Would you drive 30km/h to reduce road deaths?
Restricting cars and trucks to 30km/h would be the norm for neighbourhood streets under proposed laws being unveiled on Wednesday.
The change comes amid rising fatalities on Australian roads in the face of a national goal to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
While nine out of ten people die when hit by a vehicle driving at 50 km/h, nine in ten people survive when hit at 30 km/h, safety advocate Jennifer Kent says.
Inner-city Melbourne and parts of suburban Sydney have adopted the lower limits but Dr Kent views the varied approaches across Australia as unfair for children, parents and the elderly.
"Why should my son be safe walking to school but my cousin who lives in Brisbane is not?" the spokeswoman for advocacy group 30 Please told AAP.
"It's not fair that some people's lives are more important than others, so why wouldn't we do this on a national scale."
Kobi Shetty lives in an inner Sydney area where the speed limit is more than 30 kilometres an hour.
"I see a lot of neighbours who live near me drive their kids to school less than a kilometre," she told AAP.
"They drive their kids to school because they don't feel safe letting them walk or cycle."
That perspective has helped push the NSW Greens MP to introduce a bill to enact a statewide 30km/h limit on residential roads.
She says it's the "most impactful" way to protect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians from road accidents as drivers will be forced to travel slower in high traffic areas.
If adopted, NSW would follow Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK in lowering limits to such levels.
In those areas, communities have seen a 40-per-cent reduction in fatalities on roads that have these limits, Ms Shetty said.
The cost to motorists was meanwhile between 30 seconds to one minute for each journey, research suggested.
"Most people would understand that it's worth spending an extra 30 seconds sitting in a car and saving a life," Ms Shetty said.
Premier Chris Minns however doubled down on opposition to 30 km/h caps first aired in 2024.
"I think that's too slow," he told reporters on Wednesday
Ms Shetty's bill will be debated at a later date.
Unsafe roads are forcing parents to drive children less than one kilometre to school, say safety advocates pushing for lower speed limits.
Restricting cars and trucks to 30km/h would be the norm for neighbourhood streets under proposed laws being unveiled on Wednesday.
The change comes amid rising fatalities on Australian roads in the face of a national goal to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
While nine out of ten people die when hit by a vehicle driving at 50 km/h, nine in ten people survive when hit at 30 km/h, safety advocate Jennifer Kent says.
Inner-city Melbourne and parts of suburban Sydney have adopted the lower limits but Dr Kent views the varied approaches across Australia as unfair for children, parents and the elderly.
"Why should my son be safe walking to school but my cousin who lives in Brisbane is not?" the spokeswoman for advocacy group 30 Please told AAP.
"It's not fair that some people's lives are more important than others, so why wouldn't we do this on a national scale."
Kobi Shetty lives in an inner Sydney area where the speed limit is more than 30 kilometres an hour.
"I see a lot of neighbours who live near me drive their kids to school less than a kilometre," she told AAP.
"They drive their kids to school because they don't feel safe letting them walk or cycle."
That perspective has helped push the NSW Greens MP to introduce a bill to enact a statewide 30km/h limit on residential roads.
She says it's the "most impactful" way to protect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians from road accidents as drivers will be forced to travel slower in high traffic areas.
If adopted, NSW would follow Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK in lowering limits to such levels.
In those areas, communities have seen a 40-per-cent reduction in fatalities on roads that have these limits, Ms Shetty said.
The cost to motorists was meanwhile between 30 seconds to one minute for each journey, research suggested.
"Most people would understand that it's worth spending an extra 30 seconds sitting in a car and saving a life," Ms Shetty said.
Premier Chris Minns however doubled down on opposition to 30 km/h caps first aired in 2024.
"I think that's too slow," he told reporters on Wednesday
Ms Shetty's bill will be debated at a later date.
Unsafe roads are forcing parents to drive children less than one kilometre to school, say safety advocates pushing for lower speed limits.
Restricting cars and trucks to 30km/h would be the norm for neighbourhood streets under proposed laws being unveiled on Wednesday.
The change comes amid rising fatalities on Australian roads in the face of a national goal to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
While nine out of ten people die when hit by a vehicle driving at 50 km/h, nine in ten people survive when hit at 30 km/h, safety advocate Jennifer Kent says.
Inner-city Melbourne and parts of suburban Sydney have adopted the lower limits but Dr Kent views the varied approaches across Australia as unfair for children, parents and the elderly.
