David Smith MP | Politician
David Smith MP
Phone: +61 2 6293 1344
Reviews
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25.01.2022 Thank you Niugini Arabica and Cafe Viin for the great coffee at the most recent Coffee Catch-ups. I enjoyed the company of everyone that attended. It has been valuable to hear about the issues that are important to you. The next catch-up will be at Two Before Ten Greenway on Friday 27th November at 10-11am. Feel free to come past for a chat.
25.01.2022 At every turn this Government fights transparency and integrity in Government. We have a right to know.
24.01.2022 As cafés in Canberra have adjusted to restriction guidelines including added hygiene measures, I have resumed regular Coffee Catch-ups in Bean. Thank you to everyone that attended yesterday. I enjoyed having a friendly chat and discussing a range of issues including aged care, climate policy, and national security. A big thank you Pitch Black Cafe and Morning Dew for accommodating the visit. Keep an eye out for more catch-ups over the next fortnight!
23.01.2022 Thank you to Kristine Hewett, co-founder of AdamasNexus, Marcia Williams, CEO of the Women's Centre for Health Matters, and Michelle Barclay, lawyer at Canberra Community Law, for stopping past for morning tea. All of them are engaged in valuable work for the community, including supporting women survivors of domestic violence, promoting women's health and well-being, and preventing incarcerated women from being evicted from their homes. In recognition of their work, they ar...e three of five finalists as nominated by the community for the Westfield Local Heroes 2020 grant. All of the candidates have demonstrated generosity and commitment in their respective fields, and I would like to thank them for their contribution to our community. If you would like further information on the finalists work and would like to vote for a candidate, you can visit https://www.westfield.com.au//5hEBSeJPID/local-heroes-2020
21.01.2022 $51 billion later, endless snipes at Labor, and nearly a decade wasted... and the Liberals finally admit that fibre was better all along.
20.01.2022 I was honoured to meet and present Commemorative Medallions and Certificates of Appreciation to Australian veterans of the Second World War and their families yesterday. It was incredible to hear all the stories from Ernest Terence Colhoun AM, Major Sidney Norman Penhaligon and his family and friends, and the late Arthur Alexander Grant's family on their experience of the largest global conflict of the 20th century. Their stories are a stark reminder the contribution and immense sacrifices made by our fellow service men and women. The Commemorative Medallions and Certificates are a small but meaningful way we can thank Australia's veterans. If you or someone you know has served and would like to receive a token of appreciation, please contact my office on (02) 6293 1344 or at [email protected] for details.
19.01.2022 It was great to catch up with Stanley Mitchell, President of Tuggeranong United Football Club, recently. The club is an integral part of the football community in Canberra with a long history, developing football greats such as Tom Rogic, Carl Valeri, Lydia Williams, and Nikolai Topor-Stanley. Thank you for stopping by to discuss some of the challenges and ideas for the future, for the club and Canberra football more broadly.
18.01.2022 Ed Husic MP skewers the Morrison Government’s backflip on the NBN and the wasted decade that has led to a still patchy network but with billions of dollars of unnecessary overruns. To fully understand the magnitude of last week’s backflip, remember the techniques conservatives deployed to erode support for the NBN. A group of stale pollies (who believed Malcolm virtually invented the internet) argued broadband was only of value for watching YouTube clips, ignoring the transf...ormative benefits high speed internet creates in education, health and employment. https://medium.com//conrovia-here-we-come-now-look-forward
17.01.2022 Great to catch up with Mick Gentleman at South.Point. Labor has a great mix of experienced members and energetic new candidates to support in Brindabella and Murrumbidgee. The Tuggeranong early voting centre is next to my electorate office on Anketell St.
17.01.2022 Labor expects the UK to honour the 1998 Good Friday Agreement and calls on the Australian Government to explain the consequences of the UK's Internal Market Bill for the future Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement.
17.01.2022 Great to catch up with constituents down at Chisholm Shops with Joy Burch MLA. Voting in the ACT Legislative Assembly election commences on Monday and it is critical we have a strong, experienced team committed to social justice.
15.01.2022 On UN International Day for Universal Access to Information 2020 it was apt to be at the official reopening of the refurbished National Archives of Australia. The National Archives of Australia connects us with the nation's memory, our identity and our understanding of history and is one of our critical national institutions. It needs support not just in terms of its infrastructure but into ongoing staffing. A great, new exhibition on space is worth exploring these school holidays.
14.01.2022 Of course it's someone else's fault. In this case the Minister can't blame another jurisdiction so it must be the fault of the public servants providing him with advice. In a Melbourne Cup sized field of ministers' refusing to be responsible for their portfolios Minister Fletcher is making a burst on the outside with responsibility for Australia Post, the NBN blowouts, the decline of regional media and this fine bit of work all within his portfolio responsibilities.
14.01.2022 First the Brumbies won the rejigged super rugby and now the Raiders have Canberra Milk back as their major sponsor. While I was never entirely convinced that Chicka Ferguson, big Mal and the team drank much lime flavoured milk surely this is a recipe for success?
