Latest news with #NicoletteBoele
The Advertiser
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Advertiser
MPs urge changes for next generation of Australians
As one teal MP called for the Albanese government to follow in the footsteps of visionary prime ministers, a former basketball player used his first speech to parliament to open up on his mental health struggles. In the opening days of the 48th parliament, first-term MPs have been sharing their path into politics in their maiden speeches. Among them is high-profile independent Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, and who called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years. Ms Boele won the seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount. In her maiden speech, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's reforms on healthcare are necessary to ensure systemic issues are dealt with. "Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark. "Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things." Ms Boele's future in the parliament however remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result. The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs. "Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said. "For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally." Meanwhile, Matt Smith, who won back the far north Queensland seat of Leichhardt for Labor, spoke about the importance of men's mental health. He told parliament about his own struggles after retiring from basketball with the Cairns Taipans, where he had taken a 75 per cent pay cut just to keep the team afloat. "I lost five years of my life wildly oscillating between a fight-or-flight response and numb blankness," Mr Smith said. "I found the strength I needed to get out of the depression in asking others for help, not drowning in my own ego and weird perceptions of masculinity." Far north Queensland is the site of one in ten domestic violence cases in Queensland, he said, and challenged men to do more to combat the issue. "As men, we have to call out this behaviour, protect those we love and help other men to break the cycle and deal with the mental health issues that exacerbate violence," he said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 As one teal MP called for the Albanese government to follow in the footsteps of visionary prime ministers, a former basketball player used his first speech to parliament to open up on his mental health struggles. In the opening days of the 48th parliament, first-term MPs have been sharing their path into politics in their maiden speeches. Among them is high-profile independent Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, and who called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years. Ms Boele won the seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount. In her maiden speech, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's reforms on healthcare are necessary to ensure systemic issues are dealt with. "Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark. "Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things." Ms Boele's future in the parliament however remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result. The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs. "Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said. "For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally." Meanwhile, Matt Smith, who won back the far north Queensland seat of Leichhardt for Labor, spoke about the importance of men's mental health. He told parliament about his own struggles after retiring from basketball with the Cairns Taipans, where he had taken a 75 per cent pay cut just to keep the team afloat. "I lost five years of my life wildly oscillating between a fight-or-flight response and numb blankness," Mr Smith said. "I found the strength I needed to get out of the depression in asking others for help, not drowning in my own ego and weird perceptions of masculinity." Far north Queensland is the site of one in ten domestic violence cases in Queensland, he said, and challenged men to do more to combat the issue. "As men, we have to call out this behaviour, protect those we love and help other men to break the cycle and deal with the mental health issues that exacerbate violence," he said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 As one teal MP called for the Albanese government to follow in the footsteps of visionary prime ministers, a former basketball player used his first speech to parliament to open up on his mental health struggles. In the opening days of the 48th parliament, first-term MPs have been sharing their path into politics in their maiden speeches. Among them is high-profile independent Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, and who called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years. Ms Boele won the seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount. In her maiden speech, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's reforms on healthcare are necessary to ensure systemic issues are dealt with. "Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark. "Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things." Ms Boele's future in the parliament however remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result. The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs. "Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said. "For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally." Meanwhile, Matt Smith, who won back the far north Queensland seat of Leichhardt for Labor, spoke about the importance of men's mental health. He told parliament about his own struggles after retiring from basketball with the Cairns Taipans, where he had taken a 75 per cent pay cut just to keep the team afloat. "I lost five years of my life wildly oscillating between a fight-or-flight response and numb blankness," Mr Smith said. "I found the strength I needed to get out of the depression in asking others for help, not drowning in my own ego and weird perceptions of masculinity." Far