NSW Parliament Descends into Chaos as Christmas Deadline Looms
As the New South Wales parliament hurtles towards its November closure, a sense of urgency has settled over the upper house. The Minns Labor government is bracing for a frantic dash to pass two major pieces of legislation before parliament adjourns for Christmas.
At stake are sweeping changes to the planning system and the workers' compensation scheme – both contentious issues with far-reaching implications for NSW residents.
The Planning System Bill, aimed at streamlining the development process, has already sparked fierce opposition from the Greens, who claim it would grant the Planning Minister unchecked powers to override environmental concerns. The Coalition is also weighing in, proposing amendments that could give the National Party pause over abolishing regional planning and fast-tracking transmission lines and wind farms.
Meanwhile, Labor's proposed overhaul of the workers' compensation system – which would drastically limit claims for psychological injuries – has been met with near-universal condemnation from the Liberals, Greens, union movement, medical professionals, psychologists, and lawyers. The government remains resolute in its pursuit of the bill, but time is running out.
In a last-ditch effort to garner support from minor party lawmakers, the government is exploring the possibility of extending parliament by an extra day or days. This strategy would allow for more private members' bills to be debated – including those championed by Shooters and Fishers leader Jeremy Buckingham on feral horses.
The Feral Horses Bill, which has Labor, Liberal, and Green support, will make its way to the upper house soon. In contrast, the hunting bill proposed by the Shooters has been effectively watered down in anticipation of fierce opposition from anti-gun lobby groups.
As Christmas approaches, lawmakers are bracing themselves for a marathon session – one that will test their resolve, wit, and ability to navigate the cutthroat world of NSW politics. With so much at stake, it remains to be seen whether the government can cobble together the necessary six votes to secure its legislative agenda.
As the New South Wales parliament hurtles towards its November closure, a sense of urgency has settled over the upper house. The Minns Labor government is bracing for a frantic dash to pass two major pieces of legislation before parliament adjourns for Christmas.
At stake are sweeping changes to the planning system and the workers' compensation scheme – both contentious issues with far-reaching implications for NSW residents.
The Planning System Bill, aimed at streamlining the development process, has already sparked fierce opposition from the Greens, who claim it would grant the Planning Minister unchecked powers to override environmental concerns. The Coalition is also weighing in, proposing amendments that could give the National Party pause over abolishing regional planning and fast-tracking transmission lines and wind farms.
Meanwhile, Labor's proposed overhaul of the workers' compensation system – which would drastically limit claims for psychological injuries – has been met with near-universal condemnation from the Liberals, Greens, union movement, medical professionals, psychologists, and lawyers. The government remains resolute in its pursuit of the bill, but time is running out.
In a last-ditch effort to garner support from minor party lawmakers, the government is exploring the possibility of extending parliament by an extra day or days. This strategy would allow for more private members' bills to be debated – including those championed by Shooters and Fishers leader Jeremy Buckingham on feral horses.
The Feral Horses Bill, which has Labor, Liberal, and Green support, will make its way to the upper house soon. In contrast, the hunting bill proposed by the Shooters has been effectively watered down in anticipation of fierce opposition from anti-gun lobby groups.
As Christmas approaches, lawmakers are bracing themselves for a marathon session – one that will test their resolve, wit, and ability to navigate the cutthroat world of NSW politics. With so much at stake, it remains to be seen whether the government can cobble together the necessary six votes to secure its legislative agenda.
oh man the politics in australia r getting crazier by the day 
like they cant even get along on christmas break 
hows that supposed 2 work? u think they would ever pass some good legislation if its gonna have to be rammed thru at the last min 
. But noooo, they gotta stir up all this drama 
. Can't they just work together like humans instead of fighting over every little thing? It's exhausting watching them 
.
but seriously, it's getting so stressful for the people who gotta deal with all this bureaucracy 
. and can we talk about how long is this marathon session supposed to be? like, are they gonna be working straight through christmas dinner or what? 
i just wanna know when i can get back to my family gatherings without worrying about the government making last-minute changes 
. and btw, who's on board with this feral horses bill? seems kinda cool 
.
At least the Feral Horses Bill is getting some love (and I'm not exactly a fan of horse whisperers 
.
also, isn't it a bit weird that they're trying to cram in so many bills at once? won't that just make things more complicated? 
what do you think is going to happen next? 
it's like they're trying to fit an entire semester of work into 2 days or something! 
the planning system bill and workers' comp scheme are super important so fingers crossed our politicians can put aside their differences and get stuff done 
anyway back to this news stuff...i dont get why they cant just take a break like a normal person and come back in january can u imagine having to cram 2 years worth of work into 1 month lol 
. And on top of that, the workers' compensation scheme overhaul? It's like they're trying to take away people's rights and livelihoods 
. The government needs to listen to all sides and work together to find solutions that benefit everyone, not just the party in power 
. We need more accountability and less partisan politics in our parliament 
and honestly i'm low-key impressed by the greens for speaking truth to power about the planning system bill 
it's not all about progress, sometimes you gotta think about the environment too 
I think this is actually a good opportunity for our politicians to show us what they're made of! 
It's not often that you see them in such high pressure situations, and who knows, maybe they'll surprise us all by working together and getting some stuff done. 
And hey, maybe the government will surprise us by listening to some of the opposition's concerns and finding common ground. Stranger things have happened, right? 
but seriously who makes these decisions anyway? 
and the workers' comp bill is just plain cruel... no way should people have to suffer because of their mental health 
The opposition is right, this is gonna be a disaster if they can't come together and make some sense of this. Fingers crossed the gov knows what they're doing (but let's be real, we all know how that's gonna play out) 