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

Three weeks ago, my community of North Sydney learned via social media that the Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, was proposing to abolish our federal seat. In true North Sydney style, however, and recognising that this is a draft proposal, people have mobilised to ensure the AEC understands our connections as a community of interest and the fact that we are united, unique and deserving of representation in this parliament.

As I said in my first speech, despite common assumptions, the federal electorate of North Sydney is a vibrant and diverse community that draws in people of all backgrounds and ages. We are the thinkers, the doers, the feelers, the leaders, the believers and the achievers, and yet for a long time our voice, as it was presented here in Canberra, was lost in a two-party system determined to minimise our ambitions and our values.

Well, hear me when I say the people of North Sydney want politics done differently. Our population is growing exponentially, with the new metro line opening in 2029. Please plan for what is to come, not what has been. As the third-largest business centre in our country, our community deserves dedicated representation, and, as one of the 75 original federation seats, in 123 years we have never shied away from leading by example or stepping in to advocate for the most vulnerable. We've earned our right to be a part of the ongoing democratic fabric of our nation, and we will do all we can to convince the AEC of that fact.