north Queensland is the site of one in ten domestic violence cases in Queensland, he said, and challenged men to do more to combat the issue. "As men, we have to call out this behaviour, protect those we love and help other men to break the cycle and deal with the mental health issues that exacerbate violence," he said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 beyondblue 1300 22 4636 As one teal MP called for the Albanese government to follow in the footsteps of visionary prime ministers, a former basketball player used his first speech to parliament to open up on his mental health struggles. In the opening days of the 48th parliament, first-term MPs have been sharing their path into politics in their maiden speeches. Among them is high-profile independent Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, and who called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years. Ms Boele won the seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount. In her maiden speech, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's reforms on healthcare are necessary to ensure systemic issues are dealt with. "Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark. "Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things." Ms Boele's future in the parliament however remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result. The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs. "Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said. "For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally." Meanwhile, Matt Smith, who won back the far north Queensland seat of Leichhardt for Labor, spoke about the importance of men's mental health. He told parliament about his own struggles after retiring from basketball with the Cairns Taipans, where he had taken a 75 per cent pay cut just to keep the team afloat. "I lost five years of my life wildly oscillating between a fight-or-flight response and numb blankness," Mr Smith said. "I found the strength I needed to get out of the depression in asking others for help, not drowning in my own ego and weird perceptions of masculinity." Far north Queensland is the site of one in ten domestic violence cases in Queensland, he said, and challenged men to do more to combat the issue. "As men, we have to call out this behaviour, protect those we love and help other men to break the cycle and deal with the mental health issues that exacerbate violence," he said. 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) Lifeline 13 11 14 Men's Referral Service 1300 766 491 beyondblue 1300 22 4636
Perth Now
2 days ago
- Politics
- Perth Now
Teal urges bold changes for Australia's future
The Albanese government should use its term in office to implement long-term reform like those led by visionary prime ministers of the past, a new independent MP says. Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years. Ms Boele won the former blue-ribbon seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount. In her maiden speech to parliament, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's Medicare are necessary to ensure long-term systemic issues are dealt with. "Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark. "Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things." However, the independent's future in the parliament remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result. While Ms Kapterian won the first count in Bradfield by eight votes, the recount put Ms Boele ahead by 26. The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her family who spurred her on to become who she is. Ms Boele spoke of her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs. "Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said. "For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally." Before entering parliament, Ms Boele worked in finance and the clean energy sector for three decades.
West Australian
2 days ago
- Politics
- West Australian
Teal urges bold changes for Australia's future
The Albanese government should use its term in office to implement long-term reform like those led by visionary prime ministers of the past, a new independent MP says. Nicolette Boele, who won the once-safe Liberal seat of Bradfield on Sydney's north shore, called for MPs to be bold and brave in their decision-making in the next three years. Ms Boele won the former blue-ribbon seat by just 26 votes in one of the closest results in Australian election history, with the final outcome going down to a recount. In her maiden speech to parliament, she said big reforms similar to John Howard's gun restrictions and Gough Whitlam's Medicare are necessary to ensure long-term systemic issues are dealt with. "Politics as usual isn't working," Ms Boele told the House of Representatives on Monday. "Difficult decisions are delayed until the failure to act ushers in disastrous consequences, at which point a royal commission is called for, a referendum sought, or a plebiscite scheduled, or important decisions are made in the dark. "Independents like me have been elected to put people back into the process of creating our future. This is how we fix things." However, the independent's future in the parliament remains under a cloud, with her Liberal opponent Gisele Kapterian launching a petition with the High Court to overturn the tight result. While Ms Kapterian won the first count in Bradfield by eight votes, the recount put Ms Boele ahead by 26. The independent did not mention the court challenge in her speech, instead talking about her family who spurred her on to become who she is. Ms Boele spoke of her parents' arrival from the Netherlands and their initial confusion at Australian customs. "Like so many in this nation, when they arrived, there were challenges fitting in, finding their tribe and that sense of belonging," she said. "For my mum, it was finally being invited by school mums to join a morning tea and being told to bring a plate, which she did, literally." Before entering parliament, Ms Boele worked in finance and the clean energy sector for three decades.
