these actions fundamentally helped shape the debate in this place and helped create what I hope is a new path towards consensus.

As my term in parliament comes to an end, I wanted to share my key take-outs in the hope that they will inspire others to choose optimism over despair.

Firstly, there is power in understanding our democracy is the direct result of our individual voting decisions and actions. If we are unhappy with the direction our country is headed in, fixing it is on us. No-one else is going to come and save us.

Secondly, winning the seat of North Sydney says everything that needs to be said about exactly what one person can do. The community movement in North Sydney showed that a group of committed people, united behind a common idea, can achieve extraordinary things.

Thirdly, though, there is still so much work to do. While the environmental catastrophes of the 2019 and 2020 summer and the appalling treatment of women in this place were enough to drive momentum for change in 2022, the past three years have seen us continue to struggle as a nation, to find our way forward, as some have actively sought to divide and undermine our national character.

And, finally, despite progress, we continue to move too slowly—too slowly to embrace the economic opportunities that come with addressing climate change; too slowly to help the most vulnerable, as more and more everyday Australians get left behind while vested interests double-down to protect their margins and the status quo; too slowly to end debates that pit us against one another, whether that is man versus woman, city versus country or those who were born here versus those who have immigrated; and too slowly to change a political dynamic which gets stuck on being so focused on maintaining short-term power that it's incredibly difficult to drive the necessary long-term reform.

As a nation, we've faced significant challenges over the course of the last three years, including increasing global conflict, starting with the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Iranian regime's crackdown on its citizens, the October 7 attacks in Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza. Every instance has left us shocked as we've witnessed the brutality that people have levelled against one another, with far too many innocents caught in the crossfire. Meanwhile, democracies have been under siege globally as far-right movements sweep through previously progressive societies.

Here at home, the campaign around the Voice referendum unveiled a schism in our society that stunned many, while more recently the rise in all forms of racism, particularly antisemitism, has created a sense that hate is boiling over. This is further reflected in the abhorrent increase in the rate of violence against women across our community.

Economically, many have been left feeling like they just can't get ahead, as wages have struggled to catch up with inflation, and young Australians are being left behind in the race for homeownership and long-term financial equity, drowning under levels of educational debt not previously seen in this country. Underlying it all is the increasing frequency and severity of climate disasters that see our emergency services fighting fires in one place while responding to catastrophic floods in another, with the knock-on effects driving a cost-of-living crisis.

In my electorate, these issues have translated to a significant loss of green space, as open land is sacrificed to infrastructure and greedy owners seek to increase their property value by killing trees along our foreshore, while a housing crisis has pushed essential workers and young people out of our community. It has also created challenges to our social cohesion, with various members of our community feeling increasingly unsafe, whilst worrying rates of youth mental health distress, unprecedented numbers of women and children seeking refuge from domestic abuse and more and more pensioners living in our community struggling to stay in their homes are leaving us with more people living in vulnerable situations than we've ever seen.

In contemplating everything I've just outlined then, I can't help but feel that we must ask ourselves: what is it that we believe in today, and what are we prepared to do to fight for those beliefs? As Robert Menzies, the father of the modern day Liberal movement himself, once said: 'It happened because we had something to believe in, not just something to oppose.' So while many of my experiences in the last three years would suggest our current political frame has sunk to a place where opposition for opposition's sake is all that matters, I have hope—hope that is driven by an understanding that any government derives its power and authority from the people.

In this way, democracy is not reserved or an entitlement for certain parties, groups or individuals. Rather, political equality amongst all of us means no single person's vote is any more important than another's, and that truth is not only important but must be protected. A healthy democracy requires public awareness of personal responsibility, understanding of democratic processes and, I believe, active participation. I've seen the power of that level of participation not only through our day-to-day work in our electorate but during the deliberative democracy forums I've hosted on topics as contentious as housing availability and supply, access to early childhood education and care and support for small businesses. As my independent predecessor Ted Mack said:

… government should be open to public scrutiny … elected representatives should enable people to not only participate in all decisions … but ultimately find ways to have people make decisions for themselves … a decision taken by the public as a whole will be right more often than decisions taken by an elite group …

But currently our parliament operates on the basis that, 'Because I have the numbers I am right and you are wrong,' and that is holding us back. The alternative is a democracy where independents bring authentic community representation to this place and force conversations that are focused on building consensus across the chamber to move us forward on tax reform, forward on economic development, forward on renewable energy, forward on nature protection, forward on gender equity and forward on human rights.

