MP targets housing, health, and gambling

DUNKLEY MP Jodie Belyea has identified women’s health, gambling reform, and housing among her top priorities in her maiden speech.

Belyea delivered her maiden speech in federal parliament on 27 March. Belyea, who founded the Women’s Spirit Project charity, said that she would continue to focus on women’s health and wellbeing while serving as an MP.
“I wish to champion the development of policies and programs for women that strengthen their health and wellbeing—for women recovering from domestic and family violence and sexual abuse, mental health barriers, poverty, and addiction,” Belyea said. “I wish to support initiatives that address menopause, because pardon the pun, menopause is a hot topic for many middle-aged women. “If we don’t commit to delivering initiatives to support the health and wellbeing, the healing, and the recovery of women impacted by trauma and poverty, gender equality could remain mere words on paper.”

Belyea won Dunkley for Labor at the 2 March by-election, which was triggered by former MP Peta Murphy’s death in December. One of Murphy’s crowning achievements in parliament was her work as the chair of the inquiry into online gambling harm. The inquiry published its final report in June 2023, but the federal government has not yet committed to taking action on its 31 recommendations. Belyea said she will advocate for the changes proposed by the inquiry.

“Australians lose $25 billion to gambling each year, the highest amount per capita in the world. Families in communities like Dunkley feel the brunt of gambling magnifying the cost-of-living pressures and exacerbating disadvantage,” Belyea said. “I will advocate for the recommendations of the ‘You win some, you lose more’ report. Peta drove this report’s common sense recommendations with great empathy and care. She is no longer here to fight this good fight, so it falls on us to meet her political courage with a little bit of our own.” Belyea paid tribute to Murphy during her speech. Murphy’s parents were in attendance.

Housing projects, initiatives for young people, and improvements to Frankston’s CBD were also listed by Belyea as important issues during her 27 March speech.

First published in the Frankston Times – 9th April 2024