Over the past week in parliament, Robert addressed intensely personal issues, and Mark continued to call out the government on their poor accountability.
Following the passing of his long-lived and much-loved hunting dog, Brno, Robert announced a notice of motion calling on the government to recognise the important role of working and sporting dogs and affirming its support for such dogs in New South Wales. Click on the link below to see the notice of motion:
In one of the most significant pieces of legislation in recent history, a motion by Robert passed unopposed to recognise the "No body, no parole" laws contained within Section 135 of the Crimes Act, now to be recognised as "Lyn's Law," commemorating the life of Lynette Simms. Missing since 1982, her husband Chris Dawson was convicted of her murder in 2023 but is still yet to reveal the location of her body. This motion gives some solace to her family. It received considerable press coverage and demonstrated the breadth of SFF's work in parliament. During the debate, however, The Greens showed their utter lack of compassion and disregard for the victim of this hideous crime. Click on the link below to see the debate:
In the community, Robert braved the wet weather and attended the Riverina Field days at Griffith Showgrounds, signing up new party members and connecting with voters and constituents. SFF's Pig Bounty solution was a popular topic for discussion.
Both Robert and Mark attended the "Righteous Among the Nations" Ceremony on 6th May at Moriah War Memorial College, commemorating the courage of Henricus and Elizabeth Marynissen who hid and cared for a young Jewish boy Jehuda Chaim de Liver during WW2. It wasn't until decades later when the grandchildren of Henricus and Elizabeth were able to connect and finally meet the boy their grandparents kept safe from harm.
Last week in the wacky world that is NSW Parliament, Mark once again took on the government for their lack of consultation across various aspects of policymaking. Consultation on policies that affect the people of NSW needs to involve the people of NSW from the early stages and maintain two-way communication throughout the process.
It should not be viewed as an annoying formality box that needs to be checked before a policy is signed off, but as an invaluable tool that will help support the government in its decision-making and instil public confidence. We have seen it too many times with this parliament in the ban of blue groper by line fishing, and the so-called community consultative committee of the proposed Great Koala National Park which contained only one local person who is not an environmentalist or part of the public sector, as well as the industry consultative committee with just one sawmill representative when it first convened.
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/VdBuB84rUzo