12.01.2022 Points if you can spot me in the throwback photo from 1976
12.01.2022 Today marks the International Day for Older Personsa United Nations initiative that encourages the celebration of seniors in our community2020 marks the 30th Anniversary. Considering the year that our community has confronted in 2020 with the COVID-19 pandemic and the heightened risk to older people, the following UN themes are poignant.. https://www.davidsmith.org.au//international-day-of-older/
11.01.2022 On #worldpharmacistday it was great to catch up with community and hospital pharmacists to recognise the important work they do in primary health care well beyond prescription. This year they have had particular pressure arising out of the bushfires and pandemic. Before entering parliament I worked alongside pharmacists with Professionals Australia so it was good to catch up with hospital pharmacists at Canberra and Calvary Public hospitals with Chris Dyer from PA and to visit Capital Chemist Tuggeranong Square with the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia and Brendan Forde - Labor for Brindabella.
08.01.2022 Planning was not just insufficient - the report found there was an absence of a defined, consolidated, national aged care COVID-19 plan." This remains obvious to anyone involved in the sector. Minister Colbeck needs to go.
08.01.2022 Great to be involved in the #AuslanCommunityLeadersChallenge2020 and support the Deaf Community on #InternationalDayofSignLanguages. I have appreciated all the challenging work of Auslan interpreters that has ensured essential information has been coveyed to our deaf community during both the bushfires and pandemic this year. Ensuring wide access to interpretive services is key to understanding and assisting our deaf community.
07.01.2022 Susan Ryan was a giant of Australian life not just of the many movements and causes she is associated with and the ceilings she broke through. She was a towering figure in the Labor Party and the ACT was fortunate to have her as a Senate representative for the territory. A warrior against discrimination of all kinds I had a great conversation with her at the last national conference about age discrimination at work and beyond. Still so much work to do for those of us following in her footsteps but she showed us the way. Vale!
07.01.2022 It was great to catch up with CEO Sarah Tennant (virtually) and Alex Gosman from GIVIT today. GIVIT is a charity organisation that matches donations to the needs of vulnerable people and communities in Australia. This can be in relation to disaster recovery, domestic and family violence, homelessness, disability, and mental health. Working with over 3,500 support organisations, GIVIT essentially operates as a platform to remove the need for charities and services to sort, s...tore and dispose of unsolicited donations, saving valuable resources. A brilliant concept that delivers an invaluable service to those in need. For further information and how to get involved, visit https://www.givit.org.au/.
06.01.2022 This isn’t a Government that you want to do the weekly shop.
05.01.2022 Today is World Narcolepsy Day and while it is not all that common a condition - it affects 1 in 2000 people worldwide - I wanted to post as it has particular relevance and impact for my family. My son Eamonn was diagnosed with narcolepsy last year. His sleep/wake mechanism doesn’t function so he is prone to bouts of sudden overwhelming daytime sleepiness and has days where he struggles to get out of bed in time for school. It’s like he has relentless jet lag and when the br...ain fog descends, he cannot take anything in despite being a very good student. Narcolepsy symptoms vary from person to person and can include muscle weakness when laughing or experiencing strong emotions, scary hallucinations and insomnia. There is no cure and symptoms seem to worsen with age. Eamonn was 13 when he was diagnosed, following 2 years of going to various doctors trying to figure out what was happening. He is one of the lucky ones as the average amount of time between symptoms and an accurate diagnosis is 8-15 years if it’s detected at all. It is not unusual for narcolepsy to be mistaken for depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia, diet deficiency or just plain laziness or having an attitude. This means that often the condition is not properly treated until well into adulthood, after people have struggled through school, higher education and career, all the time wondering why it’s all so hard. So I want to emphasize that people with narcolepsy aren’t unmotivated or weak. They cannot just will themselves to push through their tiredness. And even on good days, they are often dealing with a neurological ‘heaviness’ that they may have learnt to manage but doesn’t go away. For more information, please go to the Narcolepsy Australia website (www.narcolepsyaustralia.org.au) and if you or anyone you know suspects they have narcolepsy, please ask your GP for a referral to a sleep specialist. Project Sleep #WorldNarcolepsyDay
05.01.2022 Acknowledging the significance of the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs have produced a Commemorative Medallion and Certificate of Commemoration to living veterans. The medallion and certificate are a small but meaningful way we can thank living veterans of the largest global conflict of the 20th century. Should you or a loved one wish to receive a medallion and certificate, please contact my office on (02) 6293 1344 or at [email protected] for application details.
03.01.2022 School Holiday activity! There's 3 weeks left of my photo competition and entering only takes 2 minutes. If you have a photo of somewhere in Bean please enter it for a chance to win $250 and be featured as my Christmas card this year. There's a school aged and adults entry, so it's a great opportunity to get out and get the kids taking some pictures during the school holidays (and even enter yourself as well). Some examples of popular spots in Bean include The Arboretum, ...The Cotter, Uriarra Crossing, Gibraltar Falls, Stromlo and of course all the local parks and suburban areas, feel free to be creative and capture something special in your community. https://davidsmith.org.au/community/photography-competition/
