Shop Trading Hours

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE (14:54): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking a question of the Treasurer regarding shop trading hours.

Leave granted.

Members interjecting:

The Hon. E.S. BOURKE: I know, we're so lucky. In yesterday's Advertiser, Lord Mayor Martin Haese raised concerns that the decision to extend Boxing Day trading to suburbs would impact on CBD businesses and on Adelaide's vibrancy. The Lord Mayor repeated these concerns on Leon Byner's FIVEaa program this morning. My questions to the Treasurer are:

1. What notification did the Treasurer provide the Rundle Mall association, traders and other stakeholders, apart from the front page of The Advertiser, that suburban stores would be able to trade on Boxing Day?

2. What does the Treasurer think the impact on CBD traders will be as a result of extending Boxing Day trading to stores in the suburbs?

3. In response to the correspondence you issued to stakeholders seeking submissions in relation to extended trading hours for non-exempt shops for the 2018 Christmas trading period, which stakeholders wrote back in support of extending trading on Boxing Day to the suburbs?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:55): I am well aware of the position of the Rundle Mall traders, the Lord Mayor and others. Over the last 12 to 18 months, I have had a series of discussions with interested stakeholders about shop trading reform. This is not something the new Liberal government has hidden; this is something we have been arguing for for many, many years. We took it to previous elections and we took it to the most recent election.

We were up-front, open, transparent and accountable about our policy, and over the last 12 to 18 months I met with Mr Joy and his then CEO in relation to shop trading hours. They made it quite clear that they wanted the monopoly position, at least in relation to the metropolitan area, for the CBD maintained. They saw it was in the best interests of the CBD, and I can understand why they would want the monopoly position to be maintained.

Equally, at some time over the last 12 to 18 months, certainly prior to the election, I spoke with Martin Haese and indeed some others associated with the Adelaide city council again who supported the monopoly position continuing for the CBD and its traders. That is unsurprising. Their position has been publicly known for some time, and I was well aware of it.

To answer the honourable member's question as to whether I gave prior notice to stakeholders—prior to announcing the decision—the answer is no. Unlike the former Labor government, we didn't have a nod and a wink with individual, favoured stakeholders, such as the union bosses at the shoppies union or others. We sought consultation in terms of various people's views on Christmas trading hours. I considered those and then, using the powers of exemption that minister Rau and others had used previously, I made the decision and announced it without giving prior notice to either Rundle Mall traders, the union bosses, the shoppies union or indeed anybody else.