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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-11-06 Daily Xml
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Question Time

Shop Trading Hours

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:25): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking questions of the Treasurer regarding shop trading hours.

Leave granted.

The Hon. K.J. MAHER: As revealed by Leon Byner on his FIVEaa radio show, the owner of a retail shopping complex can regulate opening hours under the Retail and Commercial Leases Act. The Labor Party has received significant concerns from small business operators that, if the Treasurer grants his exemption to allow shops to trade on Boxing Day, retail shopping complex owners will force small businesses to open. This will have a significant impact on the families who run these businesses, who would otherwise be spending time with their families but instead will be forced to work.

The Treasurer is representing Boxing Day trading as free choice, but really this will just add pressure on small business owners in those shopping complexes to open. My questions to Treasurer are:

1. How is the Treasurer going to ensure that Boxing Day trading will be voluntary for small business owners in shopping centre complexes?

2. Will the Treasurer guarantee that small business owners won't be forced to open by shopping centre owners?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:26): The government has already had discussions with the major operators of suburban shopping centres, and we have been given assurances that most of the operators of the major suburban shopping centres, including Marion, TTP, Colonnades and a list of others, have already either advised their tenants or are in the process of advising their tenants that their opening is completely voluntary and they won't be compelled to do so.

I think proof positive of that is the gentleman who is the butcher that the opponents of freedom of choice used on Sunday evening on the evening news from Marion, who indicated he was a staunch opponent of trading and indicated he wouldn't be opening. He is in the Marion shopping centre. He said he wasn't going to be opening on Boxing Day. It is again proof positive that much of the scare campaign the union bosses and the shoppies union and their mouthpieces in the state Labor caucus are endeavouring to mount has no substance.

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