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

Shop Trading Hours

The Hon. K.J. MAHER (Leader of the Opposition) (14:19): My question is to the Treasurer.

1. Is the Treasurer aware of warnings from South Australian businesses, from South Australian primary producers, from South Australian main street associations, from South Australian independent retailers and from South Australian produce markets that the deregulation of shop trading hours will have an adverse impact on their business and on jobs?

2. Will the Treasurer outline the concerns that have been put by some of these businesses and associations?

3. Has the Treasurer met to discuss those adverse impacts with those businesses or associations?

The Hon. R.I. LUCAS (Treasurer) (14:20): I and the government are well aware that there have been some elements of the business community in South Australia, certainly the shoppies union and the Labor Party, their colours have been nailed to the mast for many years. The Labor position, we know, is dictated to them by the shoppies union, given their considerable power within the Labor Party and the Labor Party caucus.

In relation to business and industry, yes, I am aware and the government is obviously aware that there are some who are concerned, but I think the position the government has adopted is that we are also aware that the overwhelming majority of South Australians, and in particular South Australian families, want to see greater freedom of choice in terms of shop trading hours regulation in South Australia.

So, as we have indicated before, unlike the Labor Party who are captive to the views of unions and the shoppies union in particular, we are not captive to the particular views that particular business or industry leaders put to the Liberal Party. We respectfully listen to those views, we respectfully understand those views, but in the end there will be occasions where we disagree.

For those small number of businesses who have expressed that view to me, and to members of the government, we say the same thing: 'We respectfully listen to your views, we understand your views, but in the end we are here in the greater interest, the public interest for the people of South Australia,' and the overwhelming majority of people have indicated they want to see the same freedom of choice that everyone in regional South Australia has, with the exception of one particular area in the South-East in Millicent.

In every regional area of South Australia, with the exception of Millicent, consumers and businesses have absolute deregulation, even more than the government is proposing for the metropolitan area. In Mount Gambier, which members of the front bench of the Labor Party will be familiar with, as indeed am I, there is complete deregulation. Stores can open on Christmas Day, Good Friday, ANZAC Day if they so choose. Of course, they don't choose to all open on those particular days. It is a choice they make in terms of having the option to do so, and ultimately that is a commercial decision that they make in relation to the operation of their particular business.

In terms of whether or not I have met—certainly, over a long period of time I have met with the fierce opponents of the government's proposals, in particular the representatives of the Foodland group and the IGA group. Some of them are very successful businesspeople—very successful businesspeople—and we congratulate them on their success. Indeed, one of those businesses, in the full knowledge of the shop trading hours deregulation, has just recently announced they are about to not only expand their operations in South Australia but are looking at establishing another three businesses in South Australia in the full knowledge that the parliament is about to debate shop trading hours deregulation.

So the answer to the question is, yes, I have met with them. I have listened to their views, I understand their views, but in the end the government is here to govern in the best interests of all South Australians, not just the views of some businesspeople and some unions who oppose the government's proposition.

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