Page 3173 - Week 11 - Wednesday, 11 September 1991
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This report, Mr Speaker, is very interesting. It provides considerable interesting information about the ACT's position relative to other States, and about its need to move down the path of deregulating shopping hours. At the end of the report it gives two options for the ACT. Option A says that we should add Thursday evenings to the allowed trading hours as from now and preannounce which public holidays will be shopping days in 1991, 1992 and 1993.
It suggests that we perhaps make Australia Day, Good Friday and Christmas Day no trading days, and I would support that. It also says that subsequently we should remove all hours restrictions on the period from midnight on Sundays to 6.00 pm on Saturdays, and abolish restrictions on Sunday trading as from 1 January 1992. Option B is much simpler. It simply says that we should scrap all trading hours legislation immediately. The report talks about the things that should accompany both those options.
Mr Speaker, all I can say is, "Hear, hear!". This is a very clear and unambiguous report that has come to the Government. It really does require some decision making by the Government. I urge the Government to do its consultation promptly, using as a tool the report itself, which actually sets out the arguments for deregulating shopping hours, and get on with the business of providing some relief to business and traders in this Territory. Goodness knows, Mr Speaker, they need it. Goodness knows, this Territory can ill afford to remain subject to ridiculous and outdated restrictions of this kind in an era when some communities are actually throwing out restrictions of this kind altogether. We are behind other communities and we should be moving quickly in this area.
I appreciate that my colleagues opposite will have to do their consultation. I suspect that when they talk about consultation they mean, in particular, consultation with the shop employees unions. Undoubtedly, their voice will carry particular weight in the ears of the Ministers opposite. But that is the way it is with the Labor Party; we have to expect that. The fact of life is, though, that the community as a whole will benefit from the implementation of these recommendations. It is not good enough for the Labor Party to say to this community, or to this Assembly, "Well, our friends in the Labor Party and in the labour movement do not like this, so that is the end of the consultation process". There has to be more than that. There has to be some action on this and I, and those in my party, expect it very quickly.
Mr Speaker, this is a piece of legislation which merely puts in place legislatively decisions that have been made already by government, and apparently acquiesced to by the Follett Government. I sincerely hope that we can see support across this chamber for this important piece of legislation, and I commend the Bill to the house.
Debate (on motion by Mr Berry) adjourned.
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