"Why should my son be safe walking to school but my cousin who lives in Brisbane is not?" the spokeswoman for advocacy group 30 Please told AAP.
"It's not fair that some people's lives are more important than others, so why wouldn't we do this on a national scale."
Kobi Shetty lives in an inner Sydney area where the speed limit is more than 30 kilometres an hour.
"I see a lot of neighbours who live near me drive their kids to school less than a kilometre," she told AAP.
"They drive their kids to school because they don't feel safe letting them walk or cycle."
That perspective has helped push the NSW Greens MP to introduce a bill to enact a statewide 30km/h limit on residential roads.
She says it's the "most impactful" way to protect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians from road accidents as drivers will be forced to travel slower in high traffic areas.
If adopted, NSW would follow Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK in lowering limits to such levels.
In those areas, communities have seen a 40-per-cent reduction in fatalities on roads that have these limits, Ms Shetty said.
The cost to motorists was meanwhile between 30 seconds to one minute for each journey, research suggested.
"Most people would understand that it's worth spending an extra 30 seconds sitting in a car and saving a life," Ms Shetty said.
Premier Chris Minns however doubled down on opposition to 30 km/h caps first aired in 2024.
"I think that's too slow," he told reporters on Wednesday
Ms Shetty's bill will be debated at a later date.
Unsafe roads are forcing parents to drive children less than one kilometre to school, say safety advocates pushing for lower speed limits.
Restricting cars and trucks to 30km/h would be the norm for neighbourhood streets under proposed laws being unveiled on Wednesday.
The change comes amid rising fatalities on Australian roads in the face of a national goal to eliminate all road deaths and serious injuries by 2050.
While nine out of ten people die when hit by a vehicle driving at 50 km/h, nine in ten people survive when hit at 30 km/h, safety advocate Jennifer Kent says.
Inner-city Melbourne and parts of suburban Sydney have adopted the lower limits but Dr Kent views the varied approaches across Australia as unfair for children, parents and the elderly.
"Why should my son be safe walking to school but my cousin who lives in Brisbane is not?" the spokeswoman for advocacy group 30 Please told AAP.
"It's not fair that some people's lives are more important than others, so why wouldn't we do this on a national scale."
Kobi Shetty lives in an inner Sydney area where the speed limit is more than 30 kilometres an hour.
"I see a lot of neighbours who live near me drive their kids to school less than a kilometre," she told AAP.
"They drive their kids to school because they don't feel safe letting them walk or cycle."
That perspective has helped push the NSW Greens MP to introduce a bill to enact a statewide 30km/h limit on residential roads.
She says it's the "most impactful" way to protect motorists, cyclists and pedestrians from road accidents as drivers will be forced to travel slower in high traffic areas.
If adopted, NSW would follow Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK in lowering limits to such levels.
In those areas, communities have seen a 40-per-cent reduction in fatalities on roads that have these limits, Ms Shetty said.
The cost to motorists was meanwhile between 30 seconds to one minute for each journey, research suggested.
"Most people would understand that it's worth spending an extra 30 seconds sitting in a car and saving a life," Ms Shetty said.
Premier Chris Minns however doubled down on opposition to 30 km/h caps first aired in 2024.
"I think that's too slow," he told reporters on Wednesday
Ms Shetty's bill will be debated at a later date.
