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I'm touching base with you during the final sitting week of the year at Parliament House in Canberra. It's a busy time as we work to pass important legislation to keep Australia and Australians safe.

A lot has been achieved so far this sitting period:

I have introduced landmark reforms to national security legislation [[link removed]] to better protect important sectors from cyber attacks; moved to ensure high risk terrorist offenders [[link removed]] are subject to tailored close supervision when released back into the community; updated the powers of our intelligence and security agencies to keep Australians safe [[link removed]]; and, made important changes [[link removed]] to empower the telecommunication sector to identify and block SMS scams [[link removed]].

One of the Morrison Government's key priorities is ensuring the safety of all Australians, which is why last week I announced the intention [[link removed]] to list The Base and the entirety of Hizballah as terrorist organisations [[link removed]] under the Criminal Code. I have written to my state and territory counterparts, with an aim to finalise the listing as soon as possible.

We have also created a new supercharged operation [[link removed]] between the Australian Federal Police, NSW Police Force and the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission. Operation Phobetor [[link removed]] will crack down on dangerous criminals living the high life from bankrolling corruption, illicit drug trafficking and money laundering.

Our focus on safety extends to the re-opening of our international border [[link removed]].

We're gathering the information we need to better understand the Omicron variant. Medical advice on this developing situation has prompted a temporary pause [[link removed]] to easing of restrictions to selected cohorts - from 1 December until 15 December.

With vaccination rates continuing to soar, Australia's in a very strong position [[link removed]].

At a time when our Government is doing all it can to open international borders, the Queensland Government's doing all it can to make it harder for Queenslanders to get home [[link removed]]. This was a key topic of conversation when I spoke with locals at my recent listening post in Elanora [[link removed]]. I always appreciate people stopping to have a chat and voice any concerns they have. I look forward to holding more listening posts in the new year.

I also enjoy visiting many of our community organisations and it's terrific to see their membership grow. I had the pleasure of officially opening the extended clubhouse at Burleigh Heads Palm Beach Croquet Club [[link removed]] and even had a quick lesson [[link removed]] from one of Australia's best players.

The Club's refurbishments were assisted with Federal funding through the Stronger Communities Program - which also provided a grant to the Carpenter's Workshop [[link removed]] to upgrade their driveway and entrance area.

As we approach the end of another challenging year, it's inspiring to see so many people coming together to celebrate each other's achievements. I recently had the honour of being part of Burleigh Heads Rotary Club's Pride of Work Awards [[link removed]]. Eleven locals were recognised for outstanding work ethic, connection with the community, professionalism and dedication.

This community spirit is what the Gold Coast is all about. It's what makes me proud to be the Member for McPherson.

Take care,

Karen Andrews MP

Federal Member for McPherson

PS - Your McPherson Christmas card and calendar will arrive soon. I would like to thank the hundreds of students entered the drawing competition. Another big thanks goes to our volunteer judges [[link removed]] for taking on the hard job of choosing a winner - Indie in Year 5 at Elanora State School [[link removed]].

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Postal Address: PO Box 409, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227

Email: karen.andrews.mp@ [mailto:[email protected]] aph.gov.au [mailto:[email protected]?subject=Response%20from%20E-News]

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Phone: (07) 5580 9111

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Authorised by Karen Andrews MP, 47 Watts Drive, Varsity Lakes QLD 4227