Alister Henskens portrait
Alister Henskens portrait

News

Penny Lancaster

Dance
8th Apr 2026
Penny Lancaster has spent decades in the Wahroonga electorate contributing to the dance community by developing thousands of young dancers and teachers.
The Wahroonga electorate has a very vibrant Roman Catholic community, including many outstanding Catholic schools. I have had the pleasure to meet on many occasions the Roman Catholic Bishop responsible for my electorate, Anthony Randazzo, whom I have found from the deep conversations we have shared to be a very intelligent man.
I was very sad to hear of the recent passing of Ann O'Donovan, a long‑serving member of the Ku-ring-gai SES unit. Ann served in the SES for around 32 years in field operations, incident management and community engagement.
Recently I was kindly invited to St Ives to attend the twenty-fifth anniversary of the establishment of the Rotary Youth Driver Awareness [RYDA] program, which provides important road safety education. The program operates at different locations around New South Wales, other Australian States and New Zealand.
I frequently describe the schools in the Wahroonga electorate as educational powerhouses. I am delighted to share with the House that many of the schools in the Wahroonga electorate again performed exceptionally well in their 2025 HSC exams.

A Friend's Place

A Friend's Place
4th Feb 2026
One in 20 children in Australia loses a parent or sibling before the age of 18. Coping with such a loss can be incredibly challenging, which is why organisations like A Friend's Place, formerly called the National Centre for Childhood Grief, are so important.

Imogen Connell

Alister Henskens and Imogen Connell
20th Nov 2025
I recently awarded Imogen Connell a State Representative Award for her achievements at the 2025 Australian Junior Athletics Championships. Imogen competed in April in the under-13s discus and under-14s pole vault. She is not only skilled at discus and pole vault but also performs well at hammer throw, hurdles and shot-put.
I acknowledge the outstanding contributions of community organisations in my electorate of Wahroonga, with some receiving funding under the Community Building Partnership program. I wholeheartedly support initiatives that strengthen our communities and deliver real benefits to local people. This year's grants have funded a diverse range of projects that improve safety, enhance education, promote health and wellbeing, and foster inclusion in the Wahroonga electorate.

Glenn Bridgland

Hands in a circle
13th Nov 2025
Glenn Bridgland of Turramurra recently received the 2025 Upper North Shore Senior Volunteer of the Year Award. Glenn is a volunteer pilot with Little Wings, an organisation that helps bring children from regional and rural New South Wales to major cities for specialist and life-saving medical treatment.
I celebrate our small businesses and raise an important issue for the small business community across New South Wales, including within the Wahroonga electorate. Last month was Small Business Month, which is all about celebrating and promoting our local small businesses and encouraging people to support their community by shopping at them.
The NSW Opposition will again bring on its plan this week to give police and courts stronger powers to stop hate-fuelled rallies and constant weekend disruptions that are costing taxpayers millions and holding Sydney back.
A hundred years ago the world was experiencing the Roaring Twenties, when technology was much less advanced than today. Regular radio broadcasts were becoming more frequent. Cars were becoming more common, with horses and carts still dominating. World War II was still 14 years from commencing, and the Sydney Harbour Bridge had not yet been built.
A highlight of each year for me is when I host two high school leaders from each secondary school in the Wahroonga electorate for a tour and special dinner in the President's Dining Room at Parliament House here in Macquarie Street.

St Lucy's School

St Lucy's School
16th Sep 2025
St Lucy's School was founded by the Dominican Sisters in 1938 in Homebush before moving in 1959 to Wahroonga, where it remains today.
I sadly inform the House of the recent passing of the much-loved Mrs Jo Harris, OAM. Jo was born in Killara, attended Ravenswood and went on to study design and costume at East Sydney Technical College.
Most, if not all, members of this house have spoken in their inaugural speech about the history of their local area and how it was settled and developed. It is very important to our identity to have knowledge of our local area and its history in order to pass that on to future generations.
The NSW Coalition will introduce a Bill in Parliament to criminalise the production and/or distribution of sexually explicit deepfakes, following disturbing reports of female students, teachers and workers being digitally targeted across the state.
I acknowledge the passing of, and pay tribute to, Stuart Clark, AM, AFSM—a remarkable member of our community. As will become apparent, the five minutes allotted to the delivery of a private member's statement is entirely inadequate to properly go into the detail of the many respects in which Stuart Clark contributed to our community.

Joseph Kim

Joseph Kim and Alister Henskens
24th Jun 2025
I recently had the pleasure of presenting Joseph Kim from Westleigh with a State Representative Award in recognition of his achievement representing New South Wales at the 2024 School Sport Australia Swimming Championship. At 17 years of age, Joseph was part of the relay team that broke the 200-metre freestyle record at the recent CAS Swimming and Diving Championships.