In 2022, communities like North Sydney disrupted the system. As more and more communities announce their intention to run their own independents in 2025 I am truly hopeful that courageous and ambitious thinking and debate will be brought back into this place. Community independents run because their community asks them to and because they believe our democracy will be stronger if their community has a genuine voice which is heard during the political debate. On the other hand, communities send independents because they want their parliamentary voices to be heard for their individuality in this place, not because they think they have all the answers or they think they have a greater right to be heard but because they believe that by sharing their collective experiences, opinions and ambitions they will add value to the national discourse. Unfortunately, they know that at the moment neither of the major parties are providing that level of discourse for them. They want to see a parliament that is diverse, vibrant, resilient, responsible, responsive and optimistic—a place where people listen as often as they speak and are prepared to work together to help move our nation forward.

When I made my first speech in this place I talked about four values I believed had led me here and would guide me in my time as member for North Sydney. They were community, curiosity, compassion and courage, and they have indeed been the foundations of everything I have done. During the election of 2022 the traditional two-party system touted the rise of community independents as a risk to stability and predictability, and we're hearing those same threats thrown around today. They argue that without party domination our parliament would descend into chaos. We've proven them wrong during this term. Rather than chaos, I believe people like me have brought a level of debate and consideration to this parliament that has not been seen since the earliest days our democracy, and that is a good thing. This parliament should serve the people, not the politics. Yet for this to happen, people must continue to stand up, turn up and speak up.

As I leave this place I do so with a very deep sense of optimism that through greater community representation in parliament we can develop a deeper understanding of what it means to be Australian: to recognise and respect everybody's fundamental human rights; to get comfortable with the conversation around racism so we can recognise it, name it and act on it; to achieve true gender equity, with our expectations of appropriate behaviour and integrity modelled from the top down; and to, as a nation, fully embrace the huge economic potential that comes with no longer shying away from the challenges presented by climate change. But this will take true leadership that inspires and encourages us all to push for something better. That will need to come from a place that is grounded in compassion and courage, and to me that sounds a lot like the community independent movement has more to offer. Extraordinary things can be achieved when we take the time to truly listen to each other, and that must be the ambition for this process and this place. It cannot just be about power and control.

Doing politics differently is incredibly tough. It's isolating, sometimes overwhelming, and it requires coverage, conviction and support. In closing I want to thank the thousands of people who have helped me in this experience, and I have to preface it by saying I haven't named names, for fear of missing somebody out. To my community, to the board of Kylea Tink Independent Ltd, to the incredible volunteers, to the people who take the time to speak with me, to the advocates who turn up and reach out to me time after time, to my donors and supporters and to my friends and the wider community independent movement, thank you for seeing what you did in me.

To those in parliament, the people who keep it working—the clerks, the security team, the cleaners, the gardeners, the stewards, the hosts around this house—your smiles have made every one of my days in this place better. Thank you.

To my peers, colleagues in both the House of Reps and the Senate, while we've not always agreed, I've always valued the opportunity to listen to the arguments you have made and have respected the fact that progress is only possible through the open and honest exchange of ideas. Thank you for continuing to fight for what you believe in.

To the political leadership, especially the Speaker of the House, Milton Dick, thank you for your patience, humour and guidance. This is a crazy environment, and I'm so appreciative you were willing to help me try to make sense of it. And to the ministers in this government, thank you for being prepared to listen to my arguments and to have those conversations. I have truly enjoyed that interaction with you, and I believe you are 100 per cent committed to making this place a better place.

I also want to thank the Leader of the House and the opposition's business manager. You've taught me things and I still don't think I've learnt everything, but I'm very prepared and looking forward to watching my crossbench colleagues continue to challenge you.

To my team, thank you for holding the line, for turning up in a way that has prioritised listening to our community, working incredibly hard to digest and critique every piece of legislation that has been presented to us and for always having my back. My trusted advisors—you know who you are. You are the people who when you say no I hate it, but I listen. And when you say go, I ask you how far you need me to move. Thank you for pushing me.

My family, my mum and dad—I am so grateful you have been there every moment. Thank you for wanting to protect me when I've been under attack and for reminding me that this is just another chapter in my life, not my entire story. To my brothers and sister, thank you for getting interested in politics and, again, for being there to shield and support me when vitriol was being hurled my way. To my kids, you are my world. Back in 2021, I only said yes to running because I wanted to be able to honestly say to you that I had done everything I could to leave this place better and to leave it as something you deserve. I'm actually really sorry this experience has been so disruptive for our family, but we did it together—and I think Uber has been very grateful that I've spent three years here. And for a family like ours to do something like this together, well, that's pretty bloody incredible.

To my current crossbench colleagues, you are such an extraordinary group of human beings. You are articulate, you are intelligent, you are courageous and it has been an absolute privilege to get to know each of you. To leave calling you friends is a true blessing. You've got this next election. Our country needs you, so please hold the line.

And, finally, to those community independents who will run in the upcoming election, including Nicolette Boele in Bradfield, if you remember nothing else, remember this: first they will ignore you, then they will laugh at you, then they will fight you and then you will win. Go get 'em tigers! Thank you.

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