I speak in debate on the Conversion Practices Ban Bill 2024. As someone who has lived my entire life in the area that I now represent, my links to my community run deep. They are not merely transactional. People of faith are my family, my long-time friends and my neighbours. They are not just constituents. They also include many people from various faith communities. As such, I am in a unique position to consult genuinely and widely with a diverse array of faith communities, and I have done so on this bill.

Just this afternoon I was on the phone with the principal of a faith-based school in my community. He emailed me earlier in the week, and I emailed him back. He raised concerns that had come through to him about the bill. We had a good chat, and I told him that I had been consulting and speaking with the Minister, the Minister's office, peak bodies and other faith groups. By the end of the conversation, he was comforted and assured that he would be able to continue to be a principal at a school that practises and teaches faith. That right will not be impinged on. Those discussions have not just taken place today; they have taken place over a long period. Essentially, that is how democracy should work.

For too long the tone on these kinds of issues has been unhelpful. All too often, stakeholders on both sides go to their corners, throw pejoratives at each other and do not progress any further. We end up with a society that is probably a little bit more divided than it should be. I did not get elected to this place to play those kinds of politics. For all the pompous bluster of those opposite, that is not what I have been elected to do. During the election campaign, Freedom for Faith held many forums throughout New South Wales about the bill and many other issues. In my electorate, that took place at Hoxton Park Anglican Church. It was not a "meet the candidates" event because I was the only one who turned up. The Liberal candidate did not turn up, and neither did the other two or three candidates. It was essentially a conversation with me and the pastor. It was well informed, and I still receive positive feedback about that forum to this day.

I have regular discussions with Freedom for Faith, with that church and with the pastor from that church, and I will continue to do so. I have an open-door policy to any group on any issue. That is the way that I do politics. For many in my community, religion and faith are central to their identity. I represent a diverse multicultural community. Many of them have fled as refugees from war, from genocide and from other atrocities, and their faith is integral part of who they are. They were persecuted because of their beliefs. They have come to New South Wales for a better life, and they continue to practise their faith in a country that allows that. Like many members of this place, I have received emails from all corners of my electorate over many months. I have had conversation after conversation with people in my electorate, be they faith leaders or constituents who attend church on a Sunday or the mosque on a Friday, or even be they agnostic or atheist.

While the bill is likely to work its way through Parliament this week, conversations about the bill and the issues it raises will continue for a long time. As the member for Leppington, I will continue to have those conversations. I have raised my concerns and questioned some of the issues about the bill on behalf of my constituents. I have made sure that south-west Sydney is represented as part of the consultation process. I have spoken to multiple Ministers, their staff and peak bodies. To take one faith as an example, all Catholics are not Catholics, so to speak. There are Roman Catholics but, in my community, there are Chaldeans and many other people who adhere to the Catholic faith who are not the run-of-the-mill Roman Catholics. It is important that people from south-west Sydney are consulted and get to have their say. People like me are in this place to represent those people.

The answer that has come out of over 12 months of consultation is that, regardless of what side of the fence a person is on, it is clear that conversion practices are harmful and must be banned. It is also clear that people of faith must be free to continue to practise their beliefs, free from undue intervention from the State. The bill is not perfect. It is likely that no group is 100 per cent happy with the result. But there will be 12 months or so to educate and inform the community about any concerns and to dispel any misunderstandings. The process of development and consultation on the bill has been extensive, and the public discourse has been civil. The process as a whole has run more smoothly and been more inclusive than previous attempts on issues of conscience and faith in the past.

I congratulate the Attorney General for his work. I thank all stakeholders for their productive contributions to the debate over many months. This time, the Government has got the bill right. The Government has consulted widely and struck the right balance between the diverse views of the New South Wales community and my community in Leppington in particular. I note that the bill is an election commitment and has been through a long and thorough process of development and consultation. From the outset, it was made clear by the Minns Labor Government that this is and always will be a New South Wales bill. It is a bill by and for the people of New South Wales. It will not incorporate some of the concerns from other jurisdictions that have passed similar legislation. It addresses the unique issues and concerns of this State. I commend the bill to the House and look forward to a future for New South Wales where both harmful conversion practices no longer take place and people of faith continue to have their views respected.