Legislative Council Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1) 54 1 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Question Time Shop Trading Hours Shop Trading Hours The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN Legislative Council Shop Trading Hours The Hon. C.M. SCRIVEN (14:38): Supplementary: have there been any changes to the approval process for extended trading in the Sundays leading up to Christmas this year? The Hon. R.I. LUCAS Legislative Council Treasurer Shop Trading Hours The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:38): I am not sure I exactly understand the member's question. The approval process is governed by the legislation, so no, the legislation has not changed. We sought to change the legislation and the parliament defeated that. The legislation governs the approval process, so the broad legislative underwriting of this process has not changed. On this particular occasion, in relation to Christmas trading hours I wrote to a range of the stakeholders, including the union bosses in the shoppies union, seeking their views in relation to Christmas trading hours. I received a range of submissions, but the union bosses from the shoppies union did not respond. I was quite clear: I knew the views of the union bosses of the shoppies union in relation to trading hours. From that viewpoint, the process wasn't really the approval process; it was the consultation process. It was slightly different. I understand that possibly under the former Labor government the shoppies union and the union bosses might have had a much greater say or a veto power perhaps in terms of what they approved and what they didn't approve. Unsurprisingly, we are quite happy to consult the union bosses at the shoppies union, but we don't subscribe to the view that they control the new Liberal government in the same way they controlled the former Labor government.