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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-02-29 Daily Xml
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TRADING HOURS

The Hon. CARMEL ZOLLO (14:47): My question is to the Minister for Industrial Relations. Can the minister advise the chamber of the benefits of the government's recent decision to allow additional trading in the CBD over the New Year period and on Australia Day?

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY (Minister for Industrial Relations, Minister for State/Local Government Relations) (14:47): I thank the honourable member for her very important question. As members are aware, the government recently provided exemptions to retailers in the central business district of Adelaide for additional trading on the New Year's Day public holiday.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Do you want the answer or not?

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: No, not really.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Well, that's it. Mr President, you've got to be consistent with this. If they're going to interrupt—

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order!

Members interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mrs Zollo might like the answer.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Consistency is the important thing.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! The Hon. Mr Stephens will be quiet.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens: Just stop enjoying myself; I know.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: Your party room had you measured up when they put you back there on the backbench, mate. So laugh all you want, mate: you're the one who's being laughed at, not me. You are the one who's a joke.

The PRESIDENT: The honourable minister should—

Members interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: They had your measure, loud and clear, hey?

The PRESIDENT: The honourable minister should get on with the answer.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: They had your measure. I actually advised you that you were going to be dumped well before it happened—

The PRESIDENT: Order!

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: —because Ian McLachlan had your measure as well. He made the phone call and you were dumped, and silly little you didn't realise it.

The Hon. T.J. Stephens interjecting:

The PRESIDENT: Order! All right—you've had your fun. The honourable minister. Moving along.

The Hon. R.P. WORTLEY: This decision was about revitalising the city centre on public holidays for not only South Australians but for regional, interstate and overseas tourists. This decision was a very successful one, with about 70,000 visitors to Rundle Mall on Australia Day alone, generating approximately $8 million in sales for city retailers.

The vibrancy of Adelaide's city centre over the New Year period and on Australia Day, in addition to Proclamation Day, offered a glimpse of the potential success of the government's plan to rejuvenate the Adelaide CBD through extending shopping hours on most public holidays. The decision to allow additional trading for retailers in the central business district of Adelaide on most public holidays was in addition to changes made by the government to streamline the application process for exemptions under the Shop Trading Hours Act for that period.

In previous years, retailers applying for exemptions to trade additional hours over the Christmas and New Year period were required to await responses from various stakeholders, and it is very rare for these groups to lodge objections to the additional trading hours requested. In order to expedite the exemption process and to streamline the current administrative requirements without impacting on the intent of the act, retailers applying for an exemption over the recent Christmas and New Year period were not required to await a response from the relevant local councils, the South Australia Police and the transport operator.

Instead of awaiting a response from these organisations, retailers simply needed to notify the relevant organisations of the extra trading hours being sought. These changes helped make the process less time-consuming, costly and cumbersome for all involved parties and it was a positive step by the government to cut red tape and streamline the application processes for exemptions under the Shop Trading Hours Act.

These changes, in addition to opening the CBD on the New Year's Day public holiday and Australia Day, ensured that South Australian shoppers and visiting tourists were able to enjoy Rundle Mall in its full vibrancy, while the significant flow-on effect enjoyed by surrounding restaurants, eateries and other establishments provided a much-needed boost for the state.

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