It has been an important month for diversity and inclusion in North Sydney, and I’ve very much enjoyed connecting with many in our community during Mardi Gras, International Women’s Day and Harmony Week celebrations.

As a community independent, these are the occasions that matter most to me: times where I can get together with the people of our community and learn about your experiences, concerns and ambitions, so I can take them with me to Parliament House.

For Mardi Gras, I was joined by Zali Steggall MP, Allegra Spender MP, and about 15 constituents from our electorates of North Sydney, Warringah and Wentworth on the Independents for Inclusion parade float, which was themed ‘Powered by People’.

True to our theme, the evening was truly a group effort, with volunteers putting in a huge amount of work behind the scenes to ensure everything ran smoothly. Thank you to all who joined us on the night — including the 100 or so people who joined us virtually by sending in their photos to be displayed on the float to show their support for LGBTQIA+ pride and inclusion.

International Women’s Day was another big event here in North Sydney. I had the privilege of hosting a sold-out breakfast with almost 200 North Sydneysiders coming together to hear from the inspirational Catherine Fox, Michelle Lim, Melanie Fernandez and Sophie Scott, and discuss persistent gender inequities at home, in society and in the workplace.

While it is clear we do not yet have a gender-equal Australia, following significant advocacy by myself and others on the crossbench the Government has taken small but significant steps this month to address some of the systemic issues in superannuation and pay. I'm looking forward to engaging further with my colleagues in Parliament on the new National Strategy for Gender Equality and ensuring that it truly delivers the change we want to see.

Also in March, we celebrated Harmony Week, which is an annual celebration of cultural diversity in Australia. With all that’s happening across the world right now, it’s more important than ever that we continue to support each other and stand together as a socially cohesive community.

I’ve always believed that we in North Sydney are fortunate to have ties to cultures from across the world, with almost half of us born overseas and over a third speaking a language other than English at home. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from a number of multicultural groups at our Harmony Week concert and watching some wonderful primary school performances. Well done to all involved!