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Independent MP Nicolette Boele calls out parliament's lack of ambition in her first speech
Nicolette Boele, who sensationally beat Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian by just 26 votes in the seat of Bradfield, gave her maiden speech to parliament on Monday, saying Australia is moving towards a decentralised and more people-centred rather than party-centred democracy. She said there was 'widespread conviction' that politicians were 'incapable of dealing with systemic longstanding issues' such as regulating online media platforms, climate change, gambling and housing affordability, adding that unlike previous reform to gun laws, or the introduction of medicare, the parliament was not ambitious enough
The Guardian
21-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Decoding a voter's poor handwriting is subjective – let's enlist AI to help with the Bradfield recount
Liberal candidate Gisele Kapterian has appealed her narrow loss to Nicolette Boele in Bradfield to the court of disputed returns. According to Professor Anne Twomey, no questions of law are raised in Kapterian's challenge. Rather, the court is being asked to determine more mundane questions. Is that 1 actually a 7; is that 6 an 8? and so on. Cases like this present an almost absurd disjuncture between the banality of the evidentiary questions – is a 1 a 7? – and the weight of the consequences: who shall represent over 100,000 citizens in parliament? Australian elections are global exemplars of fairness. All adult citizens are required to be enrolled and to turn out to vote. Ballots can't be hacked in Australia: they are tangible things, physical pieces of paper, with handwritten markings. Scrutineers from both sides carefully observe the count. The entire electoral process is administered by a politically neutral agency, the Australian Electoral Commission. The prospect of an Australian election being determined by competing subjective assessments about poor handwriting is jarring, at odds with the rigorous procedural fairness so valued and so manifest in Australian electoral law and practice. AEC officials no doubt do their best, and must make thousands of these judgments in the course of closely scrutinised counts like the one in Bradfield. Indeed over the course of a career, many AEC officials must become some of the most experienced handwritten-digit distinguishers in the world. Nonetheless, challenges to their initial judgments can be made under section 281 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act, reserving disputed ballots for determination by a more senior AEC official. Further challenges about the formality of these ballots can form the basis of a petition to the court of disputed returns. The last time the courts considered questions about ballot formality was in 2007 from the seat of McEwen. The resulting federal court case produced one of the more unusual judgments one will find in Australian law reports. Mitchell v Bailey (No 2) contains a lengthy tabular schedule, listing the disposition of 643 reserved ballots and – in 153 instances – reasons for Justice Richard Tracey's assessments about ballot formality differing from those of the AEC. Examples include comments such as 'Notations reasonably resemble numbers. In particular, three of them can be recognised as figures 7, 6, 5.' Why? How? Presumably, they just did to Tracey, just as they did not to AEC officials. No criticism of the late justice is intended; the point is to highlight just how subjective and hence seemingly unfair these assessments – and election outcomes – can appear. Tracey's observations and principles were adopted in their ballot formality guidelines. Given the rather exhaustive guidance provided by Mitchell v Bailey, what's left to dispute? Highly subjective judgment calls about handwriting is all that is left to fight over, something akin to Australia's version of the United States's unedifying hanging chad episode in the 2000 presidential election. Can we do better? Could an election really be decided this way? That one person's 7 is another person's 1? Here's a modest proposal. For decades we've been training computers to recognise handwritten digits, principally for making mail processing and delivery more efficient. Massive datasets of real, handwritten digits have become one of the touchstones of machine learning, test beds for refining algorithms and global competition among researchers. The best algorithms have 99.82% accuracy in recognising digits. And the AEC itself uses digital scanning to process Senate ballot papers. The outputs of digit recognition algorithms are probabilities, summing to 1 over the 10 possible digits, collapsing to a probability of almost exactly 1.0 on one candidate digit in most cases, but more spread out when processing poor, ambiguous handwriting. Algorithmically derived, rigorously validated on massive datasets spanning hundreds of thousands of handwritten digits, these probabilities could be a useful alternative – or at least a guide – in helping a judge determine whether a 1 is a 7, whether a 2 is an 8, and so on, and ultimately as to whether a ballot is formal or not. One simple decision rule might be to classify an ambiguous mark as that digit recognised with probability above 0.5, consistent with courts' reliance on the 'balance of probabilities' as a decision rule in many legal settings. Humans remain very much 'in the loop' in this process. The algorithms only assist in the hard cases: the ballots subject to dispute. Further, while digit recognition algorithms process single digits, ballot formality turns on whether a unique, valid enumeration of preferences or sequences of digits can be discerned, an assessment that considers not just individuals marks but the ballot as a whole. Surely this guidance could not only help the court in a practical sense (parsing hundreds of reserved ballots) but offer reassurance to the parties – and the voters of Bradfield – that the election is being finally decided rationally and with a degree of objectivity, consistent with the fairness integral to Australian elections. Simon Jackman is an honorary professor at the University of Sydney, specialising in elections, public opinion and data science
