Dear Daniel,

It's been a big, depressing few weeks of politics, but before I get to that and my big survey seeking your feedback, just a note to say down the bottom of this email I’ve got some info about some Christmas Community BBQs, collections for Christmas hampers for people doing it tough AND our free school supplies back to school event early next year!

I won’t lie, it’s been a tough couple of weeks. I know many of us are concerned at the prospect of another Trump presidency and what that means for the environment, human rights and the emboldening of far right extremism. In the wake of Trump's win, I feel like it's more important than ever that as a country we're able to make our own decisions about defence and foreign policy. That’s why The Greens are calling on the Government to urgently cancel the AUKUS nuclear submarine agreement.

At the recent Queensland State Election I was deeply disappointed to see an LNP government elected. While the Greens vote is up slightly statewide, we didn’t achieve what we were hoping for in our target seats and my colleague and dear friend Amy MacMahon has officially lost her seat in South Brisbane, by around 100 votes, despite winning the highest primary vote. You can read more from Amy here.

With that all in mind, my email today will be a shorter but important one. Along with a couple of quick updates and invitations, and updates on some wins on flight noise and HECS,  I’m writing primarily to ask you to take a quick survey to share your feedback and help me and my team to do some deep learning and re-focusing following the state election, and in the lead up to the federal election next year.

I’m keen to hear from all local residents about how you think the Greens, and me as your Federal MP are doing: the good, the bad, and anything in between.

I think humility and reflection is an important trait, albeit one that is often lacking in politics. In that spirit, I’m prioritising this consultation work over the coming weeks. We’ll be out at doorknocks and calling residents to get their feedback, and you’re welcome to share the survey with any friends or family who you think have insights to share. 

Regardless of who you vote for, my job is to try and represent everyone in our community, so your comments and input will be a big help. 

This feedback has always been a focus for me and my team, and it’s the reason we spend so much time and energy running local events and town hall meetings, and being active and accessible in the electorate. I speak to hundreds of local residents each week and endeavour to take their feedback and guidance through to the decisions I make in Parliament and elsewhere. But I also want to acknowledge that despite my efforts to build this deep connection to the electorate, there’s always more I can do to make sure I’m doing the best possible job as your MP.

The survey is completely anonymous, and should only take a few minutes to complete. My team and I will be reading all of the responses to help guide my work as your MP, so it’d mean a lot to me if you filled it out. 

A small but important win on our flight noise campaign

Alongside sustained community pressure and negotiations with the Federal Government, the Greens have secured a commitment from AirServices Australia to double the number of aircraft using the best operating mode for noise reduction (SODPROPs - i.e. taking off and arriving over the water) at Brisbane Airport, from November 28.

Securing this change more than doubles the number of flights using SODPROPs mode, during which flights will take off and land over the water, rather than over homes in urban and residential areas.

This was first promised to the Greens in a letter from the Transport Minister last year, and now that it’s implemented it will be a significant step in the fight against flight noise. You can read that letter here.

Switching to 24/7 SODPROPS ‘priority’ mode represents the first intervention from any Federal Transport Minister to reduce noise at Brisbane Airport since the new runway was opened in 2020.

To be clear, this far from solves the problem of flight noise - particularly as SODPROPs mode is subject to several operational constraints like weather conditions and air traffic volume that restrict its use, but it’s important to celebrate the wins along the way.

This win is also a clear indication that the pressure of our campaign and the community power behind it is weakening the government’s opposition to addressing the devastating impact of flight noise on residents.

Now that this pressure is working, it’s our job now to keep it up, to hold Airservices to their existing commitments on noise reduction, and continue to fight for long-term and permanent solutions like a curfew and cap on flights.

A good step in the right direction on HECS debt

For years now, the Greens have been campaigning to scrap HECS debt and make university free again. Over the weekend, we’ve seen a significant shift from the government to announce a plan to raise the repayment threshold and wipe 20% off student loans if Labor is re-elected next year. 

This is a big win for the Greens and all those in the community who have fought for action to tackle skyrocketing student debt. Our campaign has made this progress socially and politically possible. 

The frustrating thing is that Labor is waiting until after the next election to make these changes, when people need relief now. It’s a pity that even this relatively small amount of relief is being delayed for over 6 months. We have the numbers in parliament to do it right now and the Greens will work with Labor to get this passed ASAP if they’re willing to come to the table.

As for the Coalition, they are opposing even this small amount of relief on the basis that ‘this is a tax cut for the wealthy’. This is an utterly ridiculous position. First of all most Coalition and Labor MPs went to university for free, so for the Coalition to oppose even this 20% reduction in debt reeks of hypocrisy. Secondly, all of society benefits when we have a better educated population. Finally, low income students aren’t ‘wealthy’, but the big multinational corporations that often pay zero tax certainly are - it would be worth Coalition MPs reflecting on that. 

Of course a one off 20% reduction in student debt doesn’t fix the underlying structural problem with a system that forces young people to cop huge debts just to get an education. Indeed in many countries around the world, like Norway or Germany, students can go to university for free. So the Greens will continue to push to completely scrap student debt and make university free again. 

End of year community gatherings and how you can help those struggling in our community

In the coming weeks I’ll be hosting a bunch of free community gatherings and neighbourhood Christmas parties and I’d love you to swing by your closest one to say hello and meet your neighbours! There’ll be delicious food, games and activities for the kids, and perhaps even a visit from Santa himself… 

Here’s the details of all my upcoming events, please ensure you RSVP (by clicking the link) so we can alert you of any last minute changes due to storms!

Free Hanlon Park Neighborhood Dinner: Mon 11 Nov 5-6pm 

Free After School Community BBQ in Carina: Fri 22 Nov 3-4:30pm

Free After School Community BBQ in Holland Park: Fri 29 Nov 3-4:30pm 

End of Year Christmas Party at Keralgerie Park:Tue 10 Dec 2024 5-6:30pm 

End of Year Christmas Party at Raymond Park: Wed 11 Dec 2024 5-6:30pm 

End of Year Christmas Party at Hanlon Park: Mon 16 Dec 2024  5-6:30pm 

My team and I will use these Christmas parties also to collect donations of goods to create hampers for low-income families and individuals in our community who rely on our office’s community pantry. With our office’s planned Christmas closure coming up next month, we’ll be distributing these care-pack hampers to ensure no one is going without over the holiday period. 

If you can donate any items to help, bring them along to the Christmas party events or drop them into my office (14/76 Old Cleveland Road) between 9-5 on Monday-Friday. 

Save the date: our “Back to School” event returns next year!

I’ll also use this opportunity to tell you to “save the date” for our yearly “Back to School” event. Each year my team and I run a big community event to distribute free school supplies to families preparing for the school year ahead. Last year we were able to distribute more than 300 backpacks filled with supplies and we want to surpass that this year! 

The event will run on Sunday 19 Jan next year from 3-6pm at Carina Community Centre, with plans to spill out in the park with a range of activities for the whole family, facepainting, food and more! RSVP here now, and spread the word to anyone you know who might like to come along. 

If you can help with donations of supplies, we’re looking for new or high quality second hand (clean, lightly or unused, no stains or damage only) backpacks, stationery, exercise books, calculators, lunchboxes and water bottles. 

That’s it for now. As always, don’t hesitate to get in touch. Whether by reply here, or at a chat at one of my community events, I’m always keen to hear from you. 

I hope you have a wonderful weekend. 

Yours in hope,

Max

PS. Don’t forget to provide your feedback via my survey. I’ll be reading all the comments and results, and take your input really seriously. Thanks so much.