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Sydney Morning Herald
6 minutes ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Roundtable should consider new carbon pricing scheme
With the government's economic roundtable now under way (' Federal government's productivity summit begins', August 19), it will hopefully be looking at raising the revenue to fund the transition to net zero. We know that nine months after the introduction of the carbon tax in 2012 our carbon dioxide emissions from electricity generation fell to a 10-year low, while the ABS reported a 2.6 per cent growth in the economy over the two-year period. After the Abbott government replaced the tax with an Emissions Reduction Fund, emissions started growing again as before. Surely now is the time to reconsider the reintroduction of a carbon pricing scheme. We know it works. Peter Nash, Fairlight Tessa Forshaw, an Australian scientist from Harvard, hits the nail on the head with her dissection of what's missing from the productivity roundtable and what's holding Australia back. It's a risk-adverse mindset (' Australia can't fix productivity without confronting its innovation hesitation', August 19). Our scientists are first-class, but too often have to move to the US or the UK to capitalise on their ideas. And that mindset has a lot to do with politics. The Hawke/ Keating government was not afraid to take risks. Since then, the chaos in Canberra and the Coalition's lost decade have landed us where we are now. Our Labor government has a thumping majority but is afraid to do what obviously needs to be done – because of the way politics works in Canberra. Under these circumstances, how can the populace be anything other than risk-averse? If we can't fix our politics, how can anything else work properly? The ray of hope is that the vote for the major parties continues to fall. Gary Barnes, Mosman Another topic that deserves discussion at the productivity round table is the multi-billion dollar diesel fuel rebate. Our current system refunds mining companies $495 for every 1000 litres of diesel used off-road. The Safeguard Mechanism penalty, meant to encourage emissions reduction in heavy industries, then charges these industries $5 for the resulting pollution. This is clearly a ridiculous situation, subsiding both pollution and the lame status quo. The productivity roundtable should adopt the Grattan Institute's proposal to wind back this generous diesel rebate, apply an emissions charge instead, and begin the shift to road-user charging. Mark Wills, Northcote (Vic) Paul Keating once said Ross Gittins was the only economist worth listening to. Personally, I never miss his column. So where is his inclusion in this week's roundtable? Judy Nicholas, Kambah (ACT) Qantas pays the price It's encouraging that Justice Michael Lee has not only upheld workers' rights, but also chastised Qantas for its unconscionable behaviour in profiting from the misery of its workers (' Payday for union as Qantas fined $90 million ', August 19). Perhaps the tide has finally turned against the decade-long conservative free-for-all that elevated profit and unethical business practice above workers' rights and drove the imbalance between wage increases and soaring profits. I'd take issue, however, with the suggestion that unions mount 'frivolous' cases. Generally, when a case is brought, it is to pursue fair and proper treatment. Alison Stewart, Riverview Justice Lee's judgment against Qantas highlights the value of unions. With no government agencies prepared to take on the might of Qantas for its sacking of baggage handlers, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) stepped up all the way to the High Court and won. Former CEO Alan Joyce and his minions engaged in conduct that damaged, both personally and financially, thousands of employees who had given decades of honest and faithful service to Qantas. Who stepped in to seek compensation for these workers; the government? No, it was one of the much-maligned unions that conservatives and the Murdoch press demonise at every opportunity. As a long-term union member I always saw the value of fighting for the rights and entitlements of workers. I applaud the TWU and the entire union movement for their tireless (and undervalued) advocacy on behalf of all Australian workers. Stronger together forever. Tony Heathwood, Kiama Downs The Morrison government gave Qantas about $2.7 billion in assistance during COVID, for which the taxpayer received no equity and lost a mountain of luggage. Last October, the company was fined $100 million for selling tickets for flights it had already decided to cancel. Now they have been fined $90 million for illegally sacking workers. Furthermore, they have killed any aviation competition in the regions by destroying REX through cross-subsidising their routes. Put plainly, the Spirit of Australia has become the Spirit of Mistrust and Exploitation. Malcolm Freak, Armidale Justice Lee's findings against Qantas and its IR breaches should send a clear warning to the Coalition shadow bench should it seek to water down employees' rights and embolden big business to maximise profits at the expense of workers' hard-fought and won entitlements. Severino Milazzo, Maroubra Why is ex-Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce not asked to repay some of his massive golden handshake? It was surely his decision to sack staff. Richard Harman, Banora Point Taco Trump Peter Hartcher's reference to Donald Trump's 'snivelling display' at his meeting with Vladimir Putin has many echoes of then British PM Neville