Posted in ALL news, Political News, tagged 7pm, 7pm closing time, 8pm, 8pm closing, 9pm, accepting, ALL news, Assembly MPs, backbenchers, big supermarkets, both sides, brink, canvassing, caucus, caving, caving in, Chamber, chief, closing, closing time., coles, Colin Barnett, Commerce, crucial blow, delayed, deliver, deny, determined, discuss, election, extension, fear, government, Government’s, hours, including, increase, Industry, interest groups, issue, James Pearson, Labor, last year, later, legislation, Liberal, Liberal backbenchers, Liberals, logical, lower prices, market share, meeting, more choice, MPs, Mr Barnett, nationals, parliament, party’s, pointless, politicians, prefer, preference, Premier, pressure, problem, public, rely, retail industry, shadow Cabinet, shopping, shopping hours, shops, significant, sitting, small businesses, softening, spokeswoman, stand up to, the unions, time, under pressure, Upper House, urged, vested, vote, WA producers, want 9pm, week, weeknight, weeknight shopping hours, West Australian, WEST Australians, Woolworths, worried on June 7, 2009|
Leave a Comment »
Colin Barnett is on the brink of caving in to worried Liberal backbenchers and accepting an 8pm closing for weeknight shopping rather than the 9pm time he took to the election last year.
The Premier has been softening the public up for an 8pm closing time in recent days and again said yesterday that it was an acceptable alternative.
The West Australian understands that most Liberals don’t want 9pm and would prefer a 7pm closing time but are prepared to accept 8pm to save the Premier the embarrassment of being rolled by his own party.
Mr Barnett has been canvassing his MPs one-on-one in recent days and knows that 9pm is beyond his reach.
The Nationals say they will not support changes to shopping hours, which they fear would deliver a crucial blow to WA producers because it would increase the market share of big supermarkets
The Government will rely on Labor to get legislation on later weeknight shopping hours through Parliament but the ALP took a position of 7pm to the election and is not guaranteed to support a later closing time. A Labor spokeswoman said yesterday that shadow Cabinet and caucus would discuss the party’s position once the Government’s preference was known.
Cabinet discussed the shopping hours issue last Monday and Mr Barnett is expected to take his preferred position to the party room on Tuesday, but the Upper House is not sitting, and the meeting will be only for Assembly MPs, meaning that a vote on the issue will probably be delayed a week.
Mr Barnett said yesterday that most people in the retail industry, including the unions, favoured a 9pm closing time from Monday to Friday to bring all weeknights into line with existing late-night shopping.
“That’s a position I think is logical, however a number of people are saying 8pm might be better. I don’t think there’s a big difference between the two,” he said.
“To simply extend it to 7pm would be pointless.
“So, 8pm, yeah that’s OK, 9pm might be better but at least either of those would be a significant extension to weeknight shopping.”
But backbenchers are under pressure from small businesses to wind back the closing time, believing that the later hour is supported only by Coles and Woolworths.
Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief James Pearson urged politicians from both sides to “stand up to vested interest groups, which are determined to deny West Australians more choice and lower prices when they shop”.
ROBERT TAYLOR, PETER KERR and AMANDA BANKS
Source www.thewest.com.au
Read Full Post »
Posted in Immigration News, tagged 10, 10000 beaches, 300, 30000 brits, 50%, 70%, amazing, Australia, Australia boasts, Average, boasts, Cape Town, climate, country, culturally diverse, days, density, desert, Durban, dynamic, enjoys, enormous, Europe, expos, hemisphere, hours, Immigration News, innovative, Johannesburg, largely, larger, largest country, life, london, manchester, migrants, mountain, nation., nearly, new home, northern, offer, other, people, per year, population, possible, quality, ranges, rugged, sixth, South Africans, square kilometre, sunny, sunshine, temperate, total, tracts, tropical rainforests, vast, world on May 19, 2009|
1 Comment »
Quality of Life
Australia is the sixth largest country in the world. Though it’s nearly 50% larger than Europe, it has the lowest population density of any country, with only two people per square kilometre. What’s more, Australia boasts over 10,000 beaches – more than any other nation. 
Add to that tropical rainforests, rugged mountain ranges and vast tracts of desert, and you’ve got a country that’s rich in contrast and bursting with opportunity. Australia’s diversity is world famous for a reason, and it’s yours to enjoy.
With the reverse seasons to those in the northern hemisphere, Australia enjoys a largely temperate climate. Most of Australia receives more than 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, an amazing 70% of the total possible hours.
Where else can you find a home with an average of 300 sunny days per year? That’s 300 more great reasons to move to Australia! Australia is culturally diverse, dynamic and innovative, with an enormous amount to offer migrants and returning Australians. It’s little wonder more than 30,000 Brits and South Africans make Australia their new home each year.
Expos
London : 13th June 2009
Manchester : 4th July 2009
Cape Town : 9 September 2009
Johannesburg : 12 – 13 September 2009
Durban : 15th September 2009
http://www.expo-australia.com/seminars.aspx
Read Full Post »
Posted in Local News, tagged 7pm, 9pm, a 7pm, barrett, Brendon Grylls, challenged, change, changes, closing time., colin, colin barrett, colleagues, eed to, extended, extensions, feel, hours, insisting, irculated, Labor, letter, Liberals, Local News, MPs, Mr Catania, n WA ., National Party leader, opposed, Oppostion, pass, perth, perth shops, preference, referendum, relaxing, remaining, restrictions, shopping, shopping hours, shops, stated, Sunday, support, trading hours, urging, urrent, week, weeknight on May 17, 2009|
Leave a Comment »
Perth shops may be staying open until 7pm or 9pm. 
Colin Barnett preference for 9pm is already being challenged by Labor MPs insisting on a 7pm closing time.
Colin Barnett wanting extended shopping hours 9pm, while remaining opposed to relaxing the restrictions on Sunday trading, he needs Labor support to pass the changes.
National Party leader Brendon Grylls, has stated he will not support the Liberals on any extensions to weeknight trading hours.
Mr Catania this week circulated a letter to his colleagues urging them not to support more shopping hours in Perth.
Oppostion feel there is no need to change the current trading hours in WA .
They feel they will only benefit Coles and Woolworths , no other retailers will open.
Harvey Norman, Myer and David Jones have stated they will continue to close the doors at 5.30pm they will not change their closing hours.
Four years ago a referendum was held and rejected to extend trading hours.
Read Full Post »
All the latest NEWS from Perth 