Glenelg Traders

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS (15:02): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before addressing a question to the Treasurer on the topic of representations made by the member for Boothby on the Glenelg traders situation.

Leave granted.

The Hon. T.A. FRANKS: Just in the last 24 hours, the member for Boothby, Nicolle Flint MP, has put online through her social media outlets her strong support for traders on Jetty Road, Glenelg affected by the pre-poll stations established by the AEC. She has noted in that letter, sent to both local traders in the Glenelg tourist precinct as well as the AEC, that the impact on local traders and their customers is regrettable and should have been seen by the Electoral Commission.

As the Treasurer is well aware, last weekend, on the Easter Monday holiday, Glenelg traders took to the media. One particular business, Grundy's Shoes—a small business of some six generations—as well as others represented appropriately by the Independent Retailers association pointed to a loss of some 50 per cent of their turnover with the Treasurer's deregulation of shop trading hours by stealth campaign. My question to the Treasurer is: has the member for Boothby made any representations on behalf of Glenelg traders who have suffered at the hands of your deregulation campaign of our shop trading hours?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (15:04): The very hardworking federal member for Boothby, Nicole Flint, generally engages in a full court press on any number of issues at any point in time, so I am not sure whether or not she has made recent representations in relation to this issue. I thank the Hon. Ms Franks for highlighting the extraordinary activity of the local member there in terms of representing on this particular issue the interests of local traders in Glenelg. To have the Hon. Ms Franks place on the public record that acknowledgement of her hard work, I think, is indeed testimony across party lines, acknowledging the hard work—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS: 'Multipartisan' as my colleagues have interjected—acknowledging the hard work that the member for Boothby has engaged in on a whole range of issues on behalf of her constituents and, in this case, clearly what would appear to have been a matter of concern in relation to the Australian Electoral Commission. Whether or not the extent of her furious, extensive and comprehensive lobbying activities is extended to the issue of trading hours as well, I have no recollection, but I am certainly happy to take the honourable member's question on notice and see whether or not—if there has been any activity, then I am happy to come back and indicate whether or not I have received any representations by way of correspondence on that particular issue.

I might say—although it was not the direct import of the question so I will not delay my response—I don't accept the premise of the honourable member's question in relation to the impact of shop trading hours, that is, that this was in some way by stealth. If I can say briefly, there was nothing stealthy about it. I was out there on the front foot proudly proclaiming it, issuing press releases, proudly defending it right from the word go. I am not sure what the honourable member's definition of stealth is, but generally it is secretive, sneaking through the back door or whatever it is.

I have been quite open about this for a long period of time, proudly defending the government's position in relation to this and, indeed, simply using exactly the same provisions in the legislation that former Labor ministers—John Rau and, indeed, other Labor ministers—have used to provide for extended trading hours for any number of reasons, including extended trading hours and including 24-hour trading in the period leading up to Christmas on most years. So I reject that hurtful accusation that in any way this was done in a stealthy manner.