Chamberlain's grovelling 'pilgrimage' to meet Hitler in 1938 (' How Trump went from American eagle to cooing pigeon ', August 19). Not only did Chamberlain (and France) agree to hand over part of what was then Czechoslovakia to Germany without that country's knowledge or consent, but like Trump's spurious claims of a '10 out of 10' outcome for his Alaska meeting, Chamberlain returned to England waving a piece of paper which he claimed represented 'peace in our time'. It's truly depressing to see the leader of the country that played such an important role in saving the world from Nazi and Japanese domination behaving in such a craven and cowardly manner in the face of a tyrant like Putin. Martyn Yeomans, Sapphire Beach It is all very well for Peter Hartcher to attack Donald Trump for his vacillation and possible motives for his efforts to end Russia's war against Ukraine, but the unaddressed question that needs answering is whether the best, if not the only, way to end the war is for the Western democracies to briefly take up arms on the side of Ukraine in defence of the principles of national sovereignty and peaceful co-existence. Ross Drynan, Lindfield In his letter, Peter Thornton admires Donald Trump for meeting some of 'the worlds' nastier autocrats' (Letters, August 19). He misses the fact that Trump isn't being altruistic. Rather, he admires them and feels they share something that he doesn't with other leaders. This isn't something for which to offer kudos. Luke Crosthwaite, Surfers Paradise Netanyahu gone astray The current diplomatic spat between Israel and Australia has its origins in Benjamin Netanyahu's desperate fight for political and personal survival (' Wong rebukes Israel's move to cancel visas for Australian diplomats ', August 19). As Netanyahu has become progressively alienated from Israel's sensible centre, he has had to reach out to right-wing nutters like Simcha Rothman, who was denied a visa to Australia, to cobble together a governing coalition. A more moderate Israeli regime would have ended the Gaza conflict long ago. The surviving hostages would have been returned, thousands of Palestinians would still be alive and receiving food and medical services, and many Gazan buildings would still be standing. While extremists like Rothman remain in power, the war will continue and former allies such as Australia will cut more of their ties with Israel. If Netanyahu regards Australia's support for peace and humanity as antisemitic, it shows how far he has strayed from the mainstream of civilised behaviour. Mike Reddy, Vincentia Veteran Middle East peace negotiator (is that an oxymoron?) Aaron David Miller thinks Australia's move to recognise Palestine will only encourage Hamas to hold on (' Stance on Palestine has no impact ', August 19). Naturally, he's supported by the usual pro-Israeli lobbyists. Meanwhile, Egypt and Qatar have negotiated a ceasefire with Hamas, which plainly demonstrates the gulf between rhetoric and reality (' Hamas accepts Arab-mediated ceasefire deal ', August 19). Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn It isn't a surprise that US Middle East adviser Aaron David Miller would declare our stance on Palestine 'has no impact'. It's just another way of creating obstacles to action, like throwing about the term 'antisemitism' at any criticism of Israel and most importantly, the inexcusable actions of Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The global coverage of the Harbour Bridge march started more federal government action and caused more international consternation. It may be true that this is not having much impact 'on the ground', but I think the surest option now would be demanding the removal of Netanyahu from office. Enough is enough. Anthony Connolly, Beacon Hill Kean for change We owe a lot to Matt Kean for placing the NSW Liberal Party firmly in the climate action camp (' Balancing act: keeping parties cool on climate,' August 19). But with his departure from politics, the job of keeping the party there has been more difficult, given the 'climate wars' that are tearing the federal Coalition apart. In many ways, it's a pity he did not stay on to become opposition leader, but we can't blame him for eschewing this thankless job. He's right where the action is now, and we couldn't ask for a better, more qualified person to be chair of the Climate Change Authority. We should all wish him well. Ken Enderby, Concord Bridging transport gap Defecting from the inner west some years ago, the friends I left behind half jokingly called it a bridge too far, and time proved them right. Buses and trains, regular by day, after dark became scarce, unreliable or affected by dreaded trackwork, as if the city wilfully shut itself down. The metro has miraculously changed all that and made Sydney cosmopolitan (' How a year of metro has shaken up the way Sydney moves ', August 19). I now think nothing of seeing a show, and however late it finishes, a train will arrive within minutes, and I'll open my front door half an hour later. That type of service is no bridge at all. Peter Farmer, Northbridge Unloved tax Perhaps the best way to judge the potential effectiveness of tax changes to repair the budget bottom line is to look at voters' reactions (' Australians want Albanese to act to fix system – except for one tax,' August 19). The greater the effectiveness, the greater the opposition. The GST is a 'lovely tax' because it is paid continually by everyone, even those who reduce their income tax to zero through negative gearing or retirement with superannuation. No surprise that voters are opposed