A Message from Monica

This is my last newsletter of the year. I had intended to send it out on Monday of this week but Sunday’s events in Bondi meant I have taken a moment to pause and reflect. I am deeply saddened for the innocent victims that lost their lives, those that have been injured and the many others that will have been impacted by these events.

What happened on Sunday night was shocking. It pierced a veil of safety that we can often take for granted in Australia. For me, it was a reminder that our sense of safety and national identity has not been accidental but instead it has been incremental work, premised on values, democratic ideals and our people. These were shattered on Sunday night.

There will be much debate in coming days and weeks in response to this incident. I believe that this incident is clearly a much bigger issue than guns or licensing arrangements. This is about antisemitism. It was Jewish people that were attacked, celebrating one of their religious festivals. This was a terror event, spurred by extremist ideology. These are confronting themes for us to grapple with as a community, but we must if we are to maintain a functioning society and democracy. We must be able to debate, even or especially in moments of crisis so that we can properly confront what has happened

In NSW, we are being recalled to Parliament to consider urgent legislation. At the time of writing, we have not seen this legislation. I am cautious that we will be given very little time to consider any draft bills and that legislation made in times of crisis is not the best reflection of the important role that Parliaments play in our Westminster system. As always, I will do my best to represent the views of the community.

If you wish to leave a condolence note for the victims and their families, you can do so here.

I hope over the coming weeks that you can have a break and spend some time with your family. My family is the most important thing to me, and I am looking forward to spending quality time with them. I know my daughters are looking forward to spending time with their cousins in the pool – a very Aussie way to spend Christmas.

Finally, thank you to the many first responders who will continue to work over the Christmas break. Our first responders showed incredible bravery in the face of the attacks on Sunday and some of them will likely continue to work over the coming weeks.

My office will be closed over the Christmas break from 22 December to 9 January. My emails will continue to be monitored through the break for any urgent matters that arise.

Thank you for your support in 2025. I look forward to representing you and fighting for this community in 2026.

Double Demerits and Emergency Contacts

A reminder that there will be double demerits in place from 24 December to 4 January, so please drive carefully.

Below are some emergency numbers you may find useful.

Bushfire Locations and Updates: Fires Near Me
SES: 132 500
Endeavour Energy: 131 003
Ausgrid: 13 13 88
Transgrid: 1800 027 253

The Epping Lift is Working!

A Christmas miracle? More likely the outcome of community pressure (and some negative media attention). A functioning lift to access the train station is a basic element of government service delivery. It's frustrating that it took some media attention for the Government to do their job and fix the lift - for now! I will continue campaigning for the lift to be replaced because this is the outcome that will best serve the community.

You can see some of the media coverage on this issue here and my appearance on Channel 9 here.

I will be keeping an eye on the lift over summer and if it breaks down again you can guarantee I will be there banging on the door to get it fixed.

Dence Park Pool….is back

Parramatta Council have made the decision to progress with a refurbishment of the pool rather than a wholescale redevelopment. This will give the pool another 10 years, and, in the meantime, Council will look for alternative sites for a pool that can be used by the community into the future. I think this is a sensible, pragmatic decision that will get the pool back open to the community.

For the Council’s refurbishment to happen, they are approaching the NSW Local Government Minister to vary a funding agreement for a grant they received from the State Government. I have already written to the Minister to add my support for a variation to the funding agreement and to show my support for Parramatta Council. I will keep on working with Council to try and get the pool open as soon as possible.

Parramatta Council's decision is a credit to every member of our community who gave their voice to this cause. This is your win!

Tolls

The Government has announced that there will be two-way tolling on the Harbour Bridge. This is a broken promise from the Government who went to the election promising no new tolls.

It's welcome that the Government will extend the toll cap program, but it is false to say that they needed to introduce new tolls to pay for it. Government is about choices and the funding to extend this toll relief program could have come from existing revenue. In 24/25 (so one year alone), the Government collected $3.6B in additional taxes! The Government is clearly already collecting enough revenue without having to slug drivers with another tax.

This also comes after the Government's Toll Review; the only outcome of which is.…new tolls.

I know that both sides of Government have introduced tolls, but this Government promised that it wouldn’t, and I am frustrated for our community that we will now have to pay more.

Telopea Redevelopment

Government plans for renewal of Telopea have changed, which has meant changes to planned community infrastructure and a decision to renew existing social housing. Tenants have now begun moving back into the refurbished Three Sisters (More information).

Since I started in the role, my priority has been:

To see that the community still gets new or upgraded community infrastructure if there is going to be additional housing and density added to the suburb
To make sure there is adequate communication and support for the community, as tenants move back into existing housing stock.

I’m not confident that either of these are being delivered as they should be, but I want to hear from you. If you live in or around the area and have concerns or thoughts, please reach out to epping@parliament.nsw.gov.au.

Rescheduled Listening Post

Alternatively, if you would like to discuss these issues with me in person, I will be hosting a listening post this Friday, in Telopea. Details below:

📅Friday, 19 December
📍Waratah Shopping Centre (Telopea Shops, Benaud Place)
🕒 9:30am-10:30am

Streetlights

Finally, thank you to those that have already provided a nomination for improved street lighting. It's not too late to nominate a street. You will be hearing more on this soon.

I hope you have a safe and restful break. Merry Christmas!

Regards,

Monica Tudehope
Member for Epping