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New bill to open supermarket doors early Sunday mornings

Premier Peter Malinauskas is making good on a State Election promise to extend Sunday trading opening times across the state, today releasing a draft bill allowing shops to open their doors at 9am rather than 11am.

Aug 09, 2022, updated Aug 09, 2022
Photo: supplied

Photo: supplied

A three-week consultation is now underway to give traders, staff and shoppers the chance to have their say on the new shop trading hours that also includes cleaning up Boxing Day trading rules in South Australia.

“This is a policy that’s supported by workers but it is also supported by business which is a demonstration of trying to get that balance right,” Premier Malinauskas said.

“We have always valued getting the balance right between the interest of consumers, employers and workers within the retail industry to make sure that South Australia’s position is having a highly competitive supermarket sector that doesn’t just operate at the behest of the duopoly, and is able to thrive for the SA economy as a whole.”

The State Government plans to introduce the Shop Trading Hours (Extension of Hours) Amendment Bill 2022 to Parliament when it resumes in three weeks’ time, with the Premier saying there was already extensive consultation during the State Election campaign.

Other public holidays would be “preserved by and large” as days for people to have a holiday.

Attorney General Kyam Maher said the legislation would provide greater clarity around Boxing Day trading – only shops in the Central Business District can currently open on Boxing Day from 11am to 5pm, unless Boxing Day falls on a Saturday, when CBD shops can open earlier.

The plan is to now allow shopping centres across metropolitan Adelaide to trade on Boxing Day from 9 to 5pm.

“We know our independent retail sector is much, much stronger in South Australia than other states and part of the reason for that is we strike the right balance in shop trading hours,” he said.

John Paul Drake voiced his support at the announcement at Drakes Foodland supermarket in Wayville.

“I one hundred percent agree with this policy,” he said.

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“Early morning on a Sunday, 9 o’clock isn’t too early is it? If you have got kids, trust me, you are already up.”

He also believed shoppers wanted the chance saying “We have line ups at 11 o’clock every store, every Sunday.”

Business SA welcomed the draft legislation and formal consultation to allow trading on Sundays from 9am.

“Current restrictions are complicated and based on several factors such as location, type of retailer, floor size, and day of the week,” chief executive Andrew Kay said.

“Consultation with our members would suggest that this proposal is a sensible solution for a market like South Australia.

“Allowing bricks and mortar retailers to open longer enables them to compete with the accessibility of online shopping and promotes Adelaide as a modern city. As we currently have a domestic and international marketing campaign to get tourists back to our State, those visiting the CBD should not leave with the view of the city being stuck in the past due to outdated shop trading hours.”

Deputy Opposition Leader John Gardner said the Liberal Party would scrutinise the draft legislation and hoped it would lead to broader deregulation of shopping hours for South Australians.

 

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