to an increase, despite it being one of the lowest in the world. There are parallels with the historic carbon tax – very effective in reducing emissions as it was paid by everyone, but tax-hating voters voted it down. It is almost surprising that there is more support for a change to negative gearing and capital gains discounts, however, the unfairness of these in favouring the well-off is a key factor. Geoff Harding, Chatswood Best defence After all the speculation about AUKUS, the expectation is that the agreement will be upheld after the Pentagon review by US defence official Elbridge Colby. But is it really in Australia's best interests? Our cities will still be wide open to attack by conventional naval and air forces, as well as by missiles, rockets and drones. Right now, a hostile navy could shell Sydney for half an hour and Australia would have to surrender in the absence of a missile defence system. And we can't count on the US coming in to bail us out. With the government splashing money on anything but defence, we need to spend the AUKUS money not on submarines, but on protecting our cities and deterring aggressors. Paul Everingham, Hamilton Improving lives Your article (' The 'miracle nation' at 60: How Singapore thrived against the odds ' August 11) relies heavily on longstanding detractors with well-worn criticisms to paint a skewed picture of Singapore. They claim that middle-class Singaporeans are 'truly squeezed' and that working-class citizens are 'worst affected by social inequality'. The facts say otherwise. The government heavily subsidises housing, healthcare and education, and provides additional support for those with less. Our progressive system of taxes and transfers has reduced both income and wealth inequalities, with the Gini coefficient, which measures income or wealth inequality, now at its lowest in almost two decades. Singaporeans continue to support the People's Action Party government because it has delivered results and improved lives, especially for the lower-income and broad middle. Anil Nayar, Singapore High Commissioner to Australia Vicious cycles A friend was walking home on the footpath of an inner Sydney street this week when a delivery e-bike slammed into him and knocked him to the ground. The rider flew off the bike onto his helmetless head and was taken to hospital unconscious. My friend sustained injuries to head, thigh, knee and hands. This street has a dedicated cycleway all the way along it. Passers-by urged my friend to take the bike rider's details for possible litigation, but my friend is aware that the rider is most likely a young migrant worker on a temporary visa with no recourse to any support from his employer, no money of his own and in contravention of the law. When will this delivery industry be properly regulated? When will its employees and pedestrians have proper legal protection? Bikes and cycleways proliferate now in Sydney. I am all for them, but I know when I come to Sydney I need to be very, very careful when walking the streets. Bruce Mcintyre, Armidale Playing politics Riley Brown gave it a good stir, but I think the respondents missed the underlying irony (Letters, August 19). The 'identity politics' that so distresses Mr Brown is just a weaponised label invented by conservative culture warriors, outraged at growing societal pressure to be less racist, less misogynist and less inequitable than they'd prefer to be. It attempts to usurp victimhood from the real victims. It's a tactic of distraction. Jeffrey Mellefont, Coogee
West Australian
6 minutes ago
- West Australian
Resources Technology Showcase: Joe Hockey sure there's a deal to be done with Trump on critical minerals
Former US ambassador Joe Hockey has attested he 'knows there is a deal to be done' between US President Trump and Australia's critical minerals riches, in a sobering interview where he also divulged how an assassination attempt changed the world leader. As Australia's man in Washington during Trump's first term as President, Mr Hockey had a fron- row seat observing a politician he now believes could be 'the most powerful and influential figure in American politics since Teddy Roosevelt'. And despite Australian PM Anthony Albanese's difficulties in securing a meeting with Mr Trump, the former Federal treasurer is convinced there is scope for a deal with Uncle Sam involving rare earths supplies and battery minerals. 'Modern militaries, modern national security, is defined by the reliability and innovation in its supply chain,' he told the Resources Technology Showcase on Tuesday. 'There is a deal to be done with President Trump, I know this, on critical minerals. He wants Australia to be party to that. We have a number of legislative advantages in Washington, DC that put us to the top of the list.' After a career that included serving as treasurer in the Abbott government, Mr Hockey founded lobbying and advisory firm Bondi Partners in Washington DC, where he currently lives, in early 2020. Despite being on the other side of the political aisle to Federal Resources Minister Madeleine King, Mr Hockey backed in the Labor Government's approach to shoring up local supplies and building up processing capacity on home soil. Ms King had delivered a speech earlier at the Perth forum pushing back against industry critics of downstream processing. The Federal Government has poured significant funding into trying to build Australia's ability to mine and process its minerals into more valuable products. It released a pre-election policy promising a $1.5 billion national offtake scheme to buy a yet-to-be specified list of rare earths from Australian miners. The policy was triggered by inflamed tensions between the world's two global superpowers, which swung the spotlight around to whether Western countries can break China's stronghold on mining and refining rare earths — a group of valuable minerals critical for making magnets used in iPhones, missiles and electric vehicles. 'Madeleine King is absolutely on mark with this,' Mr Hockey said, commending the Albanese Government's push to bolster Australia's downstream muscle. 'In the US, processing is agony. Building anything in the United States is agony. 'A Virginia Class submarine has two tonnes of critical minerals in it, most of it coming from China . . . an F35 fighter jet . . . has 500 kilos of critical minerals, a lot of it coming out of China. 'If we process and compete with China, that's important.' As for his recommendations for securing a meeting with the US President, Mr Hockey said 'you've got to know what buttons to push . . . I think Anthony Albanese can do that'. While Mr Hockey was optimistic about Australia's rare earths future, he delivered a sobering take on the future of Ukraine's riches under the ongoing assault of Russia. 'The Donbas region, it's 30 to 40 per cent of critical minerals, rare earths and resources of Ukraine,' he said. 'I'd be surprised if Russia doesn't end up getting that region, which makes Australia's supply chain even more important.' Over in Washington, Mr Hockey's former haunt, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had earlier attended a high-stakes meeting with US President Donald Trump. European leaders, including UK Prime Minster Sir Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni, were in tow for a secondary meeting. Afterwards President Trump said via social media that he would provide co-ordination between Mr Zelensky and Russian rival Vladimir Putin, but stopped short of any further intervention. Mr Hockey did not indicate either way on Tuesday whether he believed there could be a deal struck from here. 'What Trump has done is he's dealt himself in (to discussions) he didn't want to deal himself in,' he said. 'The fact that Trump is engaged is hugely important.' Mr Hockey also volunteered an insight or two into his personal relationship with Mr Trump. That extended into playing golf — observed as a common past-time for the world leader. Mr Hockey quickly shot down any insinuation that he would let Mr Trump win, but admitted that playing against him was 'incredibly stressful' nonetheless. 'When he plays he's very competitive. He does not cheat.' He volunteered that he had spoken with the President days after an attempt on his life last July. The harrowing event had changed the world leader compared with the man he worked with in his first term between 2016 and 2020. 'Profoundly, I spoke to him after the assassination attempt,' Mr Hockey shared with the audience. Pried for further details Mr Hockey said the incident had had 'a big effect'. 'He's not a religious person. . . he really believes he's got a job to do. He's outcomes focused, he doesn't care about process . . . but he is very focused on outcomes, and he is very determined to change America.'
Sky News AU
19 minutes ago
- Sky News AU
Tasmania finally has a stable government a month after election day after no confidence motion fails in Parliament
Tasmania finally has a government a month after the election, as a no confidence motion launched by the Labor opposition failed this afternoon. The motion would have potentially sent voters back to the polls yet again, but the Liberal Party prevailed. The decision was 10 votes for the no confidence motion and 24 against, with all members of the government, the Shooters, Farmers and Fishers Party and several members of the crossbench rejecting the motion. The decision means that Labor has formally lost the election. Mr Rockliff said that Tasmania had spoken, and it was time for the political posturing and games to end. 'Tasmania clearly rejected the political games, and they want us to get on with it," Mr Rockliffe told Parliament. "Labor recorded their lowest vote since 1903. There was clearly a lesson in that,' he said. Speaking in State Parliament today, Opposition Leader Dean Winter labelled Mr Rockcliff a sellout, adding that the premier had to give concessions to the cross bench in order to maintain office. 'I would rather not be Premier, than a Premier who sells out Tasmanian working families," he said. 'This day might not end well for me, but this day will define this premier for the rest of his political career. "He will have the stigma of being a sellout, of giving in to Greens demand on racing, salmon and forestry. "Selling out people who backed him for 20 years. "No one can ever trust you again." Several members of the crossbench lined up to criticise the Labor party, with Greens leader Rosalie Woodruff saying she could not trust Mr Winters. 'We were expected to trust Labor to make potential changes to policy through a miasma of Parliament process over the next four years, instead of providing upfront commitments to us about the changes they would make,' she said. Former ABC reporter turned independent Peter George said that the opposition was ineffective. 'Labor set about undermining the very notion of collaboration and compromise as it sought to lead a minority government," he said as he sided with the government. "In my years of reporting politics, which stretch back to the Whitlam years, never have I come across an opposition party less ready for government,' he said. Tasmania's parliament returns on September 9th.
