2016

Meeting with members of the Lions Club of Kingborough

Earlier today I met with members of the Lions Club of Kingborough at Channel Court Shopping Centre where they are offering gift wrapping, a Lego display and face painting for the kids.
It’s great to see our local service clubs getting out and about in the community this festive season. If you live in Kingborough and haven’t done your Christmas shopping yet why not drop in on your local Lions – and while you’re at it pick up one of their delicious cakes or puddings for Christmas dinner!

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December 15 2016

Geeveston Visitor Centre First Anniversary

Happy first birthday to the Geeveston Visitor Centre – a vital part of the visitor economy in the Huon Valley. It was wonderful to catch up with the Centre’s committee members with Julie Collins, Federal Member for Franklin.

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December 15 2016

Meeting with Karina Siggins

I was heartened to catch up with an old school acquaintance, Karina Siggins. Karina has been involved for many years in ensuring that our children are safe around water, and is working with the Royal Lifesaving Society Australia in Tasmania.

The work that Karina does is of great importance because one harmful water incident is too many.

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December 5 2016

St Aloysius Catholic College Fair

I was privileged to open this years fair at St Aloysius Catholic College.
Nearly every school has a fair as a major fixture in their calendar – and not just for fundraising but for bringing the community together. It was lovely to see so many people brave the weather.
Thank you for inviting me to open and congratulations on another successful fair.

13 November 2016

Parkinsons Australia

Last week I met with Parkinson’s Australia CEO Steve Sant to discuss the issues that people living with Parkinson’s face and how to improve their quality of life.

9 November 2016

Palliative Care Lunchbox Briefing

Pleased to chair a lunch box briefing with Palliative Care Australia at Parliament House yesterday. Dr Peter Allcroft, Dr Linda Sheehan, Professor Ben White and Mr Simon Murphy engaged in a wide ranging conversation about the legal, ethical, and medical issues surrounding euthanasia and palliative care.

9 November 2016

Walk for Brain Cancer 2016

On Sunday November 6, I was pleased to hold the third annual Walk for Brain Cancer Tasmania. We had over 300 walkers take part this year and raised over a staggering $40,000 to help end this insidious disease.

6 November 2016

Barassi Debate 2016 Breakfast

The Lord’s Taverners Australia is a Federated autonomous organisation with branches in all States and Territories and approximately 3000 members. Since its inception in 1982, the organisation has raised and disbursed more than $10 million in cash and kind, with disbursements in 2012-13 in the order of $417,000 across a wide range of sports and recreational activities for disadvantaged or disabled young people.

  

20 August 2016

150 years of Margate


Senator Bilyk shares memories of her childhood in Margate

Be Cruelty Free pledge signing

I was happy to sign the Be Cruelty Free pledge to further the development and production of cruelty free cosmetics.

29 June 2016

Senator Bilyk Defends Arts Funding in the Senate Chamber

Last year I headed up the inquiry into funding for the arts. Here is my passionate speech defending arts funding which I gave to the Senate last December.

29 June 2016

Senator Bilyk attends the Arts Debate in Hobart

 

Senator Bilyk, who was the lead Senator for Labor on last year’s Senate Inquiry into the Impact of the 2014 and 2015 Commonwealth Budget decisions on the Arts, was disappointed that no one from Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberals turned up to discuss the arts at the The Tasmanian Creative Industries Council’s Arts and Cultural Policy Forum on Tuesday June 28 2016

29 June 2016

Senator Bilyk and Senator Polley visit St Anne’s Aged Care

On Friday 10 June, Senator Helen Polley and I had the pleasure of visiting St Anne’s Home in Hobart. If Aged Care is something you care about then be sure to vote Labor on July 2.

14 June 2016

RESULTS Pledge

On Thursday June 9 I was honoured to make the pledge with RESULTS to endeavour to end the worlds worst epidemics by 2030

9 June 2016

Dash Your Enthusiasm – Get Bills Bus to Tassie

https://player.vimeo.com/video/168704342

Dash your enthusiasm from Catryna Bilyk on Vimeo.

31 May 2016

ANZAC Day 2016

It was an honour to lay a wreath and speak at the Snug ANZAC Day service. We are forever indebted to the brave souls of the ADF

26 April 2016

Youth Forum’s Learning and Education Report

It was a pleasure to meet the inspirational Dakoda, who spoke at the launch of the Tasmanian Youth Forum’s Learning and Education Report about his life experience and the value of education.

11 April 2016

Opinion Piece

ON REFLECTION, I HAVE CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT MARRIAGE EQUALITY 

It’s time to embrace the future and legalise marriage equality. The laws of our society should reflect the views of members of that society, and it is clear that our society now wants the legalisation of marriage equality. The legalisation of marriage equality in other jurisdictions has not caused society to collapse, it has not undermined the love felt for each other by heterosexual couples or the significance of their union.

CSIRO Rally at Parliament House

I and Senator Helen Polley attended a rally at Parliament House to save CSIRO jobs. The Turnbull Government’s massive cuts to the CSIRO have led to the sacking of 350 scientists putting at risk Australia’s capacity to predict and adapt to climate change. Given the CSIRO’s Antarctic, marine and atmospheric research is concentrated in our home state of Tasmania, we are concerned that these cuts will have a devastating impact on the Tasmanian economy.

Teal RIbbon Morning Tea

I was pleased to join Leader of the Opposition, Bill Shorten, and Senator Helen Polley at a Teal Ribbon Day breakfast at Parliament House. Teal Ribbon Day helps raise awareness of ovarian cancer, which has the lowest survival rate of any women’s cancer in Australia. Ovarian cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage, so it is important that women recognise the signs and symptoms so they can get treated early.

Surf Life Savers Awards

Congratulations to the brave surf life savers who received the Oct-Dec 2015 National Rescue of the Month Awards.

3 Martch 2016

Kingston Medicare and Centrelink Public Forum

On Sunday, 21 February 2016, I co-hosted a public forum with the Federal Member for Franklin Julie Collins MP to allow the community’s voices to be heard about the Turnbull Government’s proposed closure of the Kingston Centrelink and Medicare Service Centre, which Julie Collins and I had lobbied to establish. 3,000 people signed our petition opposing the closure—a decision which would leave 35,000 people without a local face-to-face Centrelink service and 50,000 people without a face-to-face Medicare service south of Hobart.

300 people attended the forum despite the Government announcing the day before that they had backflipped on their original decision. People who attended the forum spoke passionately about why they need a service centre in Kingston, their anxiety about the level of service when the new service centre is co-located with Service Tasmania, and their concerns about the inaccessibility of phone and online Centrelink services.

Julie Collins has written to the Minister for Human Services to seek further assurances about the new service centre, and we will continue to fight not just to retain the same level of service in Kingston but to make it better.