Shops would be allowed to open two hours earlier on a Sunday under new laws set to go into state Parliament next month.
Key points:
The SA government is looking to allow shops to trade from 9am on Sundays
The bill would also shops outside the Adelaide CBD to open on Boxing Day
Reforming shop trading has been a Labor election promise
Consultation on the reforms has begun with Premier Peter Malinauskas describing the changes as “sensible”.
Under the proposal, shops will be allowed to trade from 9am on Sunday as opposed to the current laws which only allow them to open at 11am.
The bill would also also allow metropolitan shops outside the Adelaide CBD to operate on Boxing Day.
“It’s about getting the balance right. It’s supported by business, it’s supported by workers,” the Premier said.
The reforms tighten how exemptions are issued to allow trade on public holidays. The former Liberal government used those powers to allow stores to open in the suburbs on public holidays during the last term, including on Easter Monday.
“We don’t think a free-for-all in terms of the exemption regime that the former government sought to exploit is necessarily the right approach,” Mr Malinauskas said.
Currently only shops in Adelaide CBD are allowed to trade on Boxing Day.(ABC News: Nicola Gage)
The opposition is yet to consider the amendments put forward by the government.
“I do note that on recent public holidays, South Australian shoppers who have gone to the shops have been very disappointed to find out that under the new regime those shops have been closed,” said opposition spokesperson John Gardner.
For the bill to pass parliament’s Upper House, Labor needs the support of either the Greens, SA Best or the Liberals.
SDA secretary Josh Peak will ensure the interests of retail workers are heard.(abcnews)
The union representing SA retail workers welcomed the proposal but say shop trading hours should not be at the expense of workers and local businesses to the interests of interstate and overseas supermarket giants.
“For us, this consultation is about protecting retail workers’ right to be treated with respect, to have a fair roster and to have public holidays off,” Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Association secretary Josh Peak said.
“Our shop trading hours are one of the reasons we have one of the most diverse and most competitive supermarket sectors in Australia and this must be safeguarded.”
Drakes Supermarket director John-Paul Drake was supportive of an early start on Sundays.
“We have line-ups at 11am at every store every Sunday,” he said.
“More money goes into the economy, we’d employ more people and they are going to get more hours — so it’s a win-win for everyone.”
He preferred the proposed rules to deregulating shopping hours, which he said would be a “free-for-all” and benefit the “duopoly in this state” the most.
A bill to write the government’s 43 per cent emissions reduction target into law has passed the lower house after the government agreed to several minor amendments from the crossbench.
Key points:
The government has agreed to a number of tweaks to its climate target bill
The bill, which writes a 43 per cent emissions reduction target into law, passed the lower house
Senior Liberal Simon Birmingham says he supports a 43 per cent target
The federal government did not need the votes of crossbenchers in the lower house to pass its climate target bill, but it agreed to support amendments moved by a number of independents.
The “teal” independent MPs who swept into parliament on a platform of climate action and government integrity have celebrated the federal government’s willingness to negotiate changes to its bill.
Independent MP Zali Steggall, who topped former prime minister Tony Abbott in 2019, said negotiations on the first major piece of legislation to be brought to parliament had been much more collaborative than with the previous government.
“I can only say the evidence so far is that there is a genuine desire from senior ministers in the government to work with us, they have heard the calls from our communities,” Ms Steggall said.
“We are getting numerous briefings on significant pieces of legislation, we are contributing, we are raising our concerns and amendments are being agreed to.”
The government voted to amend its bill to spell out that its approach to emissions reduction would draw on the “best available scientific knowledge”, that its 43 per cent target was a minimum standard, and that climate change policies benefit regional communities.
It will now also have to seek advice from the Climate Change Authority before setting future climate targets.
Before voting to pass the bill, Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen took a moment to thank the crossbench for their contributions, saying “today is a good day for our country.”
Crossbench lends support, but aims for higher target
The teal MPs were disappointed by a target they see as insufficient for limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius, and said they would continue to push the government for more ambitious action.
The government rejected a separate Greens amendment to lift its target to reduce emissions by 75 per cent by 2030 and reach net zero by 2035.
Greens leader Adam Bandt said the government’s target would lead to the death of the Great Barrier Reef, failed crops and worsening natural disasters.
“That is the science. That is why we are doing this,” Mr Bandt said.
“We’re not doing this to try [to] stop pollution a little bit. We are doing this to try [to] stop climate change becoming a runaway chain reaction.”
Chris Bowen said the government would support amendments where they were in line with its policy.(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
Ms Steggall said the next step for the government must be to phase out oil, coal and gas by ending new approvals, a key sticking point of the Greens, who agreed yesterday to give the bill the votes needed to pass the senate despite not receiving that concession.
Independent MP Kylea Tink said the government must also continue the collaborative precedent it has set.
“The planning starts from now, so whether it’s a fight or whether it’s the capacity to actually work together to move our country forward is what this parliament needs to decide,” Ms Tink said.
“We won’t just accept the minister’s word and we won’t just take it on good faith these things are going to happen.”
Labor MP Josh Wilson wore a scarf to the chamber that depicted annual average temperatures over time, with each row representing the temperature that year compared to historical averages.(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the government’s core policies on climate change were not up for negotiation, but the government would continue to work constructively where reasonable suggestions were made.
He said the climate target bill would not hasten the closure of coal and gas facilities.
Senior Liberal backs 43 per cent emissions target
The Opposition formally decided to oppose the climate target bill earlier this week, though some Liberals have broken with the party in support of an increased target, including Tasmanian MP Bridget Archer who crossed the floor to support the bill.
Shadow Foreign Minister Simon Birmingham said this morning he also supported the higher target, though he stopped short of backing the bill.
“If the 43 per cent target required legislation then I would have wanted to vote for it in a heartbeat. However, it doesn’t require legislation,” Senator Birmingham told ABC Radio.
“[Opposition Leader] Peter Dutton has been clear following the deliberations the Coalition’s had this week that we will be taking a greater level of ambition to the next election.
“The test will now be in terms of that policy, making sure that it is a genuine policy for higher levels of emission reduction.”
The Opposition determined it would oppose the government’s climate target bill.(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
New MP Monique Ryan, who won Kooyong from former treasurer Josh Frydenberg at the election, said Liberals were leaving their electorates out of the conversation by refusing to engage.
“My predecessor in Kooyong never crossed the floor in his 12 years in parliament,” Dr Ryan said.
“I think that the people of Kooyong today will be very happy that they have a representative who has worked with the government to make this bill stronger, rather than refusing to engage with it and in doing so losing their own voice.
“By taking themselves out of the discussion the Liberals have disenfranchised the people they represent.”
A bill to restore territory rights has passed in the House of Representatives this morning, edging the ACT and Northern Territory closer to being able to set their own laws on voluntary assisted dying.
Key points:
The House of Representatives has passed legislation repealing a ban on the territories introducing euthanasia laws
If passed in the Senate, the bill will give the territories the right to vote on the issue themselves
The ban has been in place for 25 years and makes the ACT and NT the only Australian jurisdictions to not allow voluntary assisted dying
The private member’s bill was introduced by Labor MPs Alicia Payne and Luke Gosling on Monday and aims to overturn a 25-year-old ban on territories legislating on euthanasia.
This bill does not legalize voluntary assisted dying, but rather gives the territories the right to vote on it.
It will still have to undergo a vote in the Senate, where leading opponents of assisted dying blocked previous attempts to repeal the ban. Two of those opponents – former Liberal senators Eric Abetz and Zed Seselja – no longer hold Senate seats.
If passed, the bill would give the opportunity for the territories to follow every state in Australia and allow voluntary assisted dying, after NSW became the last of the states to pass its legislation on the issue in May.
The bill was passed 99 to 37 in the House of Representatives.(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
Advocates have been campaigning for change for decades
Advocates for voluntary assisted dying laws have been campaigning for the territories to be able to set their own laws on the issue for decades.
Between 2006 and 2016, multiple bills were introduced to federal parliament seeking to restore territory rights, but each failed.
Among those in support of the legislation is Darwin resident Judy Dent, whose husband Bob was the first to make use of the NT’s voluntary euthanasia law before it was repealed when the ban on territories legalizing assisted dying was introduced.
Bob Dent was the first of four people to use the NT’s short-lived assisted suicide laws.(Supplied)
Mr Dent died on September 22, 1996, but the law’s reversal has been a source of pain for his widow ever since.
“Surely it is unconstitutional to treat people differently because of where they choose to live,” Ms Dent said last year.
“That’s what they’re doing — they’re making the people of the territories second-class citizens.”
In March last year, both the ACT and NT wrote to senior Commonwealth ministers asking for the ban to be appealed, but in October, the request was denied by then attorney-general Michaelia Cash.
But the issue was revived ahead of the federal election, when now Independent Senator David Pocock made it one of the major issues of his campaign.
“Tragically, for some in our community, this is not a debate that can wait,” Senator Pocock said at the time.
Yesterday, in his maiden speech to the Senate, he said whether the ACT allowed for voluntary assisted dying should be a decision by the Legislative Assembly.
“It is time for us to restore the right of the territories to make decisions for themselves. To ensure that our Legislative Assembly here in the ACT gets to make decisions about the future of Canberrans, not MPs from around the country whose own constituents already enjoy these same rights,” Senator Pocock said.
‘Incredibly special moment’
Ms Payne said it was an “incredibly special moment” when the bill passed in the lower house.
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“I’m very, very grateful to each of our parliamentary colleagues across political lines who support the rights of the territories to have the same democratic rights as other Australians,” she said.
“We’re only halfway there, the conversation needs to continue now in the Senate and those discussions with our colleagues are continuing.
“I put that plea now to our Senate colleagues to please do this for our constituents, to have their say.
“I am grateful to those colleagues who don’t personally support voluntary assisted dying but do support our equal democratic rights.”
Mr Gosling said he and Ms Payne were “very proud” to see the bill go through, with an overwhelming majority of 99 MPs voting in the affirmative.
“We’re grateful for that support,” he said.
“The bill will now go to the Senate and we’re hoping that it receives support there as well, and that’ll mean, for Territorians, that we will regain the ability to make laws on issues that affect us.”
The Greens will offer critical support to a climate bill that will legislate the government’s 2030 emissions reduction target, giving it the numbers it needs to pass in the Senate.
Key points:
Labor’s 2030 climate target is set to become law, legislating a national 43 per cent target
The Greens have agreed to give the climate target support, despite holding reservations
Adam Bandt says his party will push to ban new coal and gas projects through other legislation
Labor has introduced a bill to enshrine its 43 per cent emissions reduction target into law and tighten up reporting schemes to track progress towards the target.
Greens leader Adam Bandt has told the National Press Club that his party will back the bill, giving it the votes needed to pass.
Mr Bandt said he remained “bitterly disappointed” the government would not ban new coal and gas projects, and that the party would vote to send the bill for inquiry, where they hope to prove Labor’s climate policies would fail to meet a legislated 43 per cent target.
“Labor might be holding out now, but their position is ultimately untenable, and they can’t go to upcoming climate summits, vowing to open new coal and gas projects and expect to be taken seriously,” he said.
Mr Bandt said the party will now push to shut down future projects by amending the safeguard mechanism, which penalizes big polluting companies that go over a set carbon emissions ceiling.
Climate Change Minister Chris Bowen shut down any prospect of a coal and gas moratorium being introduced through the safeguard mechanism, saying the government would implement its election plan “without alteration”.
Mr Bowen said it will begin consulting on the emissions lever later this month.
The government did not have the numbers in the Senate to pass its climate target bill without support from either the Coalition or the crossbench.
The Coalition determined it would oppose the bill yesterday, although some of its MPs and at least one senator are considering crossing the floor to support it.
Without the Coalition’s support, the government needed the Greens’ backing to have any chance of legislating its target.
The government will also need the support of at least one other senator — independent senator David Pocock has already indicated he will give it his support.
Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry boss Andrew McKellar said passing the bill would send a clear and welcome signal to the market in its transition to clean energy.
“This is a missed opportunity for the Opposition. The announcement today demonstrates that the climate wars are over. This must act as a moment for unity of purpose,” Mr McKellar said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese challenged the Coalition to “end the climate wars” and give its support to the bill.
“The parliament is about to, after a decade of inaction and denial and delay, to move forward,” Mr Albanese said.
“This is an opportunity for the whole of the parliament to be on the right side of history.”
Adam Bandt said Labor would be rewarded by voters if it adopted more ambitious climate policies.(ABC News: Nick Haggarty)
Greens say Labor will have to shift on coal and gas moratorium
Mr Bandt said his party would continue to fight new coal and gas projects, despite agreeing to give Labor’s bill passage.
“This is round one, there is three years of this parliament,” Mr Bandt said.
“Labor’s position is ultimately untenable… this is increasingly becoming a deal breaker around the world.”
For a decade, Labor and the Greens have held bitter memories over the Greens decision not to back Labor’s Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme in 2009, which was ultimately defeated in parliament.
Labor has argued that the Greens share some of the blame for a so-called decade of climate inaction that followed because of their decision to oppose the CPRS.
The Greens had long held that the policy wasn’t going to work, and would have locked the government into insufficient emissions targets that would not have seen any improvement for 25 years.
The climate target bill, while largely symbolic because the government does not require the laws to achieve its 43 per cent target, was seen as a litmus test for how the two parties would likely interact on climate change in the term to come.
Taxpayers have forked out $3.8 million to remove a flood-damaged restaurant from Brisbane’s Bicentennial Bikeway and river after it was damaged in this year’s floods.
Key points:
The 200-tonne structure was pushed up onto the Bicentennial Bikeway during flooding earlier this year
The state government in March instructed the Queensland Reconstruction Authority to use its powers to remove it
The lessee said he had not been contacted by the state government regarding the $3.8m removal
The structure of the former floating restaurant known as Drift was swept onto the Bicentennial Bikeway during the late February floods.
The state government then enacted special powers to remove the 200-tonne pontoon in late March, under the Queensland Reconstruction Authority Act, which had only been exercised once before following the 2011 floods.
The state government in late March said an independent engineering report had found serious safety issues with the structure, warning “in its current state, the pontoon is considered to be at risk of immediate and sudden collapse.”
Workers in April began cutting the structure into several sections in order to remove it from the bikeway.
While the structure blocked the bikeway, Brisbane City Council converted one lane of Coronation Drive into a two-way bikeway and introduced a 40 kilometer per hour speed limit in the area.
The bikeway fully reopened on June 10.
The lessee, Brisbane businessman Ken Allsop, told ABC Radio Brisbane in March that he had wanted to reopen the venue.
Speaking today Mr Allsop said he had not been contacted by the state government regarding the cost of the removal, and would not be paying for it.
“I haven’t been asked to pay it. They decided to do it, and I wanted to put it back together,” he said.
