Book 8 - Parliament of Victoria

PUBLIC HOLIDAYS AMENDMENT BILL 2011
Thursday, 2 June 2011 COUNCIL 1705
and asked the librarian to help her find the press
clippings she would have found any number of pieces
of commentary in the media about these changes and
their effects and impact. Ms Pennicuik supported these
changes in 2008. The coalition opposed them and
committed to repeal them at that time.
Ms Pennicuik — Is this a second-reading speech?
Mr P. DAVIS — It will be whatever Ms Pennicuik
wants it to be. This bill before the house in effect
repeals those changes made by the Labor government
in 2008, which Ms Pennicuik supported. It is in
response to the overwhelming representation made to
local members, shadow ministers and the media more
broadly about the negative and adverse impact of these
reforms — reforms which Ms Pennicuik supported
because her party was not in touch with rural
communities. Rural communities regard the capacity
for flexibility in identifying opportunities to promote
their icon events by way of a public half-day holiday, or
a full day where appropriate, as an alternative to
Melbourne Cup Day as being a very important local
determination.
I do not think it takes very much imagination to know
that when a policy is formulated when legislation is
before the Parliament, proclaimed at that time and then
transmitted by way of further policy announcements
during a formal election campaign, that policy will be
implemented. It should be no surprise that this policy is
being implemented by this bill before the house. We
could save a lot of time in discussion of this bill if
Ms Pennicuik would go back and have a look at the
policy commitment which the coalition made in
opposition in 2008 and repeated in 2010 during the
election campaign and which the minister is advancing
as legislation today.
The DEPUTY PRESIDENT — Order!
Ms Pennicuik may wish to respond, because I think a
number of new factors have been opened up in that
response.
Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — My
question was not answered. I did not ask about how
many media releases there were. I asked a specific
question. I wish to take this opportunity to say that
Mr Davis, for whom I have high regard, should not
impugn my motives in asking this question. My
question was asked in good faith, and I ask it again:
how many municipalities approached the coalition to
have changes made to the 2008 act, and when the
minister wrote to the municipalities how many
responded?
Hon. R. A. DALLA-RIVA (Minister for
Employment and Industrial Relations) — I think there
is probably a good explanation: it is called a dog’s
breakfast, because fundamentally mass confusion
occurred across country Victoria as a result of the 2008
changes and then the 2009 changes. The changes
created such confusion in the municipalities that they
just gave up.
I go back to the example of Melbourne Cup Day, which
was raised by Mr Somyurek. To put it in context and to
answer the question about engagement, an article from
the online Weekly Times Now of 14 October 2009
states:
Locals were worried about their show’s future in the wake of
the Victorian government’s decision —
that was the former government —
to prevent local councils from allocating individual holidays
for their towns.
Yarriambiack shire chose not to pit one town against another,
opting instead to declare Melbourne Cup Day as a shire-wide
holiday.
It then goes on to talk about a woman who protested by
closing her clothing business and losing a day’s
trading — which answers Mr Somyurek’s question —
so she could volunteer as a show steward at the local
show. This woman also took her three sons out of
school so that they could attend the show. The uprising
that Ms Pennicuik supported has a created a concern
that shires would be left in a position of losing trading
opportunities and patronage at local shows. In that
Weekly Times Now article it was said that crowds did
not turn up to the show until late in the day, and
revenues were down; that is one example. Then there is
another example of where, because of the confusion, 20
out of 250 students attended their local secondary
college on show day last week because it was not
declared a holiday.
Mary Bluett from the Australian Education Union said
the new holiday legislation was divisive and had a
negative impact on small communities. In the Weekly
Times of 14 October 2009 she is quoted as saying:
Shows provide a lot of rich educational material for children
and it would be much better if local communities were
allowed to determine their own holiday, like before …
And it goes on. I hope I have answered Ms Pennicuik’s
question, and I hope I have answered parts of
Mr Somyurek’s question.
Ms PENNICUIK (Southern Metropolitan) — I
want to assure Mr Dalla-Riva